Awarm sun and a cold westerly wind combined tomake trip down'the Whangpoo on Tuesday in a new steamer an enjoyable outing for lovers of fresh air, such ax the guests of the New Engineering and Shipbuilding Works were aff -rded by the hespitality of the builders. The trial was perfect success. Everything went of without a Itch, there wes a marked absence of vibration and_the novel design of a single screw, working in a tunnel of large diameter, gav" excellent results for a boat drawing five feet only; and owners and builders had good reason to he pleased with the result.
The Pingfon has been built to the order of the Ping Hsiang Coal Mininz Company and is intended t" run on the Yangtze above Hankow and the inner waters beyond. She is of the hollow stern type and measures:—Leng'h, 100 feet, Beam, 18 feet, a Depth of 7 feet 9 inches. The indicated horsepow-r is 300.
Running light, the vessel attained a speed of 124 miles and, on the second trix], when a laden lighter of 400 tons was taken in tow, the satisfactory "peed of 84 miles was registered. As representing the Owners there were present at the trial Messrs V. K. Lee and Solterbeck with ''apt. Lambert. The other guests were Messrs. Archd. Little, W. B. Buy-rs, Thos. Bunt and R Lemke. The ones, Works were represented by Messrs. J. Blechynden wud Reynolds. The tiffly provided by the builders was duly appreciated and the opportunity taken to drink to their health and that of the owners; after which the moorings were reached, and the party separated glad to have hud the opportunity offseein what " small boat of this type can be built to achieve.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.