A 'Kobe Herald" of recent date contains an interview with Capt J.T. Smith, of the City of Peking, who says:—The smash in the shaft occurred at 10.30 on 'Sunday forenoon, The Peking was just clear of the narrows at Imbaru' when the shaft gave way. The vessel had been going at reduced speed while moving through the strait. Cypt. Smith bad just given orders to the engine room to open out, and the engineer's hand was on the throttle, when the crash of the sudden fracture in the thrust shaft shook the whole vessel, as if, as described in yesterday's paragraph, she had struck a rock. For @ time it was impossible to determine what had happened.
he shaft tunnel was instantly filled with dust and confusion, so that an immediate inspection was impossible. The thrust shaft had split diagonally from one end through a foot or two of its length, and [the thrust block went to pieces at [the same time, The impetus on the screw kept that half of the shaft, astern of the breakage, going after the engines had been stopped, and the grinding j of the two ends at the fracture, and the general dislocation around the thrust block, Fesulling from the smash-up there, made a somewhat alarming noise and vibration, Meantime, however, Capt. Smith was fable with the "way" remaining on his vessel to keep clear of the land, and, as mentioned yesterday, the liner was brought up and anchored without any untoward incident other than the wholly unforeseen and unforeseeable accident to the shaft, 1It should be mentioned that the P.M. Company requires a special examination fof and report upon the condition of the shafts of their vessels and their appurtenances every three mouths, and on the occasion of the last inspection jof the Peking's shaft no defect was observed. The accident is therefore difficult to account for. The towage of the big liner to Kobe by the Glenroy was accomplished very successfully and without special incident. The speed made on the Way up was about seven knots.
[The City of Peking is now lying in the outer harbour at Kobe, awaiting repairs. A new thrust shaft has been ordered from San Francisco.—En, "N.-C, D, Riv")
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.