SHIPPING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4330, 4 February 1875, Page 2

SHIPPING.

POUT OF WELLINGTON High Water, 3.7 a.m.; 3.3 S r.M. AEKIVED. . . February 3. —Ladybird, s.s., 2SG tons, Andrew, from Manukau, Taranaki, Nelson, and Picton, Passengers: Saloon—Mr. and Mrs. Sellon, Mr. and Mrs, Robson, Mr. and Miss South, Mrs. Weltz. Mrs. Richards, Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Carkeek and child. Rev. Mr. Morley, Miss and Master Morley, Master Hammerton, Captain Esson, Messrs. Mating, Warburton, . Osgood, Horne, Hodge,'.Keogh,. Baker, Dunn; Wymond, Clayton, Fordharn, and Rogers: 18 in'the steerage. It. S, Ledger, agent.. —• Falcon,' ketch, 37 tons, Fisk, from Wairau. Turnbull and Co., agents. _ „ Seagull, brigantine, 136 tons. Burns, from Dunedin. . : sailed. ; : - February 3. —Hula, cutter, 5 tons, Hebcrley, for Picton. , XXX, ketch, 21 tons, Campbell, for Wairau. Turnbull and Co., agents. _ i 4 , Ladybird, s.s., 280 tons, Andrew, for Lyttelton and. Port Chalmers, Passengers ; Saloon—Mrs. Jacobson and two children, Alisa Stohr,. Miss Macmanaman, Mrs. Booth, Airs. Schenkell. Alisa Crowley. Miss Herbert, Mrs. and Miss Pike, Messrs. Tnskwell. Hart and two sons, McGlashau, Wardroop,- Moore, E., Pearce, Underdan, Wiseman; 25 in the steerage. L. S. Ledger, agent. , ,~, __ Falcon, ketch, 37 tons, Fisk, for Blenheim. Turnbull and Co., agents, CLEARED OUT. February 3.—Neptune, brig, 290 tons, Croll, for Newcastle: Captain Williams, agent. IMPORTS. Ladybird, from the North; 1 pci, 11 tins paint. 13 sacks potatoes, 1 pci, 1 case, 2 boxes, 1 pkg, 4 brls (empties), 30 rail, tics, ,200 cases fruit, 1 box, 2coses ammunition, 2 boxes fowls. - Falcon, from Blenheim; 102 bales wool, II sacks peas..EXPORTS. XXX, for , Wairau : 34 brls sulphur. 5 cases, 10 bales, 257 drain-pipes, 1 case stationery, 2 cases drugs, 1 cask earthenware, 10 cases ale. Ladybird, for the South : 2 cases, 1 truss, 8 pkgs, 6 cases bottles, 3 crates bottles, 1 iron safe, 1 pkg. EXPECTED ARRIVALS. • London. —Hlndostan, City of Vienna, Ardentinny, Hudson. Dalran, and Elvln. New Yoke.— Chaudicre, barque. - : ' Mauritius.—May, three-masted schooner, early. Hongkong.— Medora, barque, early. Melbourne, via the WEdT Coast. —Tararua, s.s., 14th inst. Soothers Ports. 5.5.,: this clay. Melbourne and Southern Ports. —Otago, s.s., sth inst. • • -■. ■ Port Chalmers. —Osseo, American brigantine, early. Northern Forts,—Taranaki, s.s., Bth inst. . Wanganui,—Stormbird, s.s. and Manawatu, p.s., this day. ‘ ■ * : ' Napier and Poverty Bay.—Rangatira, s.s., 6th inst. _ ... PROJECTED DEPARTURES. 1 XiONDON —Howrah, in February; Jessie Readman, sth February; Soukar, about 10th February. Melbourne, via the South.—Tararua, . s.s., 14th inst. Northern Ports.—Wellington, s.s., sth inst. Southern. Pori’s.—Taranaki, a.s., BUi inst. ■ Melbourne, via the West Coast.—Otago, s.s., sth inst. Foxton. —Napier, s.s., this day. Wanganui.—Stormbird, s.s., and Manawatu, p.s., this day.

■■BY, TELEG2SAFB. THE BLUFF, Wednesday. Arrived : Alhambra, s.s., from Dunedin. Sailed: Alhambra, s.s., for Melbourne, and Express for Dunedin. The steamer Ladybird, Captain Andrew, arrived early yesterday morning from Maaukau, New Plymouth, Nelson, and Picton, with the San Francisco mail.’ She left at four o'clock yesterday afternoon for Lyttelton and Port Chalmers. The steamer Wellington, Captain Carey, from Port Chalmers and Lyttelton, will arrive in port to-day. She will bo despatched to-morrow afternoon for Picton, kelson, Taranaki, and Manukau.. The steamer Napier, after receiving a few slight repairs to her machinery, will leave for Fozton tlus afternoon. The ship Jessie Headman, Captain Muir, having completed her loading, made all snug for sea. She hauled‘from the wharf into the stream yesterday morning, and dropped down to the fairway off Kaiwarra. •: The ships Berar and Avalanche - were both berthed at the Queen's Wharf yesterday, the Berar taking the berth originally . occupied by the Soukar, and the Avalanche that vacated by the Jessie Headman. The brigantine Seagull, Captain Burns, arrived in harbor at eight o’clock yesterday morning, from Oamaru. • Thd ketch Falcon, with a cargo of wool, arrived from Blenheim yesterday morning. She sailed again last night for the same port. ‘ “ The .Roadstead of New Plymouth.— Those who visited the Avalanche on . Friday last, and made inquiries on the subject, were informed by Captain Bishop that he was unable to broach his Taranaki cargo, although it was lying immediately under the patches, on the top of that destined for Wellington ; to do so, not only would his insurance ff ould be rendered liable to an on'on his arrival in Wellington, and expressed his regie ... Having to carry on goods destined for this place, butnealternative. Owing to the condition of the r<>adstea(Thavzu e been so‘ grossly misrepresented, shipowners are exceedingly chary of sending vessels to this place, and Captain Bishop assured our informant that it wasonly on Wednesday last that he finally made up his mind, that he would try what the New Plymouth roadstead was, and see and judge for himself. He has done so ; his vessel, one of the largest in the New Zealand trade, has visited and anchored in the roadstead, and in the short space of siz working hours landed 260 immigrants, together with their effects. So pleased was ho with the despatch used in conveying the people ashore, that lie said he should have no hesitation: in coming here in any ordinary weather. How well an anchor can hold off New Plymouth was proved last winter,| when;* during a very severe gale, the Eliza Mary, a new vessel visiting this port for the first time, rode out the storm with only a single anchor. We trust our new Harbor Board will lose no time, but pash on the works as rapidly as possible, so that the settlement may not suffer by our trade being interrupted in this manner. Storekeepers and merchants feel it very much that their goods arrive at their destination in safetyj but owing to legal formalities they must see them depart, undergo: further risks, incur fresh expense, and at length return after an indefinite period to be delivered to them. Unfortunately, in the present case there is no remedy. We must patiently await the erection of the first portion of our harbor, and. by that time the Waitara and Wanganui railway: will' be complete, and the facilities, then offered for shipping wool and otber produce direct from New Plymouth will be sufficient inducement for vessels to enter boldly and trade with us. 'As much wool as would enable a vessel of moderate size; to fill up with can be furnished at the present time, were a ready means of transit from the southern end of the province available. —Taranaki Herald, January 27. 1

BURNING OF THE JAPAN. (From the New York Times, December 20.) Homo Komq, December 19, 1874, ' The Pacific Mail Company's steamship Japan; from San Francisco and Yokohama for this port, was destroyed by fire on Thursday last when sixty miles out from Yokohama. Many lives are supposed to have been lost. A few of her crew and passengers have arrived here. The story is comparatively brief. Yesterday morning the Secretary of State received a despatch dated from Yokohama announcing: the disaster. During the day Jlr.Talcott, one of the directors of the company, telegraphed to the State department requesting intelligence os to whether the news had been confirmed, and, in response, a message was received to the effect that a despatch had been received from the American Consul at Hong Kong that the Japan had been burned at sea with a frightful loss ; of life and that the mails were lost. The Japan left San Francisco on the 14th of November last. She was destined for Yokohama and Hong Kong, As it appears from official statements she hod 375,000 doL-in treasure. Her cabin passengers lor Hong Kong were F. W. Crocker, R.M. Tindell and Mary Stott. The Chinese in the steerage numbered 424. The following is a list of her officers: —Captain, E. R. Warsaw ; First Officer,’ F. W. Hart; Second Officer, H. H, Andrews; Third Officer, J. P. Gallagher; Purser, John Rooney; Surgeon, V. B. Gales, M.D.;• Freight Clerk, C. L. Gorham; Storekeeper, W. B. Horn; Stewards, first, O. N. Clark; second, William Ray. Engineers—Chief, John Cosgrove First Assistant,' W. Bennett; Second Assistant, ;David Fulton ; Third Assistant, James Henry. The loss of the Japan cannot bo pictured by imagination; Luckily, as it appears, some of those on board escaped, and the minute, details of the frightful scene will, doubtless, furnish a little history in itself of the appalling scenes incident to a fire at sea. The. Pacific Mail Steamship Company have lost; about seven or eight vessels within the past five -years, including the Relief,: the- Ariel, • the, America; the City of Guatemala and the .Bienville. • It da thought that the Alaska’ will be got off the beach where she now lies high and dry near Hong Kong. The Japan. Is insured for 150,000 dob in English and French companies. ; DESCRIPTION OP THE STEAMER. The steamer Japan was launched at the shipyard of Henry Steers, Greenpoint, Long Island, September 17, 1807. A - first glance at her symmetrical proportions gave but a faint idea of her immense size, os her graceful lines had. been .so skilfully wrought . that i she was saved from the appearance of vast bulk, which so often strikes the: eye as Inharmonious in auchi architectural sea structures.' -Every known , improvement in naval architecture hod been ex-, hausted to make the Japan a marvel of beauty.as well as of strength. It was believed she could resist the severest hurricanes and typhoons of the tropical seas, and ride out all .the storms of the treacherous, archipelagos in which she was destined to sail. A ; man who walked the length of her deck took a stretch of a fourteenth of a mile, but the thousands who viewed the sea beauty that September day of , the launch did not take so much note of her proportions in feet and inches as of .the' genera! harmony and completeness of the model,’ and the .grace and beauty of each line and 1 curve. Yet the Japan was ef ~ v;; Length, .extreme .. , • * <25*5? Length on deck .V .. _ £76*00 - Length between .perpendiculars '; —SCO 00 Breadth of beam, moulded ; ■ ..» 48'00 Breadth of beam, extreme . 50*00 . Dephofhold .. ; ’ , .• 14*06 Depth of hold to spar dock ' -. 31*06 Load draft - .. .. - -18*00 • - Tonnage—-8,836 tons, new measurement; 4,338 tons,* old measurement ;■ 5,000 tons, common measurement. Her frame timbers were of live oak; whltp..oak, cedar and hackmatack, selected • by one of the-best-timber inspectors ‘fn- America..] Her frames were square, fastened in :the. most .workmanlike manner, with copper and galvanized iron, strapped with iron straps, crossing each other diagonally every four feet.

Over tliis-earne a yellow pine planking strapped in turn, with plates of a like size as the inner ones, which planking was carefully calked and . J* pitch in the most thorough manner. >. Over all this on the bottom was a planking of oak four and one-half inches in thickness, and on the top a planking ot yellow pine five inches in thickness. The whole was thorouglily bolted, braced and fastened with treenails of locust, copper bolts and spikes or galvanized Great and special care was exercised in this bracing and bolting, as upon the manner in which it is performed depends the ability of a ship to outride the buffetings of the angry seas. , ■

SHE HAD FOUR RECKS, ■ i • including an orlop deck fore and aft,extending tothe engine room, and her hull was divided into fi e water-tight compartments. Her ■ rig was that of a three-masted barque. The steamer was fitted with a vertical beam engine, having a cylinder of the enormous diameter of 105 inches and a stroke of piston of twelve feet. The Novelty . Iron Works constructed her machinery, and were engaged upon it and her appurtenances about eighteen All the various parts had been made under special instructions. Steam was generated and supplied to. the engine by four horizontal tubular boilers, each having four furnaces, witlra grate surface of. SGO square feet and a combined heating surface of 15,200 square feet. Her accommodations were on a scale of magnificence and elegance never before attempted. She was. Indeed,

A FLOATING SEA PALACE. With numberless staterooins, spacious berths, bathrooms and saloons, she was equal to a luxurious hotel, including all the comforts of parlors, a piano, soft divans, &c. Her officers when she left this port were efficient and well tried, and the steamer reflected not only the beauty of American, ships, but the public spirit and enterprise of the company that launched her.