PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 19, 13 January 1863, Page 2

PORT OF BLUFF HARBOR.

12rn Janpatit, 1863. TIDES. High water at Bluff Harbor at full and change l # -i0; ran«o four to eight feet. High water al New River Heads one hour sooner ; thero is, however, very little difference between the time of higli water at the head of tho Bluff and the jetty nl Invercargill. DAILY TABLE.

ISWABD9. January 7— S.S. Golden Acre, 113 tons, Chs, Beer, from Launeeston, for .Otago, put in tc overhaul. January 8 to 10 — Nil. OUTWARDS. January B— M.S.S. Allmmbra, 1050 tons, M'Lean, for Melbourne, with mail and passengers. January 9 — Nil. January 10 — Yarra, 150 tons. Till loch, for Newcastle, N. S. W., with part of original cargo, Longuet & Co. agents. INWARDS COASTWISE. January 7 — Nil. January B— M.S.S. Alhambra, 1050 tons M'l.enn, from Dunedin, with two passengers. January o—Swift,0 — Swift, Cross, from Stewart's Island. January 10 — Nil OVTWAItDS COASTWISE, January S and 9 — Nil. January 10 — Golden Age, 113 tons, Chs. Boer, for Otago. EXPKC.'TKD ARRIVAT.S. M.S.S. Aldinjja, from Melbourne, with English mail, on or about the 14th inst. Sir George Pollock, from London, daily PROJECTED DEPARTURES. Yarrn, for Newcastle, N. S. W. SAILKD. January II — Golden Ago, for Dunedin, at 1 p.m. January 13 — Robert Passenger, for Melbourne, in ballast.

The Golden Ape called at the Bluff on the 7th lilt., to clean tubes and overhaul, being very much strained, bavins: experienced a very tempestuous pnsafijrp of 17 days from. Melbourne, which port she 'eft on die 21st Dee., for Otn.go. and had b en but a few hours at sea. when Contain Beer found that the steering capabilities of his vessel would be much improved by an a! feral ion ot her trim, therefore run info Western Port ; left Western Port on the 23rd, tor Liiunceston, to tn.ke in more dead weight, ann hiving done so. left Tamnr H.wls on the 20th. Spoke th" s.s. Gothenburg off Swan Island same even in?. During the night of the first of January, shipped a heavy sea which 6tnu-k the after rudder, rendering it perfectly useless, succeeded in steering with a spar and water casks until daylight next morning, thci shifted dead weight, cleared the fore rudder, nnd again steamed on the voyage, making Solnnder's oil the 6th uit.. and finding anchorage at (he BlulT at 2 p.m. next dnv. Hud seven rofntorv gules during tho whole passage. The Gelden Age is intended for the trade between Port Chalmers and Punedin, and is built on the diagonal princip.il, but of very slight construction, and evidently arranged with a vi^w to economise space. The tempestuous weather experienced during the passage, has shaken and strained her so much as to cau«° Captain Beci-to remark that he believed at times it would be guile possible to feed her through the seams with potatoes : very many of the bolts wero loosened, and the seamen ussert that several were even broken. Those on board have very ijveat reason to congratulate themselves on their safe p.rrival at. thr- Him". The new M.S.S. Alhambra made her first call at th's port on the evening of the Bth ult., en route to Melbourne. She anchored at the Point at 6.10 p.m., and received the mails nnd lnnd->d two passengers, bur, in <.'i>r>«e<iuer!ee of the heavy gale blowing from the S, W\, did not sail until next moruicg; The repairs necessary to the steamer Aphrasia are about being proceeded with. They consist of new stern frame, rudder, an<i ilcck transom : quarter-deck, about 24 feet, more or less, planking; stern post, scarfed ; new rudder trunk ; two fore-and-aft ciilinps do; new covering boards, say about 28 feet; do stern cabin and parts of ceiling ; top sides to be caulked as far as paddle boxes ; quarter-deck' do; new ni.iinniil and bulwarks, about 28 feet ; two iron kneos, to go diagonally along stern-frame. 1 he tender of Mr Price, (who is about to erect a patent slip at the Mokomoko.j for £297, was accepted ; and the steamer will again be in working order in about six days. The steamship Alhainbm, which recently nrrived from England to be placed in the Melbourne and Otacjo trade as one of* Messrs M'Meeknn nnd Black wood's line of steamers, reached IVirt ('htdTnerij at daylight on Paturdny morning, having nnchorrd at the Ffeads at a late hour on the. previous evening aftei' a. passage of six days nnd live hours. £he brine? tan English mail, which had been go long delayed at Melbourne, a considerable cargo and 3-0 passengers. She ia commanded by Captain M'T.pe.n, formerly of the AMin<ja. « hieh 13 now in charge of Captain Stewnrt, previously master of {■ c Oscar, nnd who, since her loss, has flef-ed as chief officer of the Aldinga under Cupfain M'l.caii. Her officers are those who came out. with her from England, and (he staff of stewards find others are those, who have been lung and familiarly known on hoard the Aklinga. Captain Oodf:ev, under whose command she was brought out fiom ~iZ n gl ;i n d , also accompanied the vessel on this occasion. In appearance the Alhambra is a compromise between the Gothenburg nnd Omoo, but is fully a more handsome vessel than either of them, and is exceedingly commodious and comiortuble, while oj'ly irifeii«ir tn the Al<lh:gain point ot epeed. From the cabin companion she liflß a spare deck extending forward the full length of the vessel, nf}<)ivlin<j more ample deck room for steerage passengers than any vessel on the passage. Under it on the main deck there is airy nnd exten si.v steerage accommodation for over lot) passengers, and in the ste/rago proper, which is n deck lower, accommodation for the same number is afforded. On the main deck, immediately tilt (he steerage, is the galley and the ensjint'ers' workshop, and situated around the engines, as in the case of the Great Britain and some other steamvessels, are the engineers' and officers' btate-room. In this part of the ship, however, eonside.rul.ile alterations are contemplated by Captain M'Lean ; and in various other matters he proposes changes of detail, which must greatly improve the ve;*e.l end render her even yet more commodious for the ship's bands and for pusisengers. Her i loon is an fsprcinlly handsome ap^-lmtnt of cons'der ble length, very chastely painted and decorated, ar.d having on each side, a number of state-r was, which, by the groat bourn of the vessel, are more roomy anrl comfortable than those of many vessels on the coast. Uer steam-power is the s me °s that of the Aldinga. and Cap( .in M'Lean 's hopoful of her making very satisfactory passages. On thia passage .she ha/1 fine weather with head winds, aDd, aa stated, made the passage in 6i* days five hours. The Aklinga. it, is calculated, with similar weather, has done it in five days arid twenty hours ; but, on the execution of various improvements contemplated, the Alhambra is expected to have her speed yet eiihaneed. The Aldin^a is in the meantime performing a trip to Adelaide, and returns to Melbourne in time to ieave for Otago so as to be licre to convey the homeward mail. On her last passage up her coal supply proved itself insuflicient., and Captain M'Lean was obliged to put into Launceston, where he wa3 delayed over twenty-four hours, atid received from seventy to eighty tons of <?oal. She nrrived in Melbourne f >n Christmas Eve, the City of Hobart having got ia on the previous day. On the present passage down tlie Alhumbra passed a New Bedford whaler, 20 miles west of tbe Solfinder, with a whale alongside, and tier bonts m pursuit of another. She is expected to sail on her return passage on Tuesday next. — Doily Times, sth January. The Titania sailed for the Bluff on Saturday evening. Mr. Scott, Q.¥,., web passenger with her, on a second visit to the BkifP, with a view to the boating of the ship Flying Mist. If undertaken, it-is Mr. Scott's present intention to execute the work of floating her by a plan not very commonly aJoj.iedj but wiiich is likely to be perfectly sac-

cps^ml under ordinary circumstances. The vessel's ~ hntfom is mne, and she nearly fills with water each tide: nut by closing tno decks tightly, and forcing nir into her 'tween de-ks by moans of fnr<v-numps, Mr. Scott is sansf'iine enousrh to believe that she can he rendered sufficiently buoyant to be floated from her position, and warped into a safe place inside the harbor. In the meantime, a number of men in his employ, r under competent charge, are stripping the wreck of the Victory, nnd conveying tho material to the lagoon at Wickcliff Bay, there to bo transhipped. Daily Times. Some attempts have lately been made to recover some portions of tho wreck of the Tamar, recently stranded nt the Heads, but sho has lately fallen ' back into deep water, nnd thero is little hope of anything being saved, thero being always n, considerable swell at the point where sho lies.— Daily Times. Fire on Board thk T. R. M. Co's Steamer Claude Hamtltok. — It will be remembered that, on Monday la^t, this fine steamer had to bo rel decked, in consequence of having met with an nccident by running on Ballast Point, off Hall s \ TTead, which started several of her starboard bow t plates. She was at once placed in the hands of P. N. Russel and Co. for repairs, and yesterday morning their workmen commenced operations by lighting a. lanje firo against her stem for the purpose ofsfraiffhteninsrit. The injured plates having been removed, the flames readily made their way into the forecastle, ignited the beds, bedding, and bunk* of tho sailors, and the place was rapidly in ft blnze. This happened about 9.30 a.m.; and . immediately on the disaster being discovered, the ) force-pump's were set to work. With great prompitude Mr. Cuthbert's superintendent (Mr. PashleV) opened the sluice erntps, thus admitting about. 5 feet of water, and affording an abundant supply to the pumps nnd other appliances brought ' to heir on tho seat of the fire, whilst he (Mr. I■) • stood ready nt the flood sates prepared to fill the dock, and thus at once drown the fire out, had ' that been necessary. Fortunately this step did ' not need to be resorted to, as help was rendered spontaneously by numerous parties — sreat activity having been displayed in particular by the officers nnd c-ews of tho "P. and O. Co.'s mail steamers ', Bombnv and Northam, who were on board tho Claude Hamilton within a few minutes after the fire broke out, and working away with a will, us British sea-nen can do in the time of danger. In le*s tbm an hour the flames were subdued, and we understand that tho damage done is comparatively trifling the woodwork of the forecastle being all thnt wn« consumed. Indeed, so quietly was the whole affair srone nbout that, except amongst those who ehnneed to be in close contiguity to the ship, I the affair was unknown and made little or no stir. Tt is expected <=he will be ready for sea by Tuesday Ist.—S. JUT. Herald. • MoRKTOV Bay.— Cnptain Wilson, of tho Rnjastban. has fresh troubles with his seamen. A number of them who bad been confined in ejao! for insubordina'inn were released on Friday last, and taken down to the bay in chnrere of the Water Police nnd put on board the ship for the voyage to Madras. They would not, however, turn to, but refu cl in a body to work. Threats and persuasions were equally vain to induce them to niter their determination. On Saturday, Captain Wilson told them that if they returned to duty he would not enforce the forfeiture of their pay for their misconduct on the voyage to this colony ; that ho would eancol the articles under which they bad si-med. nnd would ship them under new articles at £.-> a month for the voyage to Madras and home to EnHaud. Even those terms they refused, saying flint they wo-ild rather be hung than sail asrain in the ship; that the* wanted to stop in the colony; nnri that if the Captain took them to sea they would make a butcher's shop of the ship ! Tjnder I these circumstances Captain Wilson prudently hul the mm re-arrested nnd brought up in irons to tho lnck-up vestcrdny afternoon. The prisoners will be dnnlt with by the Water Police Magistrate tins morning.— Queensland Guardian, Dec. 0. I 1 .

n.m. p.m. Jnnmryl3 — Hi^li vratw 055 ... 717 January 14— do 730 ... 752 January 15 — do 815 ... 837