LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1694, 25 October 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. An entertainment and ooffee sapper will be held m Saunders' Buildings to-morrow ereiing m oonneotion with the Asbburton Tenperance Club. A large and varied pro. granme has been prepared, consisting ol reoiations, dialogues, and musioal selections, anc a most pleasant and enjoyable evening is antoipatcd. it a publio meeting held at Wakanni lasi night £62 was subsoribed to ternponrily stop the overflow of the river, and a Committee was appointed to see the wort carried out. It was also determined to take the neesssary steps to have the district placed under the control of a Biver Board. Daring a performance at the " Hall oi Magic," Hen Fiebig, the conjuror, announced that he would now proceed to out ofl a man's head, and invited any member of the audienoe who might feel inclined to undergc tha operation to step on the platform. A young man, who had had a " tifl " with hit Bweethtart, here came forward, and every.

thing was m readiness, when the young lady, distracted with fear and tore, rushed fran*'«allt on * UB BWgOi seizea be* i i.« *u~ Arm, and dragged him nolens volens away and ont of the hall. The delight of the audienoe can be easily imagined. A lad named Lorenzo Musohamp, 14 years of age, employed by Mr Stokes, stonbmason, had a painful acoident (says the " Lyttolton Times ") through inoautiously playing with a dynamite cap. Ho was standing before the fire m his father's kitchen eztraoting the composition from the oap by picking it with a fork, and amusing himself by burning the stuff m the grato. As the dynamite did not come out very easily he tried to force it, and the cap exploded, badly injuring his right hand, m which he held it. He waa taken to the hospital where his hurt was attended to. He has lost the upper joint of the right thumb and forefinger. Fortunately he is left handed, so will not feel the loss ao severely as a righthanded person would. When the oap exploded a small portion 6t the stuff from it struok the lad's sister m the eye, bat without inflicting any serious injury. A daring bank robbery took place m Glasgow reoently, a sum of £886 being taken from the Charing Gross Branch of (ha British Linen Bank. Four foreigners, supposed to be Germans, entered the bank, m which there were only the teller and a olerk, and while one asked to see the Post Offioe Directory the other two plied the teller with questions as to the transmission of money abroad. In the meantime the fourth of the party slipped round the end of the counter as if going to the room of the agent, who happened to be out of town, and entering the open door of the teller's box adroitly slipped away with four bandies of notes whioh were made up as follows :— £6oo m £1 notes of the British Linen Bank, £85 m £5 notes of other banks, £272 m £1 notes on other banks, and £30 In £5 notes of the Bank of England. As soon as he had accomplished his purpose the thief walked quiotly out of the office, called a oab, and drove to the North British Kailway station. In the meantime the other three, who were supposed to be confederates, left one by one, and passing down North street, whioh adjoins the bank, they entered a oab and drove to the centre of the oity and there dispersed. The "Tuapeka Times" says that after making inquiries it finds that runholders, by lending their clips to port by road instead of by rail, can effect a saving of, m some oases, over 2s per bale. The Greenfield, Olydevala, and Hillend estates alone will lend fully 1000 bales to port this season. The Christchurch " Press " says that for some time past a considerable amount of renewal work has been effooted at the Adding* ton railway workshops to the rolling stook of our lines, and m view of the approaohing busy season on the lines, when the agricultural shows, races, cricket matohes, excursions, and other festive occasions are expected, new and improved paisenger carriages are bning turned out. Some of these passenger ooaohes are superior to anything of a similar kind that has ever been imported, both m the neatness of tbtir get-up and the comforts whi«b they offer and the substantial oharaoter of the manufacture. The first-olass carriages are m themselveß a marvel of workmanship and style, the finish alio being of the highest order. The new smoking carriages combine luxury with convenience. The now coaohes inolude a greater extant of space for passengers, a wider and more comfortable seat, and a more convenient width between the seats. Tho lighting ii also improved by the doing away with oil lamps and placing m the carriages kerosene lamps with brilliant reflectors, so that persona uiios the line will m future oq dull awnings bi tpli to *e»d wit)} comfort. J