QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The Brisbane Courier

Thursday, 30 May 1912 THE NEW DREDGE A POWERFUL VESSEL.

Splendid weather ruled to Singapore. Crossing Ihe Arafura Sea, a strong south-east monsoon was encountered, and continued to arrival in Torres Straits. Favourable weather conditions prevailed off the Queensland coast until Double Island was reached last Friday, when a moderate south-east gale was experienced, accompanied bv heavy rain squalls. Those conditions prevailed until 2 a.m. yesterday. The dredge anchored off Cape Moreton at 4 a.m., and it fell to Pilot Norman, one of the senior pilots of Brisbane, to bring the vessel to South Brisbane. Full descriptions of the dredge, and of her successful trials have been previously published in the “Courier.” Captain Clausen visited Brisbane 24 years ago as a boy in tho old ship Schiffswerft, and although he noted many changes while the dredge steamed up the river, he stated yesterday that there were a few landmarks which he remembered having seen when he last visited the port - the dry dock and certain houses in the vicinity. He was in command of the Remora when on her trials, and spoke in praise of the way she carried out her work. The Remora, is the sixth dredge built at the works of Herr F. Schichau which he had commanded during their trials. He navigated one dredge to Canada, another to Japan, one to Korea, two to European ports, and the Remora to Brisbane – a record in its way. The new dredge had a crew of 20 all told, including the captain, two officers, and four engineers. Captain Clausen hopes to return to Germany in August. Wednesday 24 July 1912 DREDGE WORK OPENING THE NEW CUTTING. TAKING OVER THE REMORA. VESSEL STARTS WORK ON MONDAY. The straight cutting from the mouth of the river to deep water is rapidly approaching completion. The work has been carried out by the hydraulic dredge Hercules and the bucket dredges Maryborough and Hydra. No definite date can be fixed for using the channel but in the course of a couple of months the end of the work should be within sight. The lighting will have to be in order before vessels may be permitted to use the new channel. One part of the scheme is the removal of the two lighthouses at Fisherman’s Island, where they mark the entrance to the old channel over to Bulwer, where they will mark the entrance to the new. Skeleton lights have been erected on Fisherman’s Island to do duty for the short period remaining before the new channel is to be ready for navigation. Another important step in the scheme will be the remov al of the Pile Light from its present location to the river end of the new cutting. Reinforced concrete pile founda tions have already been put in. The Bundaberg Foundry Company has a contract for the supply of ironwork for the new under-structure. The portion manufactured locally is now ready, but, owing to the dock strike in England the round columns required have been detained in a barge in London. Delivery was to be given at the beginning of July but there will be three months’ delay. The upper portion of the Pile Light will be removed to the new structure when everything is ready. A notice to mariners concerning the use of the new cutting will be issued shortly. The new dredge Remora is receiving an overhaul in the dock, and will be taken over by the Government before the end of the week. Arrangements are now being made for a crew, and it is intended to have the dredge at work on Monday morning. As a preliminary it is intended to try the new dredge in the bar cutting where she will be out of the way of navigation. Afterwards it will be determined where the services of the new dredge shall be applied. Those who have inspected the Remora express themselves as very pleased with the manner in which she has been equipped for heavy work.

Mr. James Tearoe, executive engineer attached to the office of the Agent-General in London, and now on visit to Brisbane, considers that Queensland will have a very fine vessel in the dredge Remora now on her way to Brisbane. He speaks from personal knowledge having supervised the construction of the dredge at the works of Herr F. Schichau of Elbing, Germany. The Remora left the Baltic for Brisbane on April 21, having been delayed by the severe weather experienced in the Baltic, where for some time she was wedged in with ice. Mr.Tearoe visited the place about the middle of February to witness the trial, but the thermometer was down to 23deg. below zero, and the Baltic was frozen for miles. Since Mr. Tearoe left the dredge completed her trial satisfactorily. The dredge is 214ft long, 38ft beam and has a depth of 17ft 6in, with a draught when loaded of 14ft 6in. The hopper capacity is enormous – 27,000 cubic feet. She is capable of steaming 10 knots an hour with the hopper full, and 80 tons of coal and all stores and equipment on board. The dredge was built on the Fruhling principle, which has been found most successful in the Kiel Canal, and elsewhere, and has a suction action capable of dredging to 40ft. In addition, she has four grabs, three of them with a capacity of 50 cubic feet, and one of 70 cubic feet, all capable of dredging to 45ft, thus increasing the range of usefulness of the dredge. The grabs are intended for use alongside wharves and walls. A great feature of the new dredge is that she is capable of discharging into her own hopper, into barges along side, or through a pipe line to the shore, so that she should be a very useful vessel in the varying conditions of the Brisbane River. On the Kiel Canal the dredges discharge into their own hoppers and carry the material away, and deposit it in some given spot. Mr Tearoe said that the speed with which the material was picked up by the Fruhling type of dredge was simply astounding, and he considered that Queensland was most fortunate in obtaining one of these for the large amount of dredging required in the Brisbane River. One feature of the dredge is that the hopper is filled with from 90 per cent, or upwards of solids, which is a great advance on any other type of dredge. The new dredge, which has to be delivered at Bris bane by the builders, should be due before the end of June, but so far the vessel has not been re ported from any station. The vessel is several months over the contract time, but this is mainly due to the severe weather in the Baltic, although the coal strike in Europe further hindered progress. The purchase of the dredge was due to the visit made to Europe by Mr. F. A. Cullen, M. Inst. C.E. (Engineer for Harbours and Rivers), to whose specifications the vessel was built. Monday, 15 July 1912 THE NEW DREDGE ARRIVAL OF THE REMORA. The new dredge Remora, which was constructed at the works of Herr F. Schichau, of Elbing, Germany, for the Queensland Government, arrived yesterday in command of Captain Harry Clausen, and was tied up near the dry dock, South Brisbane. Today a start will be made to remove the timber with which the dredge was boarded up before starting on her long voyage, and Captain Clausen expects to have the vessel fitted up and delivered to the Government within ten days. The Remora left Elbing on April 21, and calls were made at several ports, including Colombo and Singapore, where provisions and fresh water were obtained.

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