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THE DREDGES KADINA,

The Kadina is the last of the dredgers in- <*>
tended for clearing away the river bottom
which has arrived, her colleagues, the Wallaroo
and Goolwa having reached the colony some

t<me ago. She was detuned by reason of the
extension of the voyage to Batavia, and tft—l
being quarantined at Champion Bay. It is
generally allowed to be & risky thing £a make
so lorg a voyage in a craft of sncn tSngnUr
ptoporticni, but though the Sadina has made
about the longest pasatge on record for annm
ber of yean past, *«he au tr*—" 1 -«u?—* '" ~.
—*«.. ~ any
serious loss or damage. She is a fae-nanlt of
the Goolwa in every way, being a hopper
barge furnished with jet condensing engines of
45 iiorEe-power. She is divided into water
tight compartments, the after one being derated
to the engines, end the fore cod belonging to
the crew. The midships is taken up by the
hopper, on each tide of which are fore-and-aft
compartments to aid in securing the requisite
flotation when laden. The entire v.yage has
extended over SOI days, though of eoarsea great
many daya were spent in the variant parts
touched it in procuring fresh supplies, coal, to.
She has burned over a thousand tans of coal,
and by the master's narrative had some diffi
culty at times in taking on board a fre&hsupp!y.
The K&dina was,built at Glasgow by Messrs.
Bimmon? & Co., and made a start on August 6,
proceeding down the Clyde with unfavorable
weather. On the following marning it was
found that the sea stock of water
had beeU stowed in impure receptacles,
and it was therefore necessary t? anchor
in Lamlasb to procure a fresh supply. It was
found impossible to fill up then, to the craft
made another start and reached Belfast, where
water was procurable. On August Bth at 8
o'clock she {passed Copelands, and -at 4 the
South Bock light bore north by west Sub
sequently tte weather became so violent tint
the Kadina ran for Wioklow, and sought shelter
until the 14tb. She started again, but was
driven back to the same anchorage, and it was
the 19th before moderate weather permitted of
a fair start. She made as good 'progress as
could be expected until crossing the Bay of
Biscay, where she encountered a strong gale
with heavy sea. IndieatioiM of foal weather
continuing it was resolved to pat into Fetroi,
in which Spanish harbor the vessel re
mained until the 31st. when the weather
was fine, and she steamed en to Oibralta,
which was reached on September 16.
There ooal and supplies were obtained, and
on the 9th she started for Malta. Oa getting up
the Mediterranean several days 7 bad weather
were,experienced, which ultimately compelled
her to seek shelter under the lee of Gape Gata.
On the 20th of September the Kadiaa leached
Malta and replenished fuel and provisions. She
sailed again on September 25, but enooantered
a gale from the westward, which caused a sea too
heavy altogether for the craft, aa she had 79
tons of coal on deck in addition to that in the
buckers. Finding no cessation it was deemed
prudent to pnt back to Malta, where she
remained till the 2Sth, when she sailed for Port
Said. Before entering the Suez Canal some
slight repairs were executed, and at Sues Bhe
had to remain two days waiting some gear
which had been sent on. On Friday, No
vember 2, she reached Aden, and as the marine
fauna adherent to the vessel's bottom was cal
culated to considerably retard her progress she
was beached and scraped, coated with anti
fouling compo, and then fitted out with a fresh
supply of coal and provisions, in anticipation
of the long passage to Galle every passible space
was filled with coal. On getting to sea there
was a strong north-east monsoon, but after
passing the Lacadive Isknds the weather was
moderate and fine. On December 6th a pilot
was received on board, and the vessel oame to
anchor. Ac soen as practicable the bunkers
were filled up, water was obtained, and provi
sions procured, the intention being xo cut across
to West Australia. Mature reasoning, however,
decided in favor of a shorter st.ige. and a
call v, as ms.de at Batavia. On Deoemoer 28th the
Kadisa reached Batavt*, and obtained fresh
supplies, but the nature of the roadstead was
such that the vessel had a long detention. She
tailed from Batavia on January 16tb,andon
getting outside met the schooner Ariel, which
made a thousand pounds clear by assistance
rendered to tbe sister hopper. After leaving
Batavia the Kadina encountered strong wind*,
heavy seas, and rain squalls. Unfortunately on
the 22ud one of the engine gang, Win. Robert
son, was etrickeu with fever and ague, and a
few days after the chief officer was laid up bom
the same cause. The second mate and another
of tbe hands followed suit, and as there
were five hands disabled out of her com
plement there were none too many left.
On Tuesday, February 4, the expenditure of
fuel bad co far lightened tbe vessel that when
it commenced blowing hard from the southward
the could do but little good, aud*therefore it
was decided to ran under the end of Dirk
Hat-tog's Island. This course was rendered
necessary, not only to obtain shelter, bntto take
in ballast to stiffen her. At 4 p.m. she steamed
into a capitally sheltered bay and oame to in
seven fathoms. On landing next day the beach
was found to be strewed with fragments of the
Mac-quarie. a vessel wrecked there same time
before. There was also a good supply of. 6 tone

fuJlM^ the transport of which to the ship was
attended with some considerable risk on ac
count of the beach surf. The longboat took off
ebout ten loads am Minting to 25 tons.
Several fine turtle found here were of infinite
service to those of the crew who were sick.
♦Three of the men appeared to be improving, but
there were two to wlium no hope was held out,
mud on February Bth Peter Stitson, a Swedish
-able seaman, died, aud was buried on shore.
Upon returning to the vessel ifter the ceremony
the second officer, Kobert Mclntyre.of Grlasgow,
Was found to be rapidly sinking, and he sson
after died. The two were buried near each other,
the grave being marked by a wood cross, and
young trees planted by the deceased's comrades.
Although in some respects Dirk Hartag Island
had been a shelter it proved objectionable from
its melancholy reminisoence, and the anchor
being weighed in the face of a southerly gale,
the Km^inii. stood off the land, but coal and
provisions getting short, and tbe weather con
tinuing bad phe was soon glad to return to
shelter. On F-bruary 11 all available hauls
-were landed with the object of setting' off as
much wood as po-fible trom the wreskage of
the Macqnaxie, and on the 14th she made
another start. Next >lay there were more strong
fereeses, and the <lre<!g-?r stood under Steep
Island and anchored. Matters bflgao to look
•veiy serious, seeing that the vessel was
on an uninhabited part of the coast
line, with only sixty gallons of fresh water
left, and very little provisions. Although next
day was spent in winking about the shore no
•water was procurable but what was salt. The
«tores were expended. There was no beef, no
pork; the bread and flour were full of moald
aad insects, and a few tins of soap and boulli
-were all that remained of the outfit. Of course
every one was put on short allowance, and on
*he 21st February the anchor was lifted, and on
Sunday at noon she sighted North Island, next
day comiug-to in Ohampu n Bay, having only a
day's coal in the bunkers. Here the vessel vras
put in quarantine fa-nine day*, but every atte i
tionwaupaid to properly supplying* medicine j
*nd provisions; in fact the master spea'u
in the highest terms of the conduct of the
inhabitants as well as his own men aud officers.
After a long stay and thorough revictuall ing
the TTadina. left Champion Hay on April 4, and
4m the 13th reached Fremantle, where the
bunkers were again filled, and on Taesliy,
April 29, she made another start for Albany.
This port was reached on Hay 4, and after six
jdays the Kidina again set out. She had miae
slow but sore progress till within three days'
nil of Cipa Borda, wheu shu enrxrauted a heivy
fjale, during whicn the sea broke violently on
.board, smashing in the deck of the hopper, but
doing Bo further damage. Oa Friday afternoon
sha passed Cape Bonla, and on Saturday night
anchored between GleneJg and the Semaphore.
On Sunday at daylight she was boarded by a
pilot, and was slowly steered over the bar an 1
carefully through the Narrows, but thrjugh
•ome fatality on reaching the wharf she
-vac "turned ahead," when the order should
have been to v turn astern " The result was a
trial of strength between Simpson's Wharf and
the hopper's stem, and the hopper had by far
the worst of it, for the whole of her bow-plating
wa* ataved in, while the wharf was hardly
damaged.
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