New Zealand Gazette – 1879 – No. 127

Page 1763

✨ Hydrographic Notices to Mariners

[1879.]
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
1763

NOTICE TO MARINERS.

No. 66 of 1879.
Marine Department, Wellington, N.Z., 9th December, 1879.

THE following hydrographical memorandum, received from the Commodore commanding the Australian
Station, is published for general information.
H. A. ATKINSON.

REEF OFF ENTRANCE TO APIA HARBOUR, SAMOAN GROUP.—TORRES STRAITS, ETC.
"Wolverene," at Melbourne, 11th November, 1879.
Hydrographic Memorandum, No. 4.

THE accompanying hydrographic information relative to parts of the Australian Station is promulgated
for general information and guidance.
N. WILSON, Commodore.
The respective Captains and Officers Commanding
Her Majesty's ships on the Australian Station.

INFORMATION received from Mr. R. Turpie, Master of the Mission Barque "John Williams."

On leaving Apia Harbour, Samoa, coral rocks were seen under the ship's bottom. The following bearings
were taken: Peak of Apia Mountain, S. (magnetic); eastern visible land, E.S.E. (magnetic); Apolinia or
Manono, W.S.W. (magnetic). Ship's head N. by S., deviation on that course 8º easterly. The master of
the "John Williams" imagines that these rocks have from 12 to 15 fathoms on them when first seen by
him, but he could not say how long the ship was on them before his attention was attracted.

COPY OF HYDROGRAPHIC NOTES received from H.M.S. "Beagle," dated September, 1879.

Place and Subject of Correction.	Position: Lat., Long., &c.	Correction is required to Charts.	Correction is required to Sailing Directions.	Remarks.
Nereid Rock, Flinder's Channel; wrongly placed.	...	691 and 2375	Australian Directory, Vol. ii.	Nereid Rock is several cables' length out of position by the charts. It is nearly three-quarters of a mile S.E. by E. of its assigned position, and consists of two or three rocky patches. West of King Point, Horn Island, are three distinct and well-seen white sandy beaches. It is immediately opposite the middle one of these three; and Hammond Rock, kept open clear of Hammond Island, leads outside of it. (Reliable information.)
Rocky patch, one mile S.W. of Harvey Island	10° 19′ 30″ S., 142° 40′ 50″ E.	2375	Ditto	About one mile S.W. of Harvey Rocks is a patch of rocks with little water over them at low water. Captain Hastings, my. informant, lowered a boat, and went over and sounded on this patch.
Turtle Head is an island	10° 56′ S., 143° 41′ E.	2354	Ditto	The mate of the ketch "Spray," of Sydney, assures me that Turtle Head is really an island—that the so-called north and south entrances to the Escape River are but the entrances to a passage round Turtle Head. He passed through in the ketch carrying 3 to 4 fathoms right through. I think this is reliable.
Reef marked ED does exist as a sunken reef	Ten miles N. W. of Cairncross	2354	Ditto	He (the mate of the ketch "Spray," of Sydney) also tells me that the reef marked ED, ten miles N. W. of Cairncross Island, does exist, though not, perhaps, in the place assigned to it; that it carries 2 or 3 fathoms over it. Jem Caledonia, an interpreter on board the "Beagle," who is very reliable, tells me he has passed over it also, distinctly seeing the bottom.
Detached patches off Jervis Reef, Torres Strait	Quarter of a mile east of Minnie Rock	2375	Ditto	About a quarter of a mile eastward of Minnie Rock, and about 200 yards off Jervis Reef, are two detached patches of coral rock, nearly awash at low water. The sea was breaking heavily on them when I passed on the 2nd September, 1879. They narrow the channel a good deal; and are not shown in any Admiralty Chart, nor in the Queensland Government Chart of Jervis Island, by Lieutenant Connor, of 1873. (Personal observation.)
Heavy tide rip off Passage Island, Jervis Reef	Between Jervis Rock and Passage Island	...	Ditto	With the ebb and strong S.E. monsoon there is a very heavy tide rip between Passage Island and Jervis Reef. In small crafts this may be avoided by passing close to leeward of Passage Island. The "Beagle" did, as it was doubtful her staying in the rip. Least water, 3 fathoms, seen by the eye close to the sunken fringe reef. (Personal observation.)
Anchorage under Moa or Banks Island	10° 7′ 30″ S., 142° 18′ 15″ E. Possession Isld., N.E. N.	...	...	A convenient anchorage for the night, beating down against the S.E. monsoon, is to be found under Moa or Banks Island, to leeward of the next point west of Banks Peak. Water shoals rapidly from 7 to 3 fathoms. Sail should be shortened directly you get less than 7 fathoms, and in 3 fathoms the anchorage is good and smooth. (Personal observation.)
Watson's Cay and Pinnacle Reef	10º 2′ 30″ S., 142° 27′ 30″ E.	...	...	Watson's Cay is a dry sandbank, surrounded by a horseshoe reef on its S.E. side; is a very good smooth anchorage in S.E. Passed within half a mile of Pinnace Reef, it is apparently flat coral, one-third of a mile in extent, N.E. and S.W., about 300 yards across. A sandbank is forming on its S.W. extreme. The reef was nearly awash at quarter-flood; but the tides are so irregular, that the state of the tide, unless at anchor, is a matter of conjecture. No outlying patches were seen. (Personal observation.)