SHIPPING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5502, 14 November 1878, Page 2

SHIPPING.

PORT OF WELLINGTON. ARRIVKU. November 13.—-Stombhil, s.s., 69 touv Doile, from Wanganui. Passengers—Cabin: Mrs. Williams ami family (3). Messrs. Scot, Fraser, King (2), Bevan, Chisholm, Beauchamp, Duthle, Sharland, MeCluskey, and McGregor. Martin, agent. Wellington, b.s., 279 tons, McGee, from Plclon and Kelson. Passengers—Saloon: Misses Grey, Darby, Alexander, Lonsley and Kemp, Mesdaraes Alexander, Godfrey, and Norris, Messrs. Harper, HounseU, Todd, Kemble, Richardson. Scott, Catfcell, Heberley. I‘eldwick, Powles, McCtodie, Fenton, Kawcett. Robinson, Lovell, Spencer, Wackrom, Richardson, and Johnson, Masters Fenton, Sleigh, and Mabin. Levin and Co., agents. BAILED. .. Notbmobr 13.—Hiuemoa, s.s., 221 tons, Fairchild, *°Sulu, e s!s” 121 tons, McKersle, for Akaroa and Capo Saunders. „ . , ■ i' , ... Kennedy, 83.. 130 tons, Palmer, for Nelson and the West Coast. Deacon, ag enfc * „ , , Wanaka. s.a., 218 tons, McGillivray, for Napier and the North. Passengors-SaloonMessrs. Muir, Findlay, Stewart, Hutchison, Benjamin, James, Williams (2), Newman, ilaclileld. Bloom, ami Lemon. Levin and Co., agents. IMPORTS. . „ Stormbird, from Wanganui: 1 box, McKenzie;! do, Brandon ; 4 casks tallow, Johnson and Co.; 2 j pigs, Gear; 1 trunk, Kilgour. Wellington, from Nelson; 30 sacks lime, Scott: 1 case. Walker : 1 do, Chisholm : 1 box. Locke; 2 pkgs. Deacon ; 5 bales wool, N.Z. Shipping Co.; o bales, >v. W. Taylor. BY TELEGRAPH. LYTTELTON, Wednesday. Arrived j 7 a.m., Arawata. from Port Chalmers, with the Suez mall. She leaves for Wellington this afternoon. , . . Sailed: Alhambra, for South, 1 p.m.—Arawata, for Wellington, 4 p.m. Passengers—Major Richard- . son. Messrs, Cornford ami Dodd.—'>V akatipu. for South, 6 p.m. Passengers—Mrs. McLennan and Mr. Garde.—Taranaki, for South. 1 p.m. —Bride of Lorn, for Callao.—Sunbeam, for Kalpara. —Mary Campbell, ; for Grey month. KAIKOURA, Wednesday. Arrived : O.SO a.m., Tui. from Wellington. BLENHEIM. Wednesday. Arrived : 0.13 a.m., Napier, from Wellington. GREYMOUTH, Wednesday. " Sailed ; 11,20 a.m., Luna, for Wellington. WANGANUI. Wednesday. Arrived : Noon, Mauawatu, from Wellington. CASTLEPOJNT, Wednesday. Arrived : 2 p.m., Kiwi, frourWelllngton.

The following vessels were In tho harbor lost night: —Steamers—Wellington, Stormbird, and Samson, ■hips— St. Leonards, Wairoa, and Zoilandia ; barques—Malay, Antaros. Cralgie Lea, G. M. Tucker, Edwin .Bass-tt, Anno Melhuish, and Austrahnd; brig Robin Hood , , . . The barque Edwin Bassett, for Newcastle, cleared at the Customs yesterday, and sails to-d y. Tho steamer Go-Ahead left Wanganui on Tuesday night for the Manukau. , , The Union Company’s steamer Wanaka left the wharf yesterday shortly after raid-day, with a large Dumber of passengers, for the North. The steamer Wellington leaves to-day for Plcton and Nelson. , t . Tho steamer Kennedy, for Nelson and tho » est Coast, left yesterday. Tho steamer Hiuomoa sailed for Lyttelton yesterday afternoon, , Captain Cochrance, of the schooner Day Dawn, left Kapiti. tho scone of tho wreck of tho Elizabeth, on Tuesday.' We understand ho Intends making an attempt to get the wrecked vessel off tho rocks. The Balling of the Samson for Blenheim has been postponed until to-day. The stormbird, from Wanganui, arrived shortly before mid-day yesterday, after a run of a little under twelve hours- Captain Doile reports a largo ship boating through Cook Strait. Tho Stormbird returns to Wanganui to-day. The Arawata, with tho Suez mail, will arrive this morning. She leaves in the evening for Nelson. The steamer Wellington, from Nelson and Plcton, arrived in harbor at 2.30 yesterday morning: She left the former port at 10 a.m- on Tuesday, and arrived at Plcton at 8 p.m. ; left an hour later, and arrived here as above. From the Wanganui Herald we learn that Messrs. Cross have commenced building a new iron screw steamer of the following dimensions and power:— Length of keel, 100 ft: overall, 105 ft: straight stem ; beam. 17ft; depth of hold. 7ft Gin; compound engines to dtivoat an average speed of 0 knots; draught of water with 89 tons, sft 6in ; and with 100 tons Oft Gin. The above steamer is to bo built by Messrs. Moutray and and Croabie, of the Soho Foundry, Nelson, and to be completed within six months from tho 7th instant, so that we may expect her ia the river somn time in April. Tho contract price is a little over £SOOO.

PRELIMINARY INQUIRY INTO THE WRECK OF THE CITY OF AUCKLAND. A preliminary inquiry Into .the stranding of the ship City of Auckland, at Otaki, was heard before Mr. McKellar. Collector of Customs, yesterday. The first witness examined was George Rolls, who deposed as follows :—I am master of the City of Auckland. I hold a certificate of competency as master. No 20643, , granted by the Hoard of Trade. I band in an extract from the official log; it Ii signed by me, and was marked A. The extract is as follows:—“October 22nd. fl.m. —Sighted Cape Farewell bearing south-east, which made the chronometer correct. 11 a.m.— Weather hazy with small rain. Kept close in the land so as to be sure of position. Noo Weather still getting thicker, with rain. Picked uf> the Spit lighthouse. 12.30.—Spit lighthouse bearing south half east, distance about six miles. 1.30 p.m.—Breeze increasing, with rain; took in some of the small sails. 3 p.m,—Weather clearing a little; sighted a barque working through the Strait; put another man on the look-out on the foretopsail yard, and told him to keep a good look-out for land. 4 p.m.—Heavy rain ; took la more sail, to have the ship well under command. 5 p.m.—Weather cleared a little ; look-out on the topsail yard thought he could see land right ahead. I thought it might bo Stephens Island, 5,30 p.m.—Not seeing the land, went below to prick off position on the chart, and in my hurry and anxiety to be on deck, which I had not left, only for meals, since 4 a.m., I made a mistake of taking my distance from the longitude scale instead of the latitude scale, which placed ms in a good position, as I thought Stephens Island, bearing south by cast nearly, distance 12 miles, sol would not see the Island. I kept her ou the same course until C. 30 p.m.: then shaped ray course for The Brothers; weather still thick, with rain. By this time had the ship under very easy sail. 7.30 p.m.—Saw land right ahead, though ship had not made her distance shown by the log, which was hove every hour from first sighting land. Made sure it was Stephens Island; - coiled all hands on deck, braced the yards forward, and hauled her ont north-east by north, so as to clear the Island; thought that perhaps the tide might hare taken mo into the bay. Went below, looked at the charts, and In case it might be Cape Stephens, shaped a course to go between it and Stephens Island, so as to clear the reef : whilst steering the course east-north-east saw the land right ahead again,, then felt certain it znnst bo Stephens Island; hauled her out north-east by north again ; weather very thick, and heavy rain ; th-tight the wind was coming up from the south-east, from the directions as described in tho New Zealand Pilot— i.e., sadden shift frequently experienced in the Strait; took in all sails but topsail and jib, sent men aloft to make them fast, intending when they came down to wear the ship round on tho other t ick, and get back under tho Ice of Stephens Island; before they hsd the mainsail fast thsy reported from the yard breakers on the lee bow; could not see them from the deck, or anything, for the heavy rain ; though* H was tho reef between tho two islands; ordered tfcA nu n to come down quickly and brace the yards, up. Ship struck before they all came down. A rush was made for the boats ; threatened to shoot, tho first man who attempted to lower a boat without my orders The helm was hard down; the ship.headingabout N.N.FL. ' and struck aft first; thought she might bump over tho reef, so kept tho helm "hard down ; ordered tho load to bo hove, so as. to see what the bottom was; th’ steward, who, hove the. lead, said it was sand* did no.t ;hove. it myself: found it soft* tett greatly relieved in my mind; took tho lino to tho Lropt of the poqp; hoye it.again; found tho bollfm soft and nearly the same water; ordered thol’.irrl xztfte to sound allround the ship; he reported turoi' feet less water on the inside than there W', nn the ohtsidd. I then went among the passengers wfto were in a great way, asking K.S any danger: told them tiers' 1 •lightest: that they weie all to go \ a ZJ . that they lyero gnito safe, and wo should h . on a wfrM I to t to made™® after the Crsw and passengers, and 1 cat the lawn ki »!, ‘ jad the chief officer to < iODsoas2 bo aS! .““a** tho hawser on the 1 Y 0 b U out at a d try stores rnf‘ l / cd , fche th rd mato t 0 aomo have fllate p ‘ in tll ° ,Jo:lt3 in might n\,, re coffee to be made for passengers and Crew. A B daylight found 1 was on a low sandy j beacli, with another wreck close to me. 5.30 , a.Ec»—The inhabitants came down, I tied a note on a rocket ; sent ,it off. and It foil into, tho river. Tried to get communication wUh the shore by means of a rocket and spunyarn,, and it fell short; tried it with twino several tliaea* and it t arted each time There was a very heavy surf on the beach at tho time. Determined to se»d one of the life boats on shore witli a crow and a line attached to her stern, and another In her to keep on shore, so as to be able to haul her to and fro. The i boat reached the shore ail safe, and the Inhabitants ran into tho water to haul her up oat of the surf. The boat was hauled back with Mr. Jenkins and a boat's crew from the shore, who rendered us every assistance in landing the passengers, which was accomplished by 4 p.m. without accident, for which I have to thank them and my officers for assisting me in keeping order among tho passengerat—G. Rolls, Master City of Auckland. The entry in the official log Is signed by the chief officer and myself. Hr the Collector: I did not take any soundings until after the stranding. Tho soundings given in the charts are nearly the same all the way across from f Stephens Island to Kapiti. I had a full supply of Admiralty charts. There were thirty-three hands on t board Including tnvaclf. Thera were 225 statute < adult passengers. Tho cargo consisted of 320 tons of general cargo, and about 300 tons of weight goods, in- i eluding raijfway iron. Ido not know what insurances there am on the vessel or freight. When the man at the wheel reported land ahead, I could sec no land, but to verify the man's statement I kept tho ship on the same course for an hour, and then not seeing any I land I altered tho course to go through Cook Strait. , ” heu crossing Blind Bay I made an allowance of about one mils an hour for the flood-tido. When I altered the course at 0.30 I Intended to run within range of Tho Brothers light, and then round-to if wo could not pick up tho light, I have been twenty-four years at sea, and master since 1608, and haVo never before bod any misfortune. of l icer) ' o , cor *° Smith (second officer), and Ludwig Lango (able seaman) gave corroborative evidence. °