THE S.S. ZEALANDIA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 233, 26 February 1876, Page 21

THE S.S. ZEALANDIA.

This new steamer for the mail service via San Francisco arrived, as was telegraphed, in Melbourne on August 4th. The Argus of the sth says :—“ The speed of this steamer on her maiden voyage has been satisfactorily proved, thepassage having been accomplished in 46 days eight hours from port to port, or, exclusive of detention at St. Vincent’s, in 43 days 14 hours, and this without putting forth any effort to drive the vessel, and in spite of adverse •o-ales encountered at the outset of the voyage, and strong head winds again met with from the meridian of long. 96deg. E. to arrival. Apart from the beauty of her lines and the peculiarity of her appearance on deck and aloft, the great feature of the Zealandia is undoubtedly her passenger accommodation, and this certainly appears to have been planned so as to secure the greatest amount of light and ventilation and general comfort, and in tropical latitudes the travelling public will not be slow to recognise the splendid provision

which has been made for their requirements. A brief notice of the launch of the vessel has already found its way here, but it. may not be amiss to repeat that the Zealandia measures in length 376 ft. between perpendiculars, her beam being 37ft. 6in., and depth of hold 28ft., giving her a gross of 2755 tons. She has four masts, two forward of the funnel, and two aft, the former having yards across. She looks very smart aloft, and her rig will be found admirably adapted for crossing the Pacific. She differs from most other steamers in that the “ swell ” part of her passenger accommodation, so to speak, is well forward, instead of being right aft, and by this arrangement the saloon has many manifest advantages. A Home paper, in noticeing the Zealandia, mentions that “on deck and below there are considerable novelties introduced. A spacious poop, to which easy access is gained from the main deck, extends in front of the funnel nearly to the * house ’ in which the steering apparatus is placed under cover, almost at the bow of the ship. In the latitudes which the Zealandia will have to traverse, such an elevated and commodious space, sheltered when need be by plentiful awning, will be a splendid promenade. Immediately under this, on each side of a central corridor, there are a series of what may be called deck state-rooms, each containing a bed, a couch, and the requisite accommodation for washing and dressing. Being flush with the deck, these will form very comfortable sleeping and sitting apartments. Descending by another staircase to the grand saloon, it is found to be very tastefully and appropriately decorated. The main feature and absolute novelty, however, is the large and lofty central skylight, which ascends in a somewhat pyramidal form to a great height, and which imparts an idea of light and air rarely, if ever, found on board the most luxuriously appointed vessels of the first-class. A careful inspection of the first, intermediate, and third-class sections showed everywhere a thoughtful and liberal provision for the wants of passengers according to the class they are intended for.” The steamer is commendably clean throughout, and quite a treat to look at. The arrangements for cooking, and for the provision of creature comforts, being ingenious and elaborate, and in sanitary matters the bathrooms and la-v atories are all that could be desired. Her passenger accommodation is equal to the berthing of 164 in the saloon, from 24 to 30 in the second cabin, and from 85 to 100 in the third cabin or steerage. Considering the enormous power requisite to drive such a vessel through the water, the engineroom does not occupy so much space as might be expected, but the machinery, though massive, is compactly arranged, and hence the saving of room. The engines are compound, of 2400 horse-power indicated. They are direct acting, surface condensing, and have cylinders, one high pressure and two low pressure, the former being 45in. and the latter 62in. each, with a 4ft 3in. stroke. The three cylinders have three holders on the crank shafts, which gives the vessel a very easy, smooth, and equable motion. There are two immense boilers, with six furnaces to each, and in the stokehole the ventilation is something wonderful. The screw is four-bladed, and 17ft in diameter, with 25ft pitch, and the number of revolutions at full speed is 65. Steam is in great request on board, and there are a dozen or more separate little engines for various purposes. The complement of hands in the engineroom comprises 22 firemen and tx-immers, five engineers (including the chief), and a boilermaker. The steering is done by hydraulic gear, and the steamer is almost as easily handled as a yacht. The steamer is amply supplied with boats, and provision is made for the saving of life and property in case of fire or other accident. The command of this magnificent vessel has been given to Captain J. S. Ferries, who was here some two years ago in the steamship Tax-tar, and on the voyage out he has been singularly successful in gaining the goodwill and esteem of his passengers, who speak highly of his invariable courtesy and unwearying attention to them. An address was drawn up and presented to him at the close of the voyage. Mr. A. Marshall is engineer-in-chief on board ; and the purser (Mr. R. McDonald) was here last in the P. and O. Company’s s.s. Nubia, about fifteen months ago. The chief officer (Mi*. Frank B. Thompson) was also formerly in the P. and O. Company’ service ; and the other officers are:—Mr. R. Ghest, second ; Mr. S. Denton, third ; and Mr. B. W. Palms, fourth. The physical wellbeing of all on board, during the voyage has been under the supervision of Dr. H. Rickards, who has been to these colonies previoxxsly. With regai-d to the voyage, it may be mentioned that the Zealandia left Plymouth on Dec. 19, at 1 p.m., and met with strong southerly gales to lat. 37deg. N. A call was made at St. Vincent, where she arrived at a quarter-past 8 a.m. on December 28, and after coaling, left again at 6 a.m. on December 30. Strong S.E. trades were found between lat. 20deg. S. and lat. 35deg. S. The meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was crossed on the 14th ult., and some good work was done afterwards, until crossing long. 96deg. E., where adverse winds set in, and continued until entering Port Phillip Heads yesterday afternoon. The dest day’s work was 330 knots, and during one week the average was 312 knots, the consumption of coal was about 32 tons per day, and with this a speed of from 111 to 12 knots an hour was gained. The voyage is described by the passengers as having been of a most pleasant character, and it was greatly enlivened by amateur concerts, there being quite a wealth of musical talent on board, and also a fined toned piano. There is also a large and well-selected library of books of fact, fancy, and fiction, and a comfortably-appointed smoking-room, so that elements of amusement and instruction for whiling the time away were quite handy.