PORT OF HOKITIKA.

West Coast Times, Issue 329, 12 October 1866, Page 2

PORT OF HOKITIKA.

High W.vtkk This Day.. —11.11 a..tu. ; 11.39 pan. ABRIViU). „ Nil SAILED. Nil. CLEABKD OUT. Lizzie Coleson, 60 tons, J. Dunn, for Sydney. Passenger — Mr Peterson. , EXPKCTKI) AKRIVALS. Oujpo, s.s., from Melbourne, 27*h in&t. Francis, scliooner, from Heathcote, early. Elizabeth, cutter, from Sydney, early. . Aurora, schooner, from Dunedin, early. Cymraes, schooner, from Dunedin, daily. Mary Van Every, schooner, from Dunedin early. Keera, s.s., from Duhedin, daily. Gothenburg, from Melbourne, daily. Wm. Miskm, s.s., from Dunedin, daily. Clarendon, from Melbourne, early. Alma, from Melbourne, early. Nelson, p.s., from Nelson, this day. Egraont, s.s., from Nelson, to-day. PHOJKCTEO DKPAHTCBKS.

Tararua, s.s., for Nelson, to-day. Lizzie Coleson, for Sydney, to-day Nelson, p.s., for Grey and Nelson, today.

Gothenburg, s.s., for Melbourne, about 15th inst. Bruce, p.s., for Okurita, to-day, Egmont, s.s. for Bluif and Dunedin, today. - Omeq, s.s., for Melbourne, 29th inst. Lady D»ii - ling, for Melbourne, to-morrow. VESSRTS IN TOUT.

Brigantines — Isabella, Mury, Lady Don, Lizzie Coleson.

Schooners — lona. Tiger, John Mitchell, Tainbo, Mary Anne, Spray, Excelsior, City of Nelson, Lady Darling. Cutter— Darfc. Steamers — Yarra (ashore), Challenge, Bruce, Persevere '(ashore).

EXPOETS.

Per Lizzie CoTe. on, for Sydney: 1 bundle sheepskins, W. S. Lockhart ; 102 hides, 1000 sheepskins, 10 bags bones, 9 bags horns, 4. bales wool, A. Dyson.

* In reference to the late successful relauueh- - ing of the Yarra, tvp may state that Mr Grindley, who so successfully launched the William Miskin, was entrusted with the supervision of tlie work, which, dating from the time an overland passage wa* decided upon, was accomplished in ten days, including three days detention on the Spit whilst she was in the hands of the carpenter* ; this leaves seven days .fijr her actual p;»ss:ige, so that she was moved at

,- thd rate of between two aiid three hundred feet each dny, wliich is smart work, and creditable to all parties concerned in it ffhe Persevere is placed in a somewhat perilous position, through the flood,, as the main body of the river water was close under the South Spit, ai> ' has eaten so much of the bank away as touring the steamer within a very few feet; of the channel. x To secure her from the impending danger of being,.wa6hed into the surf, warps \yere run out to the Flagstaff, and two anchors sunk deep into the sand,' ■which we tvust will be suflicient to save her should the bank on which she is lying be cut away. 1 ast night we observed a gang of men employed clearing away the sand ahead of her, but whether with the intention of forming a channel to launch her into, as the tide rose, we are unabje to jay," as the current was too rapid to allow of communication with the I South Spit by boat. There was no sign of either the Egmont or Nelson steamers in the roadstead yesterday, so we presume they inusfc have met the galo off Cape Varowell, and put back under the lee of the Sandspit for shelter. Should a continuance of bad weather compel the' Tararua to run on to Nelson without landing her passengers here, she will be-in time to catch the Egmont and effect a transhipment of mails and passengers into that vessel. At an earlvj hour yesterday morning the Tararua, s.s., steamed up from the Westw arc! and entered the roadstead.- She rounded to „ off the bar and apparently dropped an anchor, but being every now and then hidden by the rain and squaJJs it was difficult to make out • her movemeuts. She made her number, and in Answer to Jhe shore stated by bunting that she had on board '100 passengers ; and that, during the passage v from Melbourne fine weather prevailed The increasing gale brought down such a cloud of mist that afterwards she was completely shut in, and \vl\en the horizon again cleared .had disappeared, having evidently made for the offing, there to buffet' out the gale and await a return' of fine -weather. We do not' expect that the Tararua will delay her departure beyond to"day or, at the furthest, to-morrow, as according to her contract time, she nmst leave Wellingonthel7fth, and the Bin (f on the 201 h with the mails for England aau Australia. c The bitter northerly gale and pouring rain of yesterday put an effectual stop to the shipping business of the port. Nothing crossed the_bar, and the different vessels at the wharf made themselves as snug as possible, by running out extra moorings, and using other precautions to ride out in safety tne heavy' freshet which swelled the river mi til it crossed the low sand flats, and presented an almost unbroken sheet of water from Gibson's Quay to the bush on the other side ,of tho south arm of the river. The current rushed by ' with furious speed, and' even at; high water could have been running at a rate but little less than five knots an hour. The differentsteamers banked up tftoir fires and made every preparation for trusting to their paddles in tho event of being' driven from their moorings by the huge snags which now and again were whirled^ past by the stream. At high ■water, the tide had backed the river up to within a few inches of the coping of the Ttfharf, and unotlrer overflow, which would have converted Gibson's Quay into a fine navigable canal, was anticipated. Fortunately, the time of slack water was of short , duration, and as the tide receded the river fell, but at no tiipe during the day was it\ below a point four feet from the top of the •wharf. There was no sign of a change in the weather as the day closed in, barometers all standing low, with a downward tendency". High range glasses marked from^. 29 : 50 to 29.80, whilst those of a lower range stood at from 2908 to 2930.