BESSA DEPARTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10276, 10 May 1919, Page 6

BESSA DEPARTS

A COSTLY MISHAP GOOD TEMPORARY REPAIRS EFFECTED. Tho Norwegian steamer Bessa, 6948 tons, which touched a rock at the entrance to the port of Wellington on April 18th, when airiving with cargo from New York via Auckland, left Wellington at 4.40 o'clock yesterday afternoon for Sydney, a ftcrbemg temporarily repaired here. ; The dam.ge to the vessel, which necessitated stay of twenty days at this port, prov-. ed to be extensive and costly. An expert who is m apoutiou o-ivo an estimate, told a that Times" representative yesterday the' permanent rpairs which will proDably be carried out at wiU. cost between £12,000 and to this are the charges for her ten horary repairs at WeUington damage to cargo, and demurrage on vessel. The vessel’s hull had 60 feet of damaged plates to a depth of about 6 feet, and two plates were fractured. AU the damaged plates will have to oa removed for straightening or renewal, five frames will have to removed also, and a large number ot floors and angles will have to be renewed. M hi'o at Wellington the leaks were caulked, and about 250 seven-eighth inch bops were fitted in place of rivets that had been loosened by the impact with tne rock. The whole of the repaired area of tho hull inside No. 1 hold was. cemented over -end backed - up, wita heavy timber. Sixteen ■ tons .of concrete were used in the hold. • whole turned out to he a very solid joh. J. J. Niven and Co. carried out the metal repairs, and S. Wood and Son attended to the cementing.; Lloyd’s surveyor, Mr Archibald alker, supervised the work, which was carried out to his satisfaction. ! At 10.30 o’clock yesterday momma the Government Inspector of Ships surveyed tho completed temporary repairs and granted the vessel a permit to proceed to sea. A quantity of the damaged cargo that was consigned to Australia, consisting of paper mostly, will be auctioned at Wellington. The rest of the Australian .cargo was reshipped.