PORT'CHALMERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 112, 26 March 1862, Page 4

PORT'CHALMERS.

By some accident our retrulav Port Chalmers shipping report has miscarried, but we publish below a report sent up to us late last night. , We presume the two vessels mentioned as being at the heads, were referred to.in the missing report. 9 p.m.—The City of Hobart lilted anchor, and was already for sea, hut in consequence of the lateness of the hour, and the darkness of the night, it was resolved not. to proceed, till to-morrow moriiimr, aim the anchor was attain dropped. The City of Hobart gous to Melbourne" via Lyttelton and Wellington, to procure coals The London vessel anchored at the Heads has '25 passengers on board. The other is the Blue Jacket, and she will likely remain there, as she did before.

The Sea Witch left Tahiti on 12th. December, and reports Tawera schooner us lying there; she after-, wards touched at Apia on the 11th January, where she left in port the Helen, and Mechanic of Sydney. The Kreweeder sailed from Lefnka on 23rd January, bound for the Feojees. The Sea Witch finally touched at Norfolk Island, leaving on the 19th instant; the Itoman, of New Bedford, was laying off the Island, having on hoard 1100 ban-els of sperm and 1100 barrels of black oil. Captain Sustenance, late master ot the. Staghound, together with his family arrived by this' vessel.— Si)d»L% Morning Herald. The William tfiffoi-d has put into port for the purpose of being examined, she having taken the ground at New Zealand.— lbid. ■■ mo Firk ok Boakj} the Summer Cloup.—The Summer Cloud, from Liverpool, was on Thursday moruiii" discovered to be on fire while lying at Levi's wiiarf and but for the prompt measures taken there is very little doubt but that siie would have been consumed, and the other vessels in her neighbourhood would have stood but a poor chance. It appears that the fire was first discovered by the boatswain, who, on coming on deck at about 5 o'clock, observed smoke issuing from the hatchways. ; He immediately aroused the captain, who ordered the hatches to be fastened down and went for the assistance of the Water Police and the Harbour Master. The smoke was by this time increasing, and tow was used to stop the crevices of the hatchways, with a view of smothering the fire. The police, on their arrival, cast ofF the moorings, and ran out a line to a buoy, and assisted to haul her into the middle of the river. The tire- engine of the Insurance Companies was brought out by Captain Drew, and was about to be placed in a barge, when it was decided to employ the steam tug Young Austra. liau'to tow the vessel to the North Ann. Fortunately the fires of the steamer had been banked up over night, so that steam was got up in about a quarter of an nour, when she immediately proceeded to tow the ship down the river.; Mr Crnikshank and a gang of men were employed on the way down in cutting a hole in the port bow and another abaft the fore chains. On reached the North Arm the scuttling was completed, and she filled rapidly and went down till, on touching the bottom, there were three feet of • water on her deck,thus completely extinguishing the fire. A portion of the fore-hatchway which afterwards floated off was found to be very much burnt, thus showing the fire to have been burning fiercely. It is fortunate the fire took place at high. water, as had the tide been out at the time, it would have been impossible to have moved the ship from the wharf, and the consequence j might have been most serious. A small portion only of the cargo had been discharged. Nothing is at present known of the origin of the fire ; but an inquest wilLprobably be held. — South Australian Register, 7th March.