H. M. STEAMER "HARPY." [From the Times, August 11, 1852.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 771, 22 December 1852, Page 4

H. M. STEAMER " HARPY." [From the Times, August 11, 1852.]

We have a few words to say about the performances of another Admiralty steamer — ths Harpy — which has jest accomplished the passage home from Rio in 110 days. Our old friend the Megcera-^-ve have much pleasure in observing — ■ is being prepared for fresh triumphs by the hands of the dockyard people at Sheerness. They are caulking arid paying her decks with Jeffrey's marine glue. They are making alterations in her internal fitments, and placing a coat of prepared mineral pitch upon her bottom. Despite of all these important changes England, we are toldi is justified in expecting that within three weeks the Megtera will be afloat again. Meanwhile, the reputation of the Admiralty has been ably enst'ained. Uno avulso non deficit alter. While the Megara has been in dock, the Harpy has been staggering about the Atlantic for the jast three months at the most imminent danger to the lives of all on board. In the case of this ship it may be said — and with reason — that we have no right to expect any such rapid passage ,as is habitually made by the Brazil line of Mercantile steamers. She was sent home, in point ,of.fact, on account of the dangerous state of her boilers, and so it was necessary to navigate her at a reduced pressure. Allowance, however, has its limits—and whether those limits have in this instance been exceeded must be judged from the! following facts. The time bill of the Harpy since her departure from Rio stands as follows: — Rio on the 18th April, Bahiaon the sth of May, Pernamhuco on the 15th, and, Fayal on the 23a of July, off Plymouth on Friday, last, and arrived at Portsmouth on Saturday night. The Harpy left Pernambuco with 150 tons of coal on board — as much or more than she could stow. Her decks were cbokedup w,ith the coal in order to supply the shortcomings of the. stowag9 below. With this supply she s teamed ( steadily away for the depot at St. Vincent's, and, was within a,comparatively short distance when it was found that the supply, of coal was exhausted. A dsspesate effort must be made to keep the boilers going. Everything was thrown into the fire— coal sacks, mess tables, old junk, the cabin doors, everything, in sshortt t that was not absolutely pecessary to keep the vessel above water. All efforts, however, were in vain, the interror of the Harpy presented a mere tabula rasa ; there was nothing more to throw on the fires, which very naturally went out. Under these disagreeable circumstances the officer iv command oi the ship, Commander Williams, who appears to have discharged his duty with great energy and discretion, came to the resolution of bearing up for the Western Islands. In order to give them a chance of reaching this haven alive it was necessary to put the crew en a reduced scale of provisions and water. They appear to have suffered very considerably from actual hardships, and still more from the terrible \ apprehensions of the fate that in all probability awaited them. At lasMhey made Fayal, the very day they were reduced to only one day's further provision of water. The commander had directed his men to catch the condensed sieam, and add it to their slender supplies in the tanks, or they would not have reached Fayal without enduring the sufferings inseparable from actual privation. The passage from Pemanobuco to Fayal had occupied 69 days, The only wonder is how even I in the British navy an officer could be found to command and a. crew to work such a craft across the wide Atlantic. The conduct of the commander, and, we have no doubt, that or' all the men, appears to have been above all praise. The ship in which they were would neither steam nor sail, and yet they contrived to bring her home in safety into Portsmouth harbour. We have endeavoured, from the account we have received, to give some idea of the shifts to which the Harpy's [ people were reduced in order to keep the steam [ going* When they came to try sailing it was just as bad. M The Harpy wasn't built for sailing." As our correspondent very rationally observes — " if a ship can't sail, what on earth can she do ?" Well — could she steam, even upon the wild assumption that she bad fuel on board ? The reply we get is, that the Harpy's boilers were originally made to bear a 121b. steam pressure, which for safety's sake had been reduced to 41b., but even at this modified, degree of pressure the boilers were always " giving way," and required now a patch here, now a patch there, in order to keep them together. That she ever reached the shores of Great Britain seems to be little short of 3 miracle. Now, of course, the question* arises in the first place, was the ship on leaving Rio in such a condition as to justify her despatch across the Atlantic at all 1 The answer -resulting from the 'state of facts before us is inevitable, that it was unsafe in the highest degree to trust the lives of the brave commander and crew of the Harpy to a steam ship the boilers in which had been condemned, or to a sailing ship which would not sail. The Harpy appears to have combined the' absence, we crave pardon for the Hibernicism, of both qualifications. But as it appears to our uninformed minds, although it might have been an unsafe thing that the Harpy should be sent to her machinery, it would not have involved any very great amouut of danger to have sent the necest»ry machinery to the Harpy. To, be sure, we

are not Lords of the Admiralty, or great people at the dockyards, or anything, of that sort ; hot we We in the <fourse of oar little experience heard of simple minded merchants sending the requisite michinery for steam ships across 'the waters of the Atlantic. Of course it was a question of expense irijthe second place — for the first Question was one of humanity and. prudence. Was it worth whil» to incur such an expense at. all? If this question was decided in the affirmative, it,was «r(ainly hest to get the necessary work executed at: as cheap a rate as possible. What would havejbeen the cost of freight on one side ; and what |be cost, on the other hand, of maintaining the Harpy's people for three months and a-half staggering about the ocean in the most imminent peril oil their lives? A' comparison of the two charges taunot surely be very difficult. But again, suppose it had been decided on mature consideration that it was the most economical course to send the Harpy home that she might be overhauled and her boilers refitted in England ; surely, as her boilers had been condemned, it would have been 'but consistent with the rules of common prudence to give the gallant officer in command means of sailing, his ship home in safety whenever" the boilers should give way. If anything could add to the half-amused indignation with wbich an Englishman watches the proceedings of his Admiralty Board, it would be the account of tbe gloriousVivalry existing among the mercantile steam companies. It will be many a long day ere such a ship as La^Plata is sent to sea from any dockyard iv these kingdoms. That tbe saras^ number of this journal should have recorded the return of the Harpy and the first trip of La Plata I