COALING BY LIGHTEP.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3115, 11 January 1911, Page 2

COALING BY LIGHTEP.

MORE RAPID SYSTEM INVENTED. Captain Menada, of Genoa, lias invented an important appliance for coaling vessels. The inventor, who is the manager of the Commercial Steamship Company, was for many years connected with the late Count Raggio, the principal coal importer of Italy. This connection lias enabled Captain Menada to appreciate the necessity of quickly transfering coals from lighters to large vessels. Hi s coal-handling invention consists of the lighter having a number of .skeleton towers with movable, shoots, which can bo raised or lowered at will. The arrangement is specially designed for coaling large ships with side ports. The coal on hoard the lighter i.s filled with a truck or receptacle running in grooves up and down the towers. When filled, this receptacle i.s raised up to the level of the shoots, and the coals are emptied through the shoots into the hunkers of the vessels. A ughter having four towers can work through eight shoots at n time, and, therefore, into cicht hunker ports. By means of this system vessels have (says “Lloyd’s Weekly Summary”) been coaled from one lighter at the rate of 120 tons an hour. A number of such lighters have already been built, and have been successfully working in Italian and other ports! It i.s suggested that the system is one which might_ be advantageously introduced into New Zealand, on the ground that it would result in the saving of time and expense.