South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Monday 18 August 1851, page 2


TROUBRIDGE SHOAL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA* REGISTER.

Sir— Another fine ship has been lost on the Troubridge Shoal, and a court of enquiry is to be held on the master. Whether a court of enquiry on the colonial authorities who have so shamefully neglected their duty would not be more

to the purpose is a question which the public and parties interested are alone able to decide. In a letter from Captain Lipson in this day's South Australian Register I perceive the following remarks :— ' Had vessels been lost in consequence of the position of the Shoal not being accu-rately defined, the wrecks would have been found more to the east end of the Shoal,' &c, &c. Let any person, partial or impartial, look at the chart and he will see how far its accuracy is to be depended on. For a space of 11 miles by 13, a bout S. by E. from the Shoal alone, are no soundings whatever laid down, and in the event of a ship being in any portion of this space during a dark and stormy night, ex-posed to the strong currents, what, let me ask, has she to guide her? It is very easy for a Harbour-Master, sitting in his comfortable parlour, to pass remarks upon the conduct of those placed in responsible situations, and to state how he would have acted had he been similarly situated, &c. The Harbour-Master also states that, under existing cir-cumstances, ' there is no cause for doubt.' On this point I beg to differ with him very materially ; for, from the in-formation I have been able to obtain from coasters and others, I am inclined to believe that the Shoal is of much greater extent than is generally supposed, and from the indefinite manner in which it is laid down in the chart tends to mislead rather than otherwise. At any rate, if Captain . Lipson is in possession of a draught of the Shoal, let it at once be shown to the commanders of ships now in port, who will only be too happy to make themselves acquainted with it, and make it known to their brother officers in their future visits to this port. If he cannot give us the desired information, let him for the future be more cautious in passing the strictures he has this day done upon the conduct of a man who has, I understand, commanded a ship with credit for the last fifteen years. Another most flagrant proof of neglect is to be found in the Harbour-Master's letter of the 12th instant, in which we are informed of the existence of a shoal in Nepean Bay. Why, let me ask, was not this most important fact made known ten years since ? for I can assure you, Sir, that the captains of two ships now in port were on the point of entering that Bay, naturally imagining from the chart that there was no obstruction in the way. Had these vessels gone on shore, with whom would the blame have rested ? — Of course, on the com-mander. Another most important omission, is the fact that the time of high water and of full and change is nowhere mentioned, either on the chart or in the Harbour-Master's instructions. Such a fact speaks for itself. As a nautical man I can with safety affirm, that in my experience I never saw a shoal laid down with less attention to accuracy than the one which has caused me to trouble you with this letter. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, ANTI-TROUBRIDGE Port Adelaide, August 15, 1851. Mineral Discoveries at Port Lincoln.— By the Yatala we have received intimation of the fact that some fine specimens of copper ore have been found at North Side Hill, about three miles to the westward of Port Lincoln The Hunt. — The Adelaide hounds will meet to-morrow, at the Cross Roads, Grand Junction, at half-past 7; and on Friday, 22nd last., at the Kennel, Reedbeds, at 8 o'clock. The North-terrace Foundry. — Messrs. Wyatt and Co. have constructed the model of an iron lighthouse suitable for Troubridge Shoal. The lantern, with its re-volving light, is to be 60 feet above the foundation, and the enterprising engineers offer to guarantee the erection of a lighthouse according to their design within six months. A visit to the establisnment of the Messrs. Wyatt will give any visitor an opportunity of properly appreciating the advance which our city has made in the manufacturing and industrial arts. When we last visited the foundry, there were two steam-engines of 12- horse power each in course of construction, and Messrs. Wyatt advertise their ability to construct engines of larger size — up to 40-horse power. They can also execute castings of considerable size, and the processes of cylinder-boring, screw-turning, plain turning, surfacing, planing, and drilling, in high perfection and of considerable dimensions. THE SEMAPHORE HOTEL. — Mr Coppin is about to present another proof of that enterprising spirit by which he is animated, and at the same time to give the go-by to tardy official movement. At the nascent township which is in tended to be the Scarborough of South Australia, Mr Coppin has built a handsome and commodious hotel, to be desig-nated as above, and to possess as a part of the establishment a Semaphore Signal Station, by means of which particulars of arrival, departure, &c., will be transmitted from the Gulf to his hotel at the Port. The beach will be furnished with bathing machines and everything likely to attract the citi-zen in search of sea-side recreation, or the valetudinarian, for whom the faculty have prescribed the ocean bath or the invigorating sea-breeze. The Semaphore Hotel is a house of two stories, the sea-front of which commands all the ar-rivals and departures, and a large expanse of the Gulf. The land view, especially from the upper windows, is varied and interesting, and although it cannot be said of its immediate vicinity 'the fields are green,' all will confess that "the air is salubrious," and the natural features exceedingly in-teresting, even where unimproved by art. In the immediate neighbourhood is the mail-station, near which the gene-rality of new arrivals first put foot on shore; crossing at that point Lefevre's Peninsula to Port Adelaide. Much of the intervening space is woodland or natural shrub-bery, in which the rich tints of the fragrant wattle pre-dominate. The panoramic view which presents itself to the stranger is remarkably interesting, including as it does the shipping at the Port and at the North Arm, with the distant mountain ranges and the contiguous sylvan scenery. The Peninsula is, to a considerable extent, dry and firm land, containing fresh water in several parts, and numerous groves inhabited by count-less feathered songsters. The beach on the Gulf shore is magnificent; and the summer breezes at Scarborough will be unaccompanied by the blinding dust so much complained of elsewhere. They talk of a bridge over the creek and several minor improvements calculated to enhance the natural and acquired advantages so cleverly turned to account by Mr. Coppin.