Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 914, 11 January 1871, Page 2

The 8.8. Taranaki, from Auckland, may bo looked for here to-morrow, unless, indeed the prevailing adverse weather causes her detention. The s.B. Napier, from Poverty Bay, may be expected to arrive as soon as the weather moderates. The s.s. Phoebe, Captain Wbrsp, arrived at Wellington on the 3rd hast., after a lengthy passage of 23 hours from Lyttelton, which was caused by the vessel having encountered •very heavy weather from the north-east. She left for Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau early on the morning of the 4th, with the outgoing mails via San Francisco. The Evening Post, 3rd inst., says:—A very unfortunate accident occurred to the schooner Lady Bird on Sunday evening. She was moored off the corner of the Reclaimed Land, plose in shore, and in shallow water, to be of way of the shipping. An unexpected shift of the jight easterly whid which prevailed on Sun day, set her across her anchor, and as the tide receded she gradually settled down upon it, a portion pf it going through her bottom. One or more of her compartments filled, but the water was too shallow to allow her to sink. There is no difficulty in the way of pumping per out, and when this is accomplished, she will be taken round to the slip and have the Jiole patched up. We take the following from the Liverpool journal of Commerce: —It has always been a source of regret amongst ship-owners and the commanders of iron ships, that no matter how well equipped the vessel may be or how extremely fine her lines, that if once the bottom becomes foul by the growth of barnacles and sea grass, it is almost impossible to get the ship through the water with any degree of satisfaction. We have seen iron ships arriving in Liverpool from the West Coast and the East Indies, whose bottoms, whan examined, were covered with enormous crop 3 of barnacles and long sedges of sea grass, arid it appeared almost a miracle how any ship with such an Impediment to her progress could have made, to say the least, any headway. A few years ago we saw a fine iron ship—the Kirkham, Capt. Eoutledge—which had returned from India a very prolonged homeward voyage. Notwithstanding that this vessel left Livex*pool in splendid condition, her bottom having been parefully examined and coated with some anti-fouling mixture, jet on her return j;o port her bottom presented a most extraordinary appearance. Barnacles the size of a man's hand, surmounted by miniature and fantastic steeples, covered her bottom, and in fact, it was found even the iron in some cases jxad been damaged by corrosion. Since then, ho doubt, improvements have been made in mixtures for the coating of iron ships. One instance pf such improvement we may here mention. The iron barque Ladybird, Capt. Millanduine, after being coated with the JJritish and Oriental Ship Coating Company's preparation in September last, left Liverpool fpr "Valparaiso in October, making a splendid Sssage out. She left Valparaiso on the 25th _ arch, and Tome on the 6th May on her return vpyage, with a full general cargo, and arrived in the Mersey after a very successful passage. She is now in the Clarence (graving pock, and her bottom is so free from any kind pf fpuling that you could put it all in a soup plate. It may appear rather invidious to parlj'euJarJߧ fchis cpfttjng, bu.t it i§ ft &<&