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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3069, 28 April 1881, Page 2

;Mr Sutton and Captain Russell, left this morning in the steamer Maori for Wairoa.

Owners of public vehicles are reminded that licenses held under Borough bye-laws expire on the Ist May, and must be renewed on Monday next, May 2nd.

We understand that instructions have been received to proceed at once with the building of the new offices for the Union Steam Shipping Company at the Spit.

The Borough Inspector has been making an inspection of the public vehicles in town to-day, with a view to seeing which are in a proper condition to receive licenses next week.

A gas explosion occurred this morning in the sale-room of Messrs Banner and Liddle, the sound of which alarmed the greater portion of the town. It appears that the smell of gas in the premises induced Messrs Banner and Liddle to send this morning for a workman to look to the pipes and fittings. On tbe west wall of the building, between the weather-boards' and the lining, there is a pipe, and as this was believed to be the seat of the leak, the workman removed a lining-board co to inspect its joints. The meter was then turned on, and the workman, standing on some sacks of potatoes, proceeded to carefully pass a lighted match along the pipe. An explosion at once occurred ; tbe workman was impelled off the p6tatoes, followed closely by several liningboards, the knees of the roof ties were displaced, and three rows of weather boards were blown outwards. It was a most fortunate circumstance that no further damage was done.

A valuable draught mare, imported the other day from Canterbury by Mr Archibald McLean, has died under extraordinary circumstances. Seeing that something was wrong with the animal Mr McLean sent for Mr Alfred Danvers, who, after paying every attention to his patient, failed to discover the cause of tbe ailment. The mare died, and a post mortem examination disclosed the fact that, by some means or other, the animal had swallowed the occipital bone of the skull of a sheep, and this had caused an obstruction in the intestines. To all who know the size and shape of the bone that forms the back part of the skull of a sheep, it would almost appear impossible, first that any horse should want to swallow it, and secondly that if his desires were in that direction he would be able to gratify them. Mr Danvers, however, found the bone in the intestines, and Mr McLean witnessed its extraction. Mr Danvers states that he could not have believed it himself had it been told him ; however, such is the case, and Mr McLean has the bone in his possession.

As Miss Hawking, of Taradale, was driving a carriage and pair of ponies out of Mr Foster's coach factory yard yesterday afternoon, a slight collision frightened the animals, which were fresh and in high condition, and they bolted across the road ; then swerving rapidly, by which Miss Hawkins was thrown out, they made down Hastings-street at full gallop. Opposite the Repository a trap and horse were standing ; the latter took fright at the passing runaways, and bolted, turned round Emerson-street towards the beach, and finally brought up at Mr Lyndon's with only slight damage. In the meantime the ponies continued their mad career; at the Union Bank the near-side one thought be would like tike to go down Emerson-street, and pulled the carriage in that direction ; the superior strength of the off-sider, however, prevented the turn, and the pair dashed into Mr Myhill'a public carriage, which was at once overturned and the horses thrown down. Recovering from the shock the ponies proceeded onwards, but being a little staggered they reeled to the other side of the road, and brought the buggy against the verandah post of the unoccupied shop next Mr Manoy's grocery store. This final collision capsized and smashed the buggy, and the ponies were brought up all standing, strange to say very little the worse for their exciting adventure.

The Printers' Register says:—" The composing machine has been the cause of a somewhat extensive strike at the Times office. Little by little the proportion of matter set daily by its means has been increased, until the night piece hands have often been kept at distributing An order that each man should, after finishing his work, mark hia ' takes ' on the galley slips, in addition to making up his docket, caused so much discontent that Mr Walter was asked to receive a deputation. This he did, and the men laid their case before him, offering to let some of their body be selected to set and distribute in a contest against the composing machine, their contention being that the machine system, as at present carried out, was much more costly than setting

——i _________________________ by hand. <Their.offer was refused, and ac» cordihgly 23 of the 'best- night hands left their frames. This happened immediately after Christmas, a time not altogether favorable to the men." Sonbie, the good and generous Queen oi~mmmmf Sweden, is now staying at an English watering-place under ncr travelling name V- " of Countess of Haga. She has for the past '*• " six years suffered from paralysis, which deprived her of the power of voluntary movement. She tried all the spas and famous doctors .on the Continent, but found no relief until she happened to hear of a Dutch physician who had a remarkable power in the treatment of paralytics, and had restored more than 5000 patients. ,J3o to Amsterdam Queen Sophie went, in such a; weak state that it was almost doubted whether she would survive the voyage. The wonderful doctor was summoned, and at the end of five weeks the Queen was able to walk. In order to complete her cure she. remained two months longer in Amsterdam, and devoted her time largely, as is her practice in.her own home, to visiting the- schools, the hospitals, and the - ,;"' ! asylums, in all of whioh she left "übstan- J tial tokens of her gratitude at her own reoovery. There are a good many snake .stories in the Victorian country papers just now. The following is from the Border Watch:—., ■■ "One night after "retiring to rest one of Mr 0. Holloway's eons was awoke by a commotion on the floor of his room.' On striking a light to his surprise he found a fine old tomcat engaged in deadly combat with a tiger Bnake between 4ft and 6ft in length. Seeing the cat having the best/; of j it he allowed them to finish the battle, and,-.-./ j—» the end soon came. The oat had the snake ; , just behind the head, and sodri strangled; his foe. Seeing all safe the lad. blew-out the light and went to sleep again. In, the i morning, on looking for the Bnake, he could '■-■■ find nothing but the head and'several dead , mice. The cat had eaten the snake \ but rejected the head and the mice, f whioh had just been caught by the shake. Mr Holloway informs us that he himself was chased by a big tiger snake the other day. He tried to kill it with a.stone, but, failing, the snake came at him in great rage. He had to run some distance till he got another stone,- with whioh he despatched his pursuer.'' A terrible experience,' almost unique fin military annals, comes to hand from jb_6 Cape of Good Hope, in connection with the march of the Diamond Field Horse to the scene of operations in Basutoland towards' "? the end of last year. The men'had out- j spanned fot breakfast, when a heavy thunderstorm suddenly burst over them, so severe in its effects that they were forced to abandon their attempt to procure a meal, and remounted in the hope of riding out ox «- the storm. ' Towards tho afternoon;; howv i l ever, it broke upon them' with' increased violence, the rain falling apparently in Bheets, and the flashes; '"■ of- lightning apparently continuous". At' l|st a flash;; ►truck the troop flinging seventeen horses : and their riders to the ground, and killing ten men and five horses on the spot;" Those'"' 0 who were,, not killed were all seriously injured, and it was long before' animation could be restored in the oase of seven of the T"* mien. The bits .and stirrup?; irons of the whole number were blackened, and many of the men, though personally uninjured, had their clothing rent by the force of the '' electric discharge. The greatest difficulty J was naturally experienced in preventing a f - vgerieral stampede among the frightened' ' .h6rses. : . - -> One of the most eocentrio old ladies'in Europe died the other day at her residence, * in the Stralauer Strasse, Berlin, where she "" i had lived in all but absolute seclusion fot ' nearly half a century. She was well off, and denied herself no luxury in the way of . ' eating and drinking, but would never per* : mit her apartments to be swept or her furniture to be cleansed, so that, upon " entering her dwelling after her death, the J police authorities found everything within >*! them, except the kitchen utensils, covered '• with layers of venerable dust from two to four inches thick. For many years she had worn no linen or any other body garment but a man's duffel dressing-gown. It was ' her custom to wear a boot on one foot and a shoe on the other, and she never took off: her gloves, day or night, except to change them for new ones, when fairly worn ont. She always passed the daylight hours in ' bed, rising late in tbe evening and occupying her nights with cooking sumputous -, meals for herself and her companion, mak-~ '' ihg a point of finishing her repast before .' dawn. She kept a great many dogs, cats, and birds. In this strange fashion she lived to the age of eighty-two. Her whole - property, with the exception of a handsome legacy to her faithful old servant, is left to a grandniece, resident in this country, to revert, after her decease, to an asylum for dogs. An early disappointment in love is believed to have been the original causeHof\t' the misanthropical resolve which prompted her to seclude herself from the world for nearly three-fourths of her long existenoe. . Messrs Banner| and Liddle will sell to-, morrow, furniture, &c, at 11 a.m. ' • -^\ Messrs Miller and Potts will sell to-morrow - Ss" (at Hastings), draught colts, fillies, &c, at • 1 p.m. Mr T. K. Newton will sell on Saturday cheese, flour, candles, &c, at noon. ;Mr H. Williams has just opened up gung and ammunitian of all descriptions. Messrs Neal and Close, have just received new flannels, blankets, &c. Messrs H. Monteith and Co. will sell on Saturday horses, produce, &c. ' ~T Messrs Blythe and Co. have infants' ; carrying cloaks at clearing prices, and other, goods. A number of new advertisements will be found in our " Wanted" column.