DOGGED BY MISFORTUNE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1773, 11 June 1913, Page 7

DOGGED BY MISFORTUNE.

CONTRACTOR'S HARD LUCK.

Some few miles back from the range of hills behind 'Day's Bay, the work of coriBlructin" what is-known as the Orongorongo Khyber Pass Road was undertaken col '™ a contractor during the month of May. The work should, under ordinary circumstances, have l»cn completed in about ft month, but the contractor had an extraordinary run of bad luck. At yesterday's meeting of tho Hutt County Council, a letter was received from tho contractor in question, asking tho council to release him from his contract. In explanation of his request the contractor stated in writing: "Through having such a-continual amount of bad luck in connection, with the Orongorongo Khyber Pats Road contract, I wish to ask tho council if they will take over the completion of the above contract from me. I have made three attempts so far to seo it. through," and everything seems to go dead against ine. I was doing fairly well until I commenced to cut through tho Pass; and then tho trouble commenced. The storm came on tho night of May 1, and we lost our camp and had to remain "out' all night in the storm without any shelter. Tile next day we had to come into the Ilutt, as the camp was ontirely gone, and we had nothing left but our wet clothes atid blankets. After tlio weather settled sgain, I mailo arrangements with the men 'to,make a fresh start. Wo left tho Hutt at noon on Saturday, May 10, and another storm came, and we had to camp in a wooished from Saturday afternoon until' Monday morning. Wo pitched a now camp on Tuesday, Mar 13, and commenced work again on Wednesday. All went well until Saturdav, May 17, at about 11 a.m., when the worst of nil our misfortunw occurred, a slip coming down off 1 the side of t'ne cutting and killing- one «of the men. I happened to bo at the Ilutt at the time, and I received a telegram that Donald Cameron luid been killed by a fall of earth. . ... On Wednesday, May 21, with the rest of the men, I went back to the camp. They went to work on Thursday, but they did not seem to care about it, and they left on Friday. I got so disheartened about it that I packed up and cleared out. . . . You will see by this that there has only been four and a half days worked since May 1." • After a discussion in committee, the council decided tq release tho contractor from the contract.