Marine Tattle

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 296, 6 March 1928, Page 2

Marine Tattle

WHITE STAR COMMANDS. —Various changes in the commanders and officers of the White Star Line’s “big three, the Majestic, Olympic and Homeric, have taken place with the New Tear Captain W. H. Parker. C.8.E.. R.D., K.N.R.. F.R.G.S., is in command of the Homeric, which is at present on her annual Mediterranean cruise de luxe of over 10,000 miles. He has already made several trips to the inland sea, and has a wide experience in cruise steamers. Captain Parker, who recently commanded the Albertic in the Liverpool-Canadian service, succeeds Captain A. Holme, who has retired. Mr. "W. H. P. Jackson, late chief officer of the Adriatic, is appointed assistant-commander of the Olympic, and Captain R. Hume, formerly assistantcommander of that steamer, will join the Majestic in a similar capacity. Mr. J. J. Peters, chief officer of the Homeric, has taken command of the Medic in the Australian service.

BIG NEW YORK FIRE. —A fire, started by a spark falling on an oil film floating on the Hudson River at Hoboken, caused upward of 1,000,000 dollars (£200,000) worth of damage along the waterfront there last month before it could be brought under control. The fire first destroyed a pier of the Lackawanna Railroad, directly opposite lower New York, and then burned the Clyde liner Senecca. It destroyed, besides two industrial plants near the docks, eight barges and a considerable number of small craft. The whole fire department of Hoboken was insufficient to arrest the spread of the flames, and six fireboats had to be enlisted in the fight. Notwithstanding that 100 lines of hose were turned on the fire, it was hours before there could be any confidence that the whole Hoboken waterfront would not become involved in it. Two Standard Oil tankers and a large Hudson River steamship, the Hendrik Hudson, were saved from destruction only by being towed into midstream at. great hazard of life to the crews of the tug-boats.

ANOTHER RATE WAR.—A new rate war of a peculiarly provocative character has been started by the United States Shipping Board, reports “The Shipping World.’’ A trade in the carriage of jute burlap and bagging from India to America having been built up by the CunardBrocklebank and the Ellerman and Bucknail Lines, it has occurred to the commissioners of the board that a portion of that trade should be secured for the Roosevelt Steamship Line, which, apparently, is unable to obtain cargo at the reasonable rates charged by the other companies. So the board has announced that its rate for such cargoes is reduced from 35 cents to 25 cents per 1001 b. The British companies have responded by a similar reduction, and so the campaign has begun. As is usual in these wars, there will be severe losses on both sides. The Shipping Board has entered on the fight r*n the assumption that the American taxpayer will be content, as in the past, to supply funds to compensate for losses incurred in operating the ships. But it has not taken into account the fa<*t that a privately-owned American line, tire Isthmian Line, participates in this trade from India. In its attempt to damage the British lines the board is thus damaging private American interests anrl taxing those interests in order to perpetrate this damage.

VICTORIAN PILOT SERVICE last meeting of the Marine Bqj Victoria, the annual statement for n-iJ* age receipts and disbursements f C r i was presented to members. Acer* to the statement receipts araoun-Zr 1 * *75. for the year. Of thi, * £G2.:.'09 vas paid to tea pilots and f-2? to harbour pilots, subject to expenses in ca. h rase. Of the r*-2» der £4.020 was raid into the superannuation fjnd. and £2.017 J ** sented administrative expenses. V?" sum of £399 was absorbed in 'rTf-i?* and £44 was placed on the suspenl? count. *t.

SHIPPING TOURING CARS— s._ to American motorists who taki cars across the Atlantic for use touring Europe has become surk important feature in the business i White Star Line that the compsn, S* established an automobile departs,7,. 11 ** part of its organisation at New vl** Foreign number plates, driving iiciklz and customs passes, and a in a royal automobile club in which The traveller first visits ... p.ied as part of the service rendere? connection with transporting ti,, ™ » AUSTRALIAN SKIPPER DEAD - tain W Smith, relieving master Ur.?' Australian Commonwealth Line d.L ' hospital at Brisbane last month took the steamer Fern.lale to from Sydney, and on the foilowine rt.' he was taken ill. He was succSSffe operated on, but col apsed later nr late captain had been in the employ of ,k line during the last four years. h. for many years with the A.U.3N re* pans’, and commanded a number of ,w' steamers, including the Levuka and u, lina. s

JAPANESE LINERS.—The Ninon Tusen Kaisha. one of the largest Jikw ese shipping companies, are having £77 three large liners for use in their trar U Pacific service. The vessels wi'i 16,500 gross tonnage, with a length 554 feet overall, a breadth of ll tjf and a loaded draught of 2Sft 6in a speed of 19 knots. Two of the will be fitted with Sulzer type TrariiT engines, comprising four setsj each wits eight cylinders. developing a homlu power of 20,000. The third vessel have the main engine manufactured fcv Burmeister and Wain, Ltd., at Coper hagen, and will be of the double-acUite* four-cycle Diesel type, comprising rjt engines, each of eight cylinders, deveW ing 20,000 horse-power.

MORE CONVERSIONS.—In view of the successful voyage of the Mercer the United States Shipping Board has’ cided to convert at least two more shiDs to the use of pulverised coal as (states the “Shipping World’’). It states that the work will be done at about onehalf of the cost of equipping the Metre-' which was the first of the fleet to be coni verted. In that case the expenditure was about 65,000 dollars. Mr. Carl J. Jefferson and Commander Joseph Evans, of the United States Navy, who supervised i the conversion of the Mercer, prepared her for her tests, and were aboard her observing the operation of her equipment, are proposing to equip another ship in a manner almost entirely new. Thev are carefully guarding their secret, but it is stated that their experience In the Mercer has brought to light many possibilities that were not considered when that conversion was done. PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT . ; ! I I j

WITHIN WIRELESS RANGE— The following vessels are expected be within range of the undermentioned j wireless stations to-night:— Auckland.—Waipahi, Tofua. Hinemoa, King Edwin, Echunga, Waikakara, Omana, City of Handow, Wait email, Waiotapu, Karetu Kaiapoi. Chatham Islands.—Hertford, Corinthic, Ikala, Canadian Highlander. Wellington.—Maori, Wahine, Xgaio. Tamahine, Highgate, Poolta. Argyllshire "Waikawa, Mataroa, Westmoreland, Cambridge, Mahana, Angft> Columbian, Dewey. Awarua.—Tahiti, Makura, C. A Larsen. Sir J. C. Ross. N. T. Netpn Alonso, Tutanekai, Kaikorai. PORT OF ONEHUNGA—DEPARTURES YESTERDAY NGAPUHI (5 p.m.), 703 tons, Bark, for New Plymouth. leave Onehunga this afternoon for Holdanga and is due back on Friday. The Hauturu, which leaves to-morrow for Raglan, returns to Onehunga on Friday, and sails the same afternoon for Hokianga. The Arapawa is due at Onehunga tomorrow from Wanganui, and leaves agail to-morrow at 3 p.m. for Raglan, Kawhia, and Port Waikato. The Ngapuhi, due at Onehunga at 7.30 a.m. to-morrow from Xew Plymouth, sails at 4 p.m. on Thursday on her return trip, The Anchor Company’s steamer Alexander is due at Onehunga early next week from Nelson and loads for Nelson and Picton.

Received at 12.10 p.m. by ra.dk> Station. Wind. Bar. Ther. Niue . . . . NE 1 30.01 79 0 Rarotonga . Not received Apia .... Calm 29.85 S2 BC Nukualofa ESE 4 29.97 SI O Suva .... Calm 29.96 so 0 Awanui . . . S 4 29.54 71 BC Norfolk Is. . S 2 29.97 71 B Vavau .... E 3 29.56 83 0 Ocean Island S 2 29.77 80 B