NEWS IN BRIEF

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 106, 29 January 1935, Page 11

NEWS IN BRIEF

Driver’s Lucky Escape Leaving the road at a tricky bend on the Reikorangi Road, near Waikanae. on Saturday night, a motor-car crashed down a bank and burst into flames. The driver, whose identity is not known, found that the doors were jammed, but managed to escape through a window. Council Staff Picnic. The annual picnic of the Wellington City Council’s staff will take place at Day’s Bay to-day. On that account tlie Town Hall offices, city engineer's department, rates office, libraries, traffic and health offices will be closed for the day. Panic-boitcd Doors. Panic bolts of an ingenious kind have been fitted to the main outer entrance doors of the Wellington Town Hall. The device is simplicity itself. Each of the four sections of the doors is fitted with a vertical steel rod which, when the doors are closed, rests firmly in sockets in the doorstep below and the lintel overhead. These cannot ue released from outside. When they are required to be opened from within, a large central metal plate marked "Push” has to be pressed downward. This at once releases the bolts and the doors fly open. The advantage of the new device, invented by Mr. Cornford, of Wellington, is that the doors may be opened in one or all four sections. A Fast Walker. A French tourist who left Southland recently after making the Milford track trip, claimed to have carried with him the record for the fastest walk between the Pompolona and Quentin huts, states tlie “Southland Times.” He is Dr. Demarquette, of Tangier, Murccco, who walked the distance of nine miles, including a three-mile climb over the saddle 3400 feet high, in twe hours and three-quarters. He informed a reporter that he had been told 'th.lt this was the record for the journey. “Gate-crashing” at Farewell. A number of “gate-crashers,” who made their way on board the Canterbury and Te Whaka on the occasion of the farewell to the Duke of Gloucester, at Lyttelton, may hear more about the matter, states the “Christchurch Times.” The Lyttelton Harbour Board issued a certain number of invitations, but as tlie vessels were leaving the wharf some persons jumped over the rails on to the decks. Apart from the risk of accident to themselves and others, the offenders made the harbour board, the officers and themselves liable to a heavy penalty for infringement of the vessels’ passenger licenses.