A Visit to the Manapouri.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1090, 22 June 1882, Page 3

A Visit to the Manapouri.

Our reporter paid a visit to this latest addition to the fleet of the Union Steam Shipping Company yesterday. On gaining the deck he saw the genial lace of Capt. Thomas Logan, who for many years was the popular commander of the Hero, running between New Zealand and Australia. There are few nautical captains who have attained the degree of popularity which has been so universally accorded to Capt. Logan. He looked as if his recent trip to England had in no wise impaired his health, and his jolly, open countenance beamed with a gladsome smile when an old acquaintance saluted Slim. Now for the vessel : The Manaponri is topsail schooner rigged, has a straight stem, with an elliptical stern, steel lower masts, the hull being also constructed of steel. She is a three-decker, and is fitted with a poop, hurricane house, and forecastle, her bottom being formed in the cellular and bracket floor principle, and runs from bulkhead to bulkF head, excepting the boiler room, where ' ordinary iron plate floors are laid. Five out of the seven bulkheads are watertight. The officers are Mr White (late of Albion) as chief officer ; Mr McDonald, second ; Mr Spence, third ; Mr Edye (late of Albion), fourth ; and Mr Mackillop (lateof the Wakat : pu), purser. Mr W. McFarlane (formerly of the Zeaiandia) is chief steward, and Mrs Spence (late of the Wakatipu) stewardess. The length between perpendiculars is 285 ft.; extreme breadth, 36ft.; moulded depth, 25ft. ; the height from the top of the main-deck beams to the spar-deck beams being Bft. She carries six teak-built boats, each of which is fitted with patent disengaging apparatus. She was launched on Dec. 20, 1881, from the Leven Shipbuilding Yards, Dumbarton, and was constructed by Messrs. Win. Denny and Bros., under the personal supervision of Mr John Darling, the Union Steamship Company’s superintending engineer ; and, including the Company’s new steamer Mahinapua, now on her way out, is one of ten new vessels building for the Company, the aggregate tonnage of which will amount to about 11,000 tons. She is fitted with compound surface-condensing inverted cylinder high-pressure engines; the indicated horse power is 2,200, and the nominal 350 ; the cylinders being respectively 41in. and 70in. diameter, with a length of stroke of 48in. Steam is supplied from two multitubular boilers, fed by 12 large furnaces. Her . propeller is four-bladed, with a diameter of 14ft. Gin., the pitch being 20ft. Gin. She is estimated to run 14 knots an hour upon a consumption o

35 tons of coal per day. The engines are fitted with Brown’s patent hydraulic starting gear, and her steering gear is Muir and Caldwell’s improved patent. The ship is lighted by Swann’s incandescent electric lights, of which she has 170, in addition to a number of arc lights which are used for discharging cargo. The whole of these lights can be lit and extinguished instantaneously. Her saloon is one of the most elegant and artistic in its decorations and appointments we have yet seen. It is situated amidships, and occupies the whole width of the vessel, while the sleeping cabins are situate in wide corridors at either end of the saloon. The walls are panelled in hard woods, principally maple and satin ; in the centre of each panel are tastefully-painted designs ; the mouldings are of rosewood, finished with fluted columns of the same wood, richly gilded. Eight large tables occupy the centre spaces, while adjacent are luxuriously-uphols-tered lounges covered with mousecolored Utrecht velvet. Entrance is gained to the saloon by means of large doors glazed in ground glass ; leading to it is the ladies’ saloon, which will accommodate 40. The ladies’ saloon is an extremely pretty apartment, tasteful in its appointments and luxurious in its fittings. At the extreme end of the corridor forward are the berths for the steward and his staff, I while there are bath-rooms, lavatories, etc., fitted up in the most approved styles. In the saloon there is a handsome book-case containing some 200 standard volumes, for the use of passengers. At the foot of the companion is the bar, and next to.it is the pantry, which is fitted up in a very complete manner. Ascending the companionway, we reach a room specially devoted to ladies. Next to this is the social hall, a spacious apartment. In the centre of this is a well about 16 feet long by 6 feet wide, which gives light to the saloon through the cupola roof above it. The floor is laid in parquet work, while the sides are formed of polished woods. Sofa seats are placed all round the room, which is supplied with tables, a mirror, aud clock, together with a piano aud an assortment of music. There is an excellent smok-ing-room under the forecastle-deck. Captain Logan’s stateroom is on the fore part of the hurricane deck, and is comfortably fitted up in polished mahogany. The wheelhouse is situated on the fore part of the hurricane deck, and is fitted up with racks for tools, flag lockers, and other necessaries. It also has a connection with Chatburn’s telegraph. The second-cabin passengers have splendid accommodation in the after part of the mam deck, calculated to accommodate 120 passengers, including ladies, for whom there is separate accommodation. Forward of this, and between it and the engineroom, accommodation for a very large number of third-class passengers can be provided. The petty-officers, seamen, and firemen have also excellent quarters under the poop, where there are also storerooms for the boatswain and carpenter. Our readers will perceive from the foregoing description that the vessel is simply perfection. We are certainly very much indebted to the courtesy of Mr L. Hart, the agent of tha Union S.S. Company, who kindly conducted our representative through the vessel and enabled him to supply the facts above given.