SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 17, 20 May 1871, Page 10

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

aerived. MAT.

12, Ahuriri, 131 tons, Carey, from Wanganui. Passengers : Messrs Seed, Duncan, Sidey, Mills, Martin, Compton, Hoskin, and M'Leod. • . 12, Lochlee, 217 tons, brig, from London. 13, Bangatira, s.s., 178 tons, Benner, from Napier. Passengers : Cabin —Messrs M'Lean and Coutts. 13, Go-a-head, s.s., 84 tons, Doile, from the North Passengers: Cabin —Messrs W. Webster, Kelly, Olsen, and Kerr; 3 in the steerage. 14, Wanganui, s s., 168 tons, Linklater, from Wanganui. Passengers : Cabin —Messrs M‘Neil, Wilson, Axup, Moulds, Davis,Brodie, B. A. Daniels, L. Daniels, Mrs R. A. Daniels, Mrs L. Daniels ; 1 steerage. 14, Falcon, ketch, 34 tons, Morrison, from Wairau. 15, Jupiter, ketch, 27 tons, Chapman, from Lyttelton. 15, Alert, ketch, 28 tons, Scott, from Lyttelton. 16, Wellington, s.s., 261 tons, Kennedy, from Lyttelton and Otago. Passengers : Saloon- —Mrs and Miss Bell, Hon. D. Bell, Messrs Levy, Blackett, Beeves, Edwards, Hart, Barraud, Donald. Steerage—Jones, and 9 for the North. 17, Nevada, p.s., 2146 tons, Blethen, from Lyttelton and Port Chalmers. Passengers for Wellington—Cabin: Messrs Wait and Keiger. Three for Napier, three for Auckland, one for Honolulu, and fifteen for San Francisco.

SAILED. 13, Emerald, ketch, 40 tons, Whitby, for Lyttleton. 13, Ruby, schooner, 24 tons, Eraser, lor Kaikoura. 16, Bangatira, s.s., 175 tons, Benner, for Lyttelton and Otago.. Passengers : Saloon— Messrs Coates and Mills. 16, Wanganui, s.s., 168 tons, Linklater, for Wanganui. Passengers : Saloon—Mrs Brown and three children, Miss Hackett, Messrs Draper, Watson, Phillips, Kumiver, Marks, and Savage. 17, Wellington, s.s., 262 tons, Kennedy, for Napier and Auckland. Passengers Cabin : Captain Edwin, Mr and Miss Oakes and four children, Dr. Beer. 17, Nevada, p.s., 2146 tons, Bletlien for Auckland. 17, Ahuriri, s.s., 131 tons, Carey, for Picton, Nelson, Taranaki, and Manukau. 18, Ealcon, ketch, 37 tons, Morrison, for Wairau. Passengers: The Gourlay family, Captain Francis. 18, Ahuriri, s.s., 131 tons, Carey, for Picton. Passengers • Messrs Hoskins, Hebe, Wilson, Miss Page, Mrs Crosby. 18, Dawn, cutter, 21 tons, Craig, for Mana* watu.

18, Jupiter, ketch, 27 tons, Chapman, for Lyttelton.

The three-masted schooner Lochlee, Captain Boig, left London on the Ist January. Experienced very heavy weather in the channel, and did not get clear of laud till the 10th ; in crossing the Bay of Biscay very heavy weather was again experienced. She sighted Saint Antonia on the Bth February ; crossed the Line on the 16fh February. The island of Tristan d’Acunha was sighted on the 14th March (73rd day out). While running down the easting, a heavy gale was met. One sea came on board and washed the galley overboard, and started the bulwarks and stanchions. She sighted the Solander on the 7th May, was off Cape Campbell on Wednesday night, and arrived in this harbor at 1 p.m. cn Friday last, and moored alongside the Queen’s Wharf. She brings no passengers, has a full cargo of merchandise, and is consigned to Messrs W. & Gr. Turnbull & Co.

The B.s. Wellington was placed in the floating dock at an early hour this morning. The expedient of temporary gates, ingeniously contrived and adapted to the contour of the steamer’s bow, which projects for several feet beyond the length of the’ dock, was again successfully resorted to by Messrs Murray & Co, the proprietors of the floating dock. The bottom of the Wellington was found to be excessively foul, and thickly coated with mussels and other matter, which must have greatly impeded the vessel’s progress through the water on her recent passage to this port. Simultaneously with the pumping this foul matter was removed, and the graceful proportions and splendid lines of this fine vessel were gradually shown, which will be seen to greater advantage when the cleaning and painting operations have been completed ; and with the known power of the Wellington, rapid passages may be reasonably expected.— Dunedin “ Star,” 9th May.

We learn from an exchange that Portugal has recently made several important concessions in her commercial operations. By decree of the Cortes, Dec. 27, 1870, all vessels entering a Portuguese port in ballast, in distress, or voluntarily, and departing in ballast, without performing any commercial act or taking in passengers, are exempt from tonnage dues ; also, the previous provisions regarding the landing and reshipment of merchandise, for the purpose of repairing or fumigating vessels while in quarantine; the transhipment of goods where the ship from which they are taken is unfit to proceed to sea, and the sale of damaged goods, when sanctioned by the Customs authorities, or a portion of the cargo to provision the crew, the captain having proved his inability to obtain money in any other way, are all withdrawn from the category of “ commercial operations.” Again, vessels having paid the tonnage dues at one port are not required to pay them elsewhere (at any other Portuguese ports); while all vessels entering in ballast and with a full cargo of salt are exempted absolutely from the payment of these dues.

We learn from Moeraki that the Midlothian, Flying Squirrel, and twin s.s. Pretty Jane were there during the gale that blew on the night of the 9th inst. The first-named vessel held the ground, but the Flying Squirrel drove about five or six cables* lengths, while . the Pretty Jane drove upon the reef, and sustained some injury. A sail was passed under her to lessen the leak, and the Wallace arrived on the following evening, and towed her up to the anchorage. The Geelong will, we are informed, be sent to assist the Pretty Jane to reach Dunedin. The accident is attributed to the lightness of the Pretty Jane’s anchors, and the absence of moorings at the inner anchorage. —“ Otago Times,” 12th. On board the Nevada every movement of the engine is registered. In addition to the usual steam and pressure gauges, there is a dial which registers the number of revolutions of the paddlesj from which an estimate of the speed can be formed. It is roughly calculated that one revolution per minute is equal to one knot per hour. Of course this only an approximate estimate. It will interest many to learn that during the voyage from San Francisco the number of revolutions of the paddle wheels was 528,603. There is also a “ crank indicator,” which, by a simple contrivance, points to the exact position of the crank at any moment during working. By its aid all difficulty arising from stopping the machinery at its “ dead points ” is avoided. —Dunedin “ Star.”

We are indebted to the Marlborough “ Express” of the 13th instant, for the following particulars of the fires on board the ship Malay :—A preliminary inquiry, instituted under the provisions of the “ Enquiry into Wrecks Act 1869,” has been held before J. Barleyman, Esq., the principal officer of Customs at this port, with reference to the fires on board the Malay which occurred on Sunday, April 30tli, and Tuesday, May 2nd. Mr Barleyman proceeded to Port Underwood on Monday last, and after taking the deposition of the officers and nearly all the crew of the ship, has reported to the Hon. the Commissioner of Customs as follows:—“ That after a most, careful examination of the persons present at the time, I can discover no trace of the cause of the fire. Good discipline was maintained on board the vessel, and all the ordinary precautions were taken for the safety of the ship l and cargo, especially the prohibition of smoking during work or in the hold, and on both occasions the officers and men acted with judgment, promptitude, and energy. The circumstance of the bales of flax being burned on the outside only leads to the consideration of whether it would not be wise to cover the bales in the same manner as wool is now done. This would at least render them less liable to ignition by an accidental spark. The loose fibre of the flax hanging about the bales is of so highly combustible a nature as to be almost explosive, and a spark from the galley fire or the ashes from a pipe coming in contact with the fibres would infallibly set fire to them. The danger of this would be considerably lessened by the precaution of covering the bales as I have stated. I am further of opinion that no practical good would result from a further investigation.” We fully concur in this recommendation, as we cannot help feeling that it would be a precaution available in almost all the contingencies we have heard suggested as the possible causes of fire, in such cases ; except the hypothetical one of spontaneous combustion from internal heating, a contingency now considered with reference to flax, as almost beyond the range of possibility. We are requested by Captain Peters to mention that he gives great credit to his officers and crew for their exertions during his absence in extinguishing the fires on both occasions. We learn that the Malay will complete her loading in about a fortnight, when we trust that Captain Peters, notwithstanding the accident, will have a pleasant and prosperous voyage home. The fishing smack Veto, of Grimbsy, S. Cousins, master, arrived in Hobart Town from the Dogger Bank on Saturday, the 17th ult. The master reports that on the previous Wednesday, when about 200 miles from Spurn, he came up with a full-sized lifeboat, full of water up to the corks. There was no name on the boat, which had evidently belonged to some large vessel. Three dead sailors were lying aft, huddled together, and a fourth athwart in the bow, with his head hanging over the rowlocks. They seemed, from their dress and general appearance, to be foreigners, but their bodies had been frightfully “ washed about,” and were in a state of decomposition, and had evidently been dead some weeks. The water-logged waif drifted on with its ghastly cargo, and the horrible sight so shocked the crew of the Veto that afterwards they were almost too unnerved to attend to their trawling, and the smack in consequence returned to port with a comparatively small catch, and sooner than was expected. —“ Hobart Town Mercury.” As the torpedo has come to be regarded as one of the most important agencies of harbor defence, it is worth showing, from Sydney papers, the part played by the late experimental torpedo in the sham attack and defence exhibited by the naval and land forcee on Saturday week. The “ Empire ” writes “ It remained then to fire the torpedo. This terrible instrument of modern warfare had been sunk in mid-channel between the Heads —the position being marked by a boat, carrying a flag, which was moored over it. The signal to fire was the discharge of one gun from head-quarters, at a point near the boat; in fact, the instructions to the gunners were tantamount to directing them to ‘ go as near as possible without touching.’ This direction was obeyed with marvellous skill and discretion, and all eye 3 were turned upon the mark’ Nor had they long to wait. A huge volumff of water, lashed into the consistency of cream, rose to a height (as it appeared from St. George’s Head) of about 100 feet in the air j it shot upwards, appeared to hesitate a

moment, fell over in an immense mass of foam irridaated by the sun into literally 1 all the colors of the rainbow.’ Of the old boat not a vestige remained, save a plank or two wafted like a pith ball on the surface of a fountain.” We see by the ** Sydney Morning Herald ” that the torpedo was constructed of wroughtiron boiler-plate, three-eighths of an inch in thickness, cylindrical in form, 3 feet in length ana 2 feet 8 inches in diameter. The charge consisted of 800 lbs of powder, and was fired from Lady Bay, through about 700 yards of wire, by Mr 0. E. Cracknell, the superintendent of electric telegraphs. The firing apparatus was an ordinary magneto-electric machine, and the bursting charges in the torpedo were ignited by Abel’s fuse. The Royal Commission on the Construction of Ships of War have resolved to obtain practical experience of the subject they are appointed to investigate by taking cruises in the Waterwitch, armor-plated iron gunboat, worked with hydraulic power instead of steam ; and on board the Hotspur—the new fixed target heavily armored ship, carrying one 35-ton gun. A late American paper, referring to the great work of making navigable to all vessels that arm of the sea at New York known as the East Biver, says : —About one hundred additional miners have just been engaged at Hell Gate. The force will be further augmented during the coming summer. Eighty thousand cubic yards of rock will have to be removed before the blasting can be done that will terminate the work and effect the object of the Government. The mining, when completed, will be equal to a tunnel nearly three miles long. The work will bo finished, it is expected, in about eighteen months. Between the lOfch and 15th of April the United States steam drilling scow will be put to work on Diamond and Coenties reefs.