DREDGE MANCHESER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7, 6 May 1912, Page 7

DREDGE MANCHESER.

AN ENGINEER’S FEARS. A TWELVE MONTHS’ VOYAGE. The only member of the original crew of the old dredge Manchester remain ng in New Zealand is Mr. I). J. Kelleher, who came out as an engineer in her a number of years ago. Speaking to a Christchurch pressman, he said that although sue had been as good a son boat as lie could have wished to travel in, ho was far from confident that she was still afloat. Mr. Kelleher staled that a good many mistakes hud been made regarding the career of the old dredge. Sue had been built at the Renfrew Dredging Works to the order of tiro Manchester Canal Company, practically for breaking icc in the canal, and for that purpose she was fitted with four propellers, two forward and two aft. Wiien she was no longer needed for that purpose she was moored in idleness for a long time, and when she was bought by the Harbour Board she left Liverpool for Now Zealand. Being in bad repair, she put into Waterford, and the Agent-Gen-eral requested the Passage Dock Company to send a crew along to take her to Passage for repairs. After undergoing extensive repairs there she proceeded to Gibraltar, being over twenty-one days labouring through big seas m the Bay of Biscay. She behaved splendidly, but her engines were in a terribly bad state of repair, and he discovered then that both crank shafts were bent. She had then to go on to Malta for repairs, as there was no dry dock at Gibraltar. She afterwards called at Colombo, Singapore, Thursday Island and several New Zealand ports on the way south. It was only off North Caps that any very heavy seas were encountered, and it was impossible to cook food in the galley for three days, ship herself behaved splendidly. They put into Wellington with a burst steampipe on the donkey engine, and got to’ Lyttelton after a twelve months’ trip. 11 ‘ . “1 am, satisfied,” said Mm Kelleher, “thiVil 1 it-'.was only her two airtight chambers that kept her afloat in the Bay of Biscay and off North Cape. Five dredges left England at the same time, and, sW,-was, the only duo, that came through the Bay of Biscay. If those two compartments liiiu been all right, when .she .left for Sydney', early in the month • ■She would harc' heon there,by now,.-. t The amount; of coal in her. bunkers' jvmild not have 'imple the slightest difference.”