SHIPPING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4585, 30 November 1875, Page 2

SHIPPING.

PORT OF WELLINGTON. High Water.—s,44 a.m.; 6.4 p.m. ARRIVED. November 29,—Falcon, ketch, 37 tons, Fisk, from Wairau. No passengers. Turnbull and Co., agents. Otago, s.s., 669 tons, Calder, from Melbourne, via the West Coast. Passengers—Saloon : Miss Haynes, McCarthy, Messrs. Seed. Martin. Bennett, Cowrie, Lyell, Nicholas, and 6 in the steerage. >vBishop, agent. SAILED. November 29.—Raagatira. s.s., ISS tons., Grim , lot Napier.. Passengers—Saloon : y r aill jT thews, Mrs. O’Rorke and S children. Messrs. Lung, Sutton, Best, Wills, Smith. Richards, »m. Ledger, agent. - CLEARED OUT. ■ _ . November 29.—Unity, schooner, 44 tons. In me, for Greymoutb. Krull and Co., agents. Kangatira, from and Co.- 2 pkgs, Jackmgs: 12 bales. Hirst, 1 paff, % bales wool Jolmston and Go.; 5 cases, Margetis; 4 casks, Jackson. EXPORTS. Unity, for Greytnouth: 1 locomotive and fittings, General Government , - * Rangatira. for Napier; 3 qr-casks. 150 cases, 7 ITiumte. Turnbull and Co.; 50 sacks 2U pkgs. Ledger - 1 case, Allan ; 2 boxes. Telegraph; 0 hhds, Mace and Arkell: 1 pkg. 1 case. Burrett; 2 kegs. 2 pkgs, 4 axles, 2 springs. Mills; 2 cases, Barraud; 1 trunk Levy ; 6 pieces, McKirdy; 64 sheep. Sutton ; 1 truss, 2 pkgs. Hirst: 1 case. Stationery Store ; 1 pci, Knight; 3 cases. 1 truss, Stuart and Co.; 6 bdls, Gibson. . EXPECTED ARRIVALS. London. Rakaia, Otaki. Pleiades. Avalanche, and Commissary. New York via Dunedin. —Frances Lewey, brigantine. early. New York via Adelaide.— Canny Scot, barque, early, Jt . , Northern Ports. —Ladybird, s.s., this day; Hawea, s.s., Ist December, Southern Ports. —Phcebe, s.s., this day ; Taupo, s.s., Ist December. . Foxton.—Napier, s.s., this day. Newcastle. —May, three-masted-schooner, early. PROJECTED DEPARTURES London. —Halcione, ship, early in November; Howrah, ship, January next. „ Melbourne via Southern Ports. —Otago, s.s., 29th inst. ‘ . , ■ Sodthern P»rts.—Ladybird, s.s., this day , Hawea, s.s., 2nd December. Northern Ports. —Phcebe, as., Ist December; Taupo, s.s,, 2nd December. ■Wanganui.— Stormbird, s.s., this day. Foxton. —Napier, s.s., this day. BY TELEGRAPH. AUCKLAND, Monday. Arrived : s.s. LadybirdNAPIER, Monday. Arrived : Ship Inverness. 99 days from London, with 105 immigrants; all well. One death and one birth occurred during the voyage. The passengers are a very respectable looking lot. They are not all for Napier, some being for Otago, and some for Auckland. All landed. The Napier portion will be on hire to-morrow. LYTTELTON, Monday. : Arrived : Phoebe, from South. , iV Sailed: Easby, for the South; Phcebe, for the North. Passengers—For Wellington, Mr. and Mrs. Sherrins, Mrs. Holiday, Dene t, Wilkins; for Nelson, ~\ng<i Powis; for Napier, Mr. McCarthy. PORT CHALMERS. Monday. Sailed : The steamer Taupo. Passengers—For Lyttelton. Messrs. Cross (2). Barry, McCormack, Preston, Gardner, Ballantyne, Martin, Rev, A. Blake, Madam Vans ; for Wellington, Messrs. Prince, Riddell, Saville, Wheatleigh ; for Napier. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs; for Manukau, Mr. and Mrs, Potter and servant, Mr. Kean. ■ NEWCASTLE, November 19. Arrived ; Neptune, from Wellington.

WEATHER YESTERDAY. —5 P.M. Auckland.—29*90 —S.E.. light; fine. Castle Point.— 299s—S.S.W. gale; rain. Sea rough. Wellington. —3o 06 —S.E., fresh; cloudy. Hokitika.— moderate ; gloomy. Bar good. Westport. —3o 00—S.W., moderate ; fine. Bar smooth. ' -Timarit.— 39*lo—S.S.E., light; fine. Considerable swell. OAHAKtr. —30*13 — E., light; fine. Heavy S.E. Bluff.— 3o*oo—S.E., light; fine. Barometer rising steadily.

The time-ball may be used to-day for rating chronometers. A chronometer true on Greenwich - time would show 12h. 30min. when the ball drops. ‘Any difference is error, plus or minus, of the chronometer. The s.s. Otago, Captain Calder, left Sandridge Railway Pier on the 20th November ; passed Port Phillip Heads at 5.30, and The Sisters at noon on the 21st. During the first part of the passage experienced fine weather and variable winds, but during the latter part boisterous variable winds and thick rainy weather prevailed, with heavy sea from the southward, no celestial observations being obtainable. Arrived at Hokitika at 6 p.m. on the 26th November; left Hokitika at 10 a.m. on the 27th; arrived off Greymouth at 5.45 p.m. on the 27th : arrived at Nelson at 10.30 a.m. on the 28th: left Nelson at 9.30 a.m. on the 29th, and arrived at Wellington at 11.30 p.m. yesterday. Experienced aS W. gale across the Strait. Two steamers were signalled as being at anchor inside the Heads at sundown. We them to be the Rangatira and Kiwi, both bound for Napier. * The s.s. Rangatira left the- wharf at 5.20 p.m. yesterday, for Castle Point and Napier.

SAVING LIFE AT SEA. Some four years ago, Mr. Holmes brought to the notice of the public an invention calculated to be of great service in case of marine disasters at night. The number of projects which have from time to time been devised to assist in saving life at sea is exceedingly large; the great majority of them are utterly impracticable, and of the remaining minority which appear to have some claims for notice, we should say that very few indeed are ever likely to be, or ever have been, recorded as being serviceable at times when life-saving gear might be useful. _So many people'dabble, so to speak, in the cheap philanthropy which, often characterises warm-hearted but weakly natures, and.which too often leans only upon the ignorant assumptions of popular enthusiasts, that all sorts of ill-considered and impracticable proposals are made with the object of saving life at sea. How, we desire to point out to’ our readers that Mr. Holmes’ invention does not profess to actually prevent loss of life ; the promise made on its behalf, however, is one which it strictly fulfils, aud we have no hesitation in saying that, as it successfully carries out its purpose, it is, prima facie, an honest invention, and therefore deserves consideration- The .invention is a selflighting and inextinguishable storm and danger signal light, which, upon being thrown upon the water, bursts into flame, and for nearly an hour exhibits a most brilliant light, neither wind nor rain having any power to extinguish it. When to the dire confusion of a collision, or the foundering of a ship, the black darkness of a tempestuous night is superadded. the horror of the situation is indescribably more dreadful than if daylight existed. Mr. Holmes’ light, however, would at least render the very great service of illuminating the darkness, and of enabling the bewildered sufferers to see what they were about. A shipwrecked crew in. an open boat would no doubt find such signals most valuable. Again, in the case of a man overboard at night, one of these lights thrown into the sea would mark the spot where the accident occurred, and would show the endangered man the buoy or ropes sent out to him. There can be no doubt that these are really invaluable signals for vessels to cany with them ; their uses are manifold; and we advise our nautical readers: to make a trial of them and find out practically their usefulness. Indeed we are much surprised to leam that so few people are acquainted with their value. In corroboration of these remarks, regarding the value of Holmes’ rescue-light in cases of distress, the statement of Capt. R. R. Gillon, ship Bosphorus, is appended :— ** At 9-30 p m. on the 7th August, in latitude 48 N., and longitude 32 W., it being a dark night, with a strong wind and heavy sea running, a man named John Rowe, a native of Plymouth, fell from the jibboom into the sea. I heard his voice as he was passing the stem, and hove the Holmes’ rescue signal light to the sound, and it at once showed a very bright light. The ship at the time was going eleven miles an hour, and of course was a considerable distance from the man before she could be stopped and a boat sent out: but, through the light pointing out the spot where the man was, he was found, and received on board in twenty-three minutes ; but, had there been no light, it would have been impossible to save him in such a sea and on such a dark, cloudy night; and, strange to say. though lifebuoys, oars, grating, &c.. were thrown overboard, neither of them were seen by the man in the water, nor yet by the eight men who manned the boat. I may state I distinctly saw the light forty-three minutes. It was then three miles off.” In addition to this storm and signal light, Mr. Holmes has patented a lifebuoy rescue-boat. Of the practical merits of this invention we cannot speak, but in Parliament Sir diaries Adderley has stated it to be so good that the Board of Trade will recommend its adoption by coasting sailing vessels. This, we think, speaks very highly for it, and we shall be glad to know that Mr. Holmes deserves as much encouragement for his lifebuoy rescue boat as he undoubtedly docs for his inextinguishable light. There is far more probability of life being saved by the aid of this light when a casualty occurs on a dark night, than by many of the numberless and elaborate arrangements proposed in the way of life-saving gear.—Nautical Magazine.