PORT OF HOKITIKA.

West Coast Times, Issue 229, 13 June 1866, Page 2

PORT OF HOKITIKA.

man watrb. Wednesday ... 7.45 a.m. ...8.9 p.m.

ARRIVED.

Juno 12.— Auckland, s.s., 600 lons, Hagley, from Nelson. I. White, agent. Maid of Erin, schooner, 72 tons, Sullivan from Dunedin. No passengors. Fisher Brothers, agents. Falcon, schooner, 41 tons, Mowatt, from Greymouth. No passengors, Girdwood, agent.

SAILED.

June 12. — Clarendon, brig, 156 tons, Hughes, for Melbourno. John Mitchell, ketch, Thompson, for Greymouth.

Thane, s.s., Zeal«od, for Bullor and' Nelson.

Gothenburg, s.s., Mackio, for Melbourne Passengers— saloon : Mesdames Robertson, Ford, Lamborl, and 2 children ; Miss Lyttlo, Messrs. Turner, Raphael, Vrouet, Adams, Reeves. M'lnt vre j and 4<3 in tho forecabin. Gold, 12,000 from Hokitika, and 2000 from tho Grey.

BNTERBD IX.

Juno 12. — Elfin, 45 tous, Milno, from Wangauui. 1

Maid of Erin, from Dunedin. Falcon, from Groymouth. Bruco, p.s., from Okarita. -

OLTJABED OUT.. Juno 12. — Lapwing, cutter, Campbell, for Dunedin. In ballast, >

EXPEOTED AHBIVAtifI. Floronce, from Molbourne, oarly. Alum, from Melbourne, early. May no, from Melbourno, early. Tararua, from Melbourno, 16th in«t. Dunedin, from Dunedin, early. Isabella, from Dunedin, early. Hector, from Molbourne, early. Princess Alexandria, from Christchurch. early.

KIOJEOXKD t)BPAHXUBE3 .

Auckland, for Melbourno, via Bluff Harbor and Dunedin, to-day.

Airedale, for Wellington via intermediate ports, 18th inst.

VESSELS IK TOUT. Schooners. — Croat of tho Wave, lona, "Prince Consort, Aurora, Elfin, Maid of Erin, Lloyd's Herald, Falcon. Cutter — Lapwing. Steamers — Challenge, Yavra, Lioness, Bruco.

In tho roadstead — Auckland, b.s., from Nelson.

impohts.

Per Maid of Erin — Under bond, 10 cases whisky, Moir and Stait 5 20 do brandy, Powel and Co. Free, and duty paid— 3 cases coffeo, Louttit, Reid, and Co : 2 do do, Solomau and Co j 15 bags malt, ordor ; 162 bags potatoes, 140 do oats, 81 bales chaff, Chesney and Co ; 4 packages cnndlos, Benjamin ; 60 bags oats, 14 bales chaff, Bailey and Humphrios; 6 camp ovens, C oven covers, 1 stove, 1 door and frame, 1 case sardines, 1 cask, 6 kegs nails, 1 bundle bliovols, 1 do bellows, Samuels 5 1 bale chaff, 36 bags oats, 137 do potatoes, 107 do oats, Boyle and Co.

Tho schooner Maid of Erin loft Dunedin on the 24th ult., with strong SAY. breezes and heavy sea. Next day, tho gale increased, and when off Bank's Peninsula blio carried away her topping lifts, which compelled her to run into Okand's Bay to replace thorn. Sailed agein tho same evening, and up to tho 29th experienced moderate though unsettled weather j but on that date, when abreast of tho Kaikoras, a heavy galo sprang up from tho Northward, soon bringing hor down to balanced reefed mainsail, under which she lay to, making very fair weather of it. At 4i p.m. on tho 30kb. Ihe galo reached its height, for an hour or two blowing tcrrilfically 5 soon after, howovor, abating. On the 31st sho passed the schooner Caledoniabound to Dunedin. On tho 2nd inst., •he was abreast of Capo Campboll. and passed Cape Farewell at 11 a.m. same day, arriving off Hokitika on the 4th. But on this date tho •wind, which had sinco her departure from Cape Farewell been oxeoedenly variable, suddenly flew into tho SAY. and commenced blowing heavily, Boon raising a heavy sea and compelling tho schooner to head off shore under balance-reefed 'mainsail and closo-rcofod stayBail. The day after tho galo broko, but loft a hoavy sea running, and at noon sho found herself off Rock'B Point. Up to tho 9th she •was beating about — kept outsfdo by tho weather—and although on that day sho again hovo-to off Iho bar, the .threatening appearance of the weather, and a falling glass, induced her to again put to sea. On tho 11th; however, sho ran in ; was fastened to by tho Challenge, and towed safoly to tho wharf. Tho Maid of Erin brings a cargo of colonial produce.

Two or threo gentlemen, passengers by tho Albion from Molbourne to Bomo of tho northern ports, were loft on shore hero through tho impossibility of communicating with that vessel before her departure on Sunday last. It seems that prompted by curiosity they camo on shoro to view tho wonders of Hokitika, loosiug their passages in consequence. We daresay theso gontlomen feel in anything but an aimablo mood through this serious loss of timo and monoy, and wo are sincerely Borry they should taavo suffered bo great an inconvenience. At (ho same time thoy havo themselves alone to blamo, and wo strongly advise passengors who merely touch at this port, and whoso destination is elsewhere not to attempt landing at this season of tho year, when not ono hour's depondanco can bo placed on Iho weather.

Once moro tho channel is straight out tosea, the late freshet having clcarod away tho sand bank which diverted it so iar to tho north. It contains, wo aro happy to say, a good navigablo depth of water, for when " crossing," tho Challenge kept tho lead going, no where finding less than fourtconrfcet. The Bohoonor Falcon arrived in port yesterday from tho Grey, laden with 65 tons of coal. She loft that river tho preceding night, and reports its entrance to bo iv an excellent condition, as thoro was very littlo sea running and plenty of water on tho bar. Hitherto it hue been the very liberal custom of some of tho harbor boats, when called outside to tender vessels, to givo freo passages to gentlemen who desired a short excursion by ■water. Several times, however, this has occasioned great inconvenience and loss of time to the boats, for when a largo steamor was visited these gentlemen usually boarded her, and were in no hurry to answer the recall which the " tug" nover failed to make when ready to return. An occurrence of this kind happened yesterday, which delayod the Yarra nearly half an hour, and caused hor to loso the chance of towing in the Falcon schooner, which^ was picked up by tho Li •• 3 instead. Tin's in no Blight degree " riled' v,upt. Nicholl, who vowod he would read the delinquents a lesson, and put a stop for evor to the freo passage system— : so, as soon as the Yarra was inside, he lot go the anchor, and resolutely refused to land thorn until each and all paid tho curront fee of £1 for thoir passage out and in. Loud and angry was tho discussion which onsued ; bu t as tho worthy " skipper" was inexorable, tho money' was paid, and the steamor taken alongside the wharf.. We quite concur in tho course adopted by the captain.

Wo havo been informod by a gentleman who was on board tho Gothenburg on Sunday last, that not boing ablo to make out tho signals on shoro, sho ran in to tho odgo of Iho " break," aud rcjiuded to in eight fathoms water closo to it. This is tho first timo wo over know tho sea break so far out, although Captain Nicholl, of tho Yarra, slates that ho has known it break in nino fathoms. Wo publish this as a notico to commanders of vessels not to anchor when tho swell is heavy from tho westward, in less than olovon fathoms. «

Referring to tho Into passage of tho Star of tho Evening across tho bar, wo havo beon informed by Capt. Turnbull, who acted as pilot to her, that tho Kcem did not leavo an hour boforo tho Star, as tho latter 'cast off from the wharf when tho former was abreast the signal station, and that both vessob wore in tho surf between 7 a.m. and 7.30 a.m. Ho also states" that ho never experienced so heavy a eoa before, for tho Bteamer was met by a "reef" of seas, which ono after tho other broko with terrific violonco upon her deck, and that once he feared sho must succumb to them. The first and heaviest struck her just as aho entered tho break, und somo idea may bo formed of its volume when, to use tho captain's own words — " its comb curled us high as tho fore-yard," It fell a solid innsS of water on tho dock, Binashing tho forward booby hatch, and thus leaving tho foro compartment open mid exposed to tho rollers, which followed in quick Bupeession, and completely filled it. This, of courso, brought tho Steamer by tho head, and rondored hor noai'ly unmanageable, 88 tho screw was partly out of water. Fortunately, however, it was possible to relioVo hur to a cortain extent by empty* ing a largo tank in tho foro poak (containing 2000 gallons of water), tho pump of which was connected with tho engino. As it was soon discharged, tho vessel becarao a littlo more lively, aud eventually cleared tho break. Tho Star of tho Evening experienced, a very sovoro trial, and wo consider it most' fortunate that nono of her crow woro washed ovorboard.

Thei'o was nu oicollont " bar" yesterday morning, which vms duly <:nkeii advunliigo of by outward nud inward bounders. At an curly hour the havbor boats commenced work — 'the Lioness towing out tho John MitoheU,, and aflcrwavds bringing in tho Falcon ; whilst the Ohallongo towed in the Maid of Eriu, and convoyed tho brig Clarcndou eafoly and far into tho ofling. Tho Yarra ran out with gold and passongors to tho, Gothenburg, which sho safely transhipped, aud re-crossed tho bar at 4 p.m.