Untitled

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 191, 8 July 1873, Page 4

Our Court' report, and a number of local advertisements, will be found on the third pa^e. The nomination of candidates for the Mayoralty of Cromwell takes place on Monday the 14th inst. A number of persons interested in the resuscitation of the winter evening popular entainments, met in the Town-hall on Friday evening. Mr Preshaw, president of the ■'themeum Committee, was in the chair. It was resolved that a musical and dramatic entertainment should take place at Kidd’s Pad on Thursday, the 24th inst. After the necessary sub* committees bad been appointed, Mr Jolly, bon. secretary to the Athemeum Committee, was requested to write to various lady amateurs rtquesting their assistance at the entertainmnn u A meeting of intending performers is to tats place at the School-house this evening.

The following is the list of unclaimed letters received at the Cromwel! post-office during March, and remaining unclaimed at the end of June William Anderson, T. Colquhoun, H. S. Cope, M‘Gregor, Wm. O’Sullivan, 11. Short. According to a statement made by Mr Bastings in the Provincial Council the other evening, when speaking to a motion by Mr M'Kenzie, regarding the state of the main North Eoad, it would take something like £500,000 to ‘ put the roads in the 'Province, whose aggregate length Mr Bastings states to be about 1700 rmles, in a good state. A meeting of the Cromwell Athenamm Conimittee was held in the Town-hall on Tuesday evening. The members present were— Messrs Preshaw, (the president), Colclough, Marsh, Taylor, Baird, Matthews, and Jolly, (hon. secretary). The business done was mostly of a routine character. A proposal to revive the popular entertainments so successfully carried out during the past two winters was very favourably entertained, and it was resolved to call a meeting on Friday evening of those interested in the movement. By last mail from Victoria we received a small pamphlet concerning “ A Wonderful Book published in Melbourne.” The pamphlet contains a number of extracts from Victorian newspaper critiques on a recently published work by M. Le Roy—“An Easy Method to Learn French without a Master.” The book is published by Messrs Evans Brothers, of Collinsstreet, Melbourne; and judging from the very favourable notices contained in the pamphlet above referred to, students of the French language will find it a most valuable auxiliary. A notice of motion was given by Mr Fish, in the Council on Wednesday last, which deals with the amendment of the electoral laws. ■ Mr Fish wants it to be made binding upon a candidate for the Superintendency to deposit £SO, which sum is to be forfeited if such candidate shall poll less than one fifth of the total amount of votes polled. Candidates for Council to deposit £25, to be forfeited on the same conf >■ dition. He also wishes to bring in the plan of [ manhood suffrage ; and to provide that the voting of miners by virtue of miners’ rights be abolished, miners of course being brought under the manhood suffrage plan. If the motion be carried, the General Government are to he asked to bring in a measure during the ensuing session to give effect to the same. The Cromwell Beef Company sent down on Friday last 460 ozs of gold, the result of the first crushing of stone at their battery since the repai'S were completed. A very large proportion of the quartz crushed was known to be of poor quality, but about sixty tons of stuff taken from the lowest level (290 ft.) were estimated to ■ yield between four and five ounces to the ton. The manager is said to have obtained a prospect of l 4 dwts. to the dish from the same stone ; y, and.wei are informed that about 500, tons of at '■. least equal richness are in sight at'the present time. The handsome return obtained from this crushing goes far to show that the auriferous . character of the mine improves as greater depths are reached. We were shown on Saturday a . small lot of specimens from the 290 ft. level, and thev are certainly the most promising we have seen for a considerable time. !>■ We regret to state that the unfortunate 1m an John Thomas, who was sent to the Hospital last Tuesday in consequence of injuries received through falling down the rocks below Kawarau Bridge on the previous night, has since died. We stated last week that.'he was supposed to have fallen from the bridge, but it appears that supposition was incorrect. The man had been imbibing rather freely at the opening celebration, and was unable to give any satisfac” tnry explanation as to how he reached the edge of the river ; but it is believed that he must have I scrambled down the bank until about twelve or fourteen feet from the water, and then fallen to the spot were he was found by Mr Grant and the other men who rescued him. Dr Lake attended the sufferer, and found he had sustained severe concussion of the brain, but not to such ) an extent as to render his recovery improbable, i; On the following day (Tuesday), the man was much better, and before leaving Mr M'Gormick’s hotel on his way to the Dunstan, he was able to | cat a hearty meal and smoke a pipe of tobacco. He was conveyed to the Hospital in a cart driven by Mr James Richards, who took all pos- [ sible care of the sufferer whilst under his charge, [ » n d drove at a walking pace the whole distance, t The injuries received, however, proved fatal, and i he expired a day or two after arrival at the Hosj pital. Thomas, who was about 40 years of age, | was an entire stranger in this district, .having i lately come from Hokitika by way of Martin’s | Owing to the shortness of the interval | that elapsed between the Kawarau Bridge OpenI mg and the publication of our last issue, we were I obliged to omit from our report several matters I deserving of notice. The members of the CromI well Brass Band, under the able leadership of I Mr Whetter, gave their services gratuitously, I and contributed very largely to the success of I the proceedings connected with the opening I ceremony. We may here express a hope that on | any future occasion when the services of the I Band are brought into requisition, the members * will be treated with more courtesy and consideII ration than they received at the hands of the Bridge Company or their representatives. It was hardly right to allow the bandsmen to walk and carry their instruments a distance of six miles for the sake of gaining a little “ barren honour.” It should be mentioned that the providing of refreshments at the Bridge on the opening day was in the hands of-Mrs Richards, to whom great credit is due for their superlative excellence. In our description of the bridge we omitted to state that the roadway at eithe°r end is protected by substantial stone walla, which guard the entrances so effectually that it is scarcely possible for any mishap to occur, even m the darkest night. In order to give perfect secufitv in crossing cattle and sheep, the sideaUs will be interlaced with stout wire ropes stretched horizontally from end to end at interals of six inches. No provision for this was -mil. l - 11 .specifications, and Messrs Grant I Richards deserve the thanks of the public jor the extra security to life and property which e y are about to provide at their own expense.

The anniversary of the Cromwell Sunday School is to be celebrated by a tea-meeting in the School-house on Thursday next. A tea-meeting and ball, under the auspices of the local School Committee, will be held at Bannockburn School-house on Friday evenin''. 11th inst. For the sitting of the Supreme Court in Auckland, thirty-two cases are set down, two of then being charges of wilful murder, and one of manslaughter. From Cardrona we hear that the Band of Hope Company have struck the lead in the deep ground, and that the prospects obtained are very good. The following are the weights of the Canterbury horses entered for the Melbourne Cup : —Tambourini, 7st lOlbs ; Lurline, 7st 71bs ; Calumny, 7st 31bs ; Castaway, 6st. A correspondent in a Dunedin paper suggests to the members of the Provincial Council that they should do away with the drinking bar which exists in one of the side rooms. A Grahamstown telegram, dated July 2, says preparations are being made for the expulsion of the foul gas from the Caledonian mine before sinking further. Shares in this claim are rising. For the seat for Waikonaiti in the House of Representatives, Mr John L. Gillies is in the field. Mr Davie, M. P.C. for Dunedin, and Mr Oliver, M.P.C. for Mount Ida, are also likely to stand. Dr Barker, a Melbourne medico, lately sued a patient for professional attendance which involved six days’ absence from town. His charge was at the rate of thirty guineas a day. and a verdict was given for the full amount claimed. The punt lately in use at Richards’s Ferry, Bannockburn, together with the wire cables, boat, and other appliances, were disposed of privately on Wednesday last, by Messrs Fames and Stanbrook, auctioneers, for the sum of £lO9. The purchaser, Mr Stades S. Graver, (late puntman at Stuart’s Ferry) intends, we believe, removing the punt to a site on the Olutha river. Wiltchire, in Christchurch, finished his feat of walking 1000 mile-* in 1000 hours at noon on June 26, He suffered greatly from drowsiness during the last 200 miles, and frequently fell asleep at the post while waiting for the signal to start. His bodily strength, however, was almost unimpaired, and he is reported to have been wonderfully fresh for the distance he walked. In order to prove himself the champion of the world, he continued to walk one mile an hour, and intended to do so. if the public supported him. until positively compelled to give in ; but the public not sufficiently supporting him, he stopped at 3.40 p.m. He now offers to walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours, wheeling a man in a barrow. ’ The following are cablegrams dated London, June 22:—“ The Czarina and Czarewitch are at Windsor Castle. The betrothal of the Duke of Edinburgh to a Russian Princess is regarded with public favour.—Great ■ dissatisfaction is expressed at the mild punishment of the captain of the Murillo, which ran down the Northfleet. His certificate have been suspended for onlv twelve months, and the crew has been released.—The Great Eastern will lay the new Atlantic cable.—The evidence against the Tichborne Claimant is becoming overwhelming, but the popular sympathy is still with him.—Smallpox is severely attacking the troops at Chatham. —The Russians are within two days march of Khiva. —lt is believed that the ex-Emnress Eugenie is plotting for the restoration of the Empire. An uneasy feeHng prevails in France. A great deficit in the revenue is expected inconsequence.” The Waikato Times trusts that at the next sitting of the Assembly some member will introduce a Bill to deal with imbibing doctors. Our contemporary adds : —“ If the master of a vessel drinks to excess he is liable to have his certificate suspended, lives and property are entrusted to bis care ; it is therefore very proper that such should be the case. The lives of Her Majesty’s subjects are almost equally at the merev of drunken doctors. We are not prepared to suggest the best means of dealing with these men. but think the power should vest in two Justices of the Peace to temporarily suspend the certificate of any medical man guilty of drunkenness while on duty, and that after two temporary suspensions, it should he competent to bring the guiltv party before a superior tribunal. in order to his prohibition to practice in the Colony.” The following will be read with a feeling of universal regret. The position in which Mr Hickey stood towards this district has created an interest in him, and none will hear of this last act of folly without sorrow that he has so neglected and abused the chances which were offered to him, if not of earning high pohtical honour, at least of earning the respect and gratitude of his fellow-miners. We clip the following from the Waihonaifi Herald, of June 25 : - “ A man named Hickey was brought in from Palmerston on Saturday last by Constable Morkane, on a charge of suffering from temporary insanity, and being unfit to remain at large. Drs Moffat, and Crncomo were called in to examine the supposed lunatic, and gave it as their opinion that the mental derangement was but of a temporary character, and had beeen brought on by the abuse of strong alcoholic liquors. It transpired in evidence that the accused had been drinking heavily for s-mne rime, and that when apprehended his conduct was such as to cause apprehension that he would do himself some bodily harm. On the recommendation of the medical witnesses the accused was reminded until Monday. The most discreditable disclosure in connection with this unfortunate affair is that the accused is represented as being an exM.P.O. On Monday morning, it having been reported to the Resident Magistrate that no improvement had taken place in the conduct, of the above, but that he had to some extent become more violent, he was committed to the Lunatic Asylum, Dunedin, for proper treatment, and was forwarded to town by Smith’s down coach.”

£IO,OOO wore paid in dividends at the Thames during the month ending Juno 29. A totara tree lately felled in the Province of Wellington is stated to have yielded no less than 50,000 shingles. The Arrow Observer says ;— <! It is rumoured tint Mr M'Cormick, one of the partners in the erection of the Kawarau Bridge, has arranged with the Government to erect a s:milar one at Edwards’s ferry. We have not heard particulars as yet. ” In Auckland recently, Father Norris, who is well-known and respected in this district, and who, it will he remembered, officiated at the consecration of the Catholic Church in Cromwell, received a purse of sovereigns prior to his departure for the Thames. A company, with a capital of £15,000, has formed to issue a new daily paper in Dunedin. The new journal is to be called the Otago Nnvs, and the Morning Star is to be incorporated with it. Itisto be published in the Government interest, and the Bruce Herald says it is rumoured that Mr Creighton, M.H.R., is to he editor. Mr Vincent Pyke was formerly mentioned in this connection. Tenders have now been accepted for the construction of twenty-two miles of the TuapekaTokomairiro line of railway, with the exception of one section, which one of the contractors, for some reason or other, failed to take up, after being pronounced the successful tenderer. The line was divided into five sections, for four of which the contracts have been signed. The section that remains unlet is what is termed the Glenore section ; and advertisements have been ssued for fresh tenders, which are to be sent in by the 3Hth of this month. In consequence of the exceptionally rough nature of the country, the gradients on the line are steep, the rollnig gradient being 1 in 42, against 1 in 50 on the main- line ; the curves, too, are considerably sharper, the minimum radius being live chains. The total quantity of earth work is 350,000 yards—an exceptionally heavy quantity. In addition to a bridge over the Tokomairiro River of about 200 feet in length, there will be one over the Miller’s Plat road of 210 feet in length ; one over the Waitahuna River, and seven of smaller dimensions over creeks and roads With the exception of the smaller bridges, all the bridges and culverts are to be of masonry, and the culverts under the high embankments are to be set in cement. Judging from the contracts already let, we understand the line is estimated to cost, when completed, between £5,000 and £6,000 per mile. In consequence of the number of gullies, a straight or nearly straight line would have involved enormous expense in deep cutting, to avoid which it has been found absolutely necessary to make the unusual number of 142 curves. — star .