Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1307, 13 September 1870, Page 2

—__The Secretary of the Customs has received the * iollowing-^lograin from Havelock : —" The master of the schooner Cnntertmry-raparts an unknown rock about three miles outside Chetwode island. The schooner was on it for seven hour3,hnt eventually got back to Pelorus Sound, much damaged. The master was unable to take compass bearings, but will try to do so by boat. He thinks the rock is situated about five miles from the mainland, and two from- Chetwode Island. He could see part of Ketu Bay from the rock. The rock was a small one, with about three feet of water on it at low water spring tides,,and deep water all round. The schooner struck on it at about half ebb. —W. Whitehobit, officer in charge. Messrs Patrick Henderson & Co.'s Clyde packet for June, the clipper ship William Davie, arrived off the Otago Heads at midnight on Monday, the 6th inst., after making the smartest passage of the season from home, either to New Zealand or any port in the Australian Colonies,'so far as distance is concerned. The Davie brings 167 passengers. She is under the command of Captain Hendry, late of the ship Robert Henderson, of the same line; his chief officer, Mr Duncan, who also sailed with him in that vessel, accompanies him in the Davie, as also some old faces in minor capacities. Of her passage, Captain Hendry reports that the ship left the Tail of the Bank, Greenock, at 7 a.m. on the 16th June; had moderate weather in the Channel, and took final departure from off Broad Haven (N.W- coast .of Ireland)' on the 19th. Favorable weather continued to losing the N.E. Trades in lat. 10 N., when she experienced variableß to lat. 2N. The S.E. Trades were then canght, and the Equator crossed on the 11th July, 25 days out, in long. 28 W. The Trades were parted with in lat. 28 S.; variable moderate breezes were then experienced for a week ; good running winds followed and continued to arrival. The meridian of Greenwich was passed on the 6tb August, in lat. 40 S. and the Cape of Good Hope on the 9th,"in lat. 42 S: Her easting to Eerguelen Land, was run down between the parallels of 41 and '43, from thence in 49 to 50, no icebergs being sighted. The Snares were passed at 2 p.m. on the sth, thus making the passage from land to land a few hours over 77 days. Off the Nuggets she was caught in a sudden burster from S.E., which only lasted for a short time,. and again hauled round to the southward, bringing her up to the Heads anchorage, she thus making the passage from Greenock in the short space of 81 days. The tug Geelong towed her up on the flood, and she was moored in a convenient discharging berth. The Otago Gbaving- Dock. —The following report by the Superintendent of Otago on the etone graving dock in course of construction at Port Chalmers is published for general information. It is dated "Wellington, 18th August, 1870: —With the view to its becoming generally known that vessels of Her Majesty's navy, as well as of the mercantile marine, frequenting these seas, can be docked and repaired in New Zealand, I have the honor to request that His Excellency the Governor may be advised to call the attention of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the stone graving dock now rapidly approaching completion at the Port of Otago, the dimensions of which are as under: —Depth of water at dock Bill, ordinary tides, 19 feet 6 inches; ditto ditto, spring tides, 21 feet; ditto ditto, neap tides, 17 feet 6 inches; length of dock, 330 feet; width above> 68 fe§t; ditto below,.4l_feet; ditto where ships' bilge would- be, 43 feet. I may add that the dock will be ready, to take in vessels'in. Jantu ary, 1871. (3igned) Jahes Macaut>kew.