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Dunstan Times, Issue 915, 31 October 1879, Page 2

Crushing a public-house looks a singular statement to make, but it is founded on fact The old Commercial Hotel at Castleniaine has actually been put through a crushing battery and yielded at the rate of 7dwts to the ton. The bricks used in the construction of the house were made from the sludge anil clay taken from tire bed of Forest Creek, which necessarily contained fine gold which escaned from tbe primitive appliances used by the miners in those days. For many years a roaring business was done in the old house ; hut reverses came ; the hotel was deserted and into ruins, until lately a speculative genius hit upon the happy idea of putting it through the mill and after taking awav all the woodwork about the premises he sent the bricks and mortar to the crushing battery, with the result above stated. We have heard frequently of Victorian streets being paved with gold, but the fact of houses being built with gold is rather difficult to beat.

The won,tiler ot the past week has been exactly as was wanted to give a start to the crops which aiC. all now in. The paddocks of autumn wheat, of which there are a good many, are looking splendid, and the fine showers that have fallen during the week cannot but improve it. In view of •supplying what the market has been deti-en-nt in for some time past, namely, fat mutton and beef, we bear that a large area in one part of the district and another is Sown with turnips. A wiser thing we d.i not think could possibly have been done, and we prophecy the owners will have a good return.

The meeting re opening up of road to Wjiikia Rush, advertised in our last issue, was held in the Town Hull, Alexandra, on Saturday, the 25th inst. There was a fair attendance. A Committee was appointed to draw up a memorial to the Government praying that a vote may bn [ lured on the estimates for the purpose specified ; and it was also resolved that the Committee should without delay canvass the district for signatures to the ra mom!, and also enter into communication with the other parts of the district, urging all the parts to get. as many signatures as soon as possible, that the memorial may he sent up to Wellington before the end of the present, session. It is to he hoped, for the sake of the boon it wili confer on all the central goldiiolds, that all parts of the district will bestir themselves at once. The carrying out of this work simply means a plentiful supply of timber at little more than half its present cost.

Wool has advanced (a late London telegram imforras ns) from Jd to Id per pound for nearly a’d descriptions, while the prospects of the coming sales arc improving The wool sa'cs in Melbourne have improved, an increased trice of t 1 to Id per pound ruling.

There are now at work on the Central Otago Railway, under the Public Works Department 550 men, anil another section (from Taieri River to Deep Stieam) will be opened in a few days.

The Treasurer of the Dunstan District Hospital informs us that LG Cs. was collected on the Dunstan race comse in aid of that excellent and deserving institution. This amount, together with 1.7 6s. collected on the Alexandra race-course the week previously shows well for the liberality of the pations of the tmf. The Cromwell Jockey Club have issued their programme for their annual races to take [.lace on Friday and Saturday the 26th and 27 th December. Tho total money to be run for is L 250.

The programmes of the two entertainments to he given by the Ophir Variety Company at 'Alexandra on Tuesday Nov. 11th, and at Clyde on Wednesday the 12th should of themselves prove attractive enough to draw’full houses, and go a long way to relieve the Institution of the heavy debt hanging over it. Leaving out of the question the fact that the entertainments are for a charitable object, and the still further fact that the entertainments are the voluntary offerings of the gentlemen forming the company, we shall hope on both occasions to see the performers kept in countenance by large appreciative audiences. A Dunedin contemporary says that the ironwork required for the construction of the bridge now in course of construction over the Manuherixia at Blacks, has been finished by Messrs Cossens and Black, of Dunedin. Altogether the ironwork will weigh 25 tons. To those men out of employment, and desirous of a steady job, we refer them to an advertisement iu another column—“ Tenders wanted.”

The half-yearly meeting of the Bank of New Zealand was held nn the 23rd hist. The report shows a profit of L 259.400, including LISO.OOO, premiums on new shares, and 1.9790 balance brought forward ; out of which it is proposed to pay a dividend and bonus of 15 per cent., taking L 53.500 ; to carry an additional T,50,009 to the reserve fund, and carry forward 1,5890. Total reserve fund, L 550,000. Measrs M‘Laron and Turnbull intimate in another column tha f the price of shearing this year on their Moutere station will be 15s. per hundred, and that it will commence on the 17th November. The managers of the Teviot and Galloway stations give similar notices.

We notice that Mrs George is making an alteration to the Dunstan Hotel by converting the old billiard room into a commercial room with two bedrooms at back. The additional convenience of those rooms will materially add to the attractiveness of this old established hotelry. The coaches, which for some time past started from Cox’s Port Philip Hotel, have again returned to the Dunstan Hotel.

The Hewetts gave a very successful miscellaneous entertainment at the Town Hall, Clyde, on Wednesday evening, to a capital audience. There are only two in the company, and they produced a favourable impression in the opening overture on the piano and violin, which was well executed. Solos on the cornet and piccolo were then given by Mr ITewott, oa both of which he is very good indeed. Miss Hewott sang a ballad, but her ability as a songstress does not come up to her piano playing, which is as good as any we remember bearing in the Town Hall for some time. The first part of the programme was advertised to cone'udo with “ The Surprise,” hut if the spectacle of witnessing two boys bobbing for apples was literally carrying out the programme, then it was “a surprise.” We do not grudge the youngsters a laugh, so must take it that this impromptu item was a substitution for their particular benefit. Miss Hewett then gave an exhibition of

“ second sight,” which was very correctly gone through. The violin and piccolo solos by Mr Hewett wore deservedly applauded. Tbe farce of “ A Husband in Clover ” terminated the entertainment. Dancing was afterwards indulged in. Altogether the performance was creditable, and we can recommend a visit. They are advertised to play in Cromwell ro-night.

A correspondent in the Morning Herald telegraphs “ The Otago members on the Government side of the House are very bitter against Stewart and Pyke. They say that by their extraordinary conduct they have forced the Ministry to take another Auckland member instead of an Otago man. Their only satisfaction is that both these politicians have over-reached themselves, and have had the mortification of seeing, the one honour, the other emolument, slip from his grasp.'’ Mr Fache desires us to again draw atten tion to the sale of the freehald farm at Bald Hill Flat ;also, horses, cattle, and agricultural implements on Wednesday the 2fith of November, on account of Mr J. Crossan — See advertisement and posters.

On Friday last a man named John Meldrum was killed on the Castle-street Tramway, Dunedin. An inquest has since been held, and resulted in a verdict of manslaughter against John Craig, the superintending engineer for the proprietor of the Dunedin City tramways, who was committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court, bail being allowed, tho prisoner in bis own recognizance of L2OO, and two sureties of LIOO each.

The following account of the late fire at the Nevis, we take from the Cromwell Argus—“lnformation was brought into Cromwell on Friday afternoon that tho premises owned by Mr J. Crornbie, at Nevis crossing, and known as tho British Hotel and Store, had been burnt down that morning. We arc indebted for the following particulars of the disaster to Sergeant M'Nally who immediately proceeded to Novis to make inquiries. Mr D. A. Jolly of this town slept in the hole, tho night

previous to the fire, and the next morning proceeded with Mr Crombie to the Nevis township, leaving Mrs Crombie and three children on the premises. About 11 o’clock Mrs Crombie was going to the back part of the house when she found the passage full of smoke. She hurried back to the kitchen, where her infant was, and having carried it to a place of safety she went round the outside of the building in search of the two other children. She met them coming around the end of the building that was on fire, the eldest boy, aged about four years, having a box of matches in his hand. Before assistance came, the flames burst out and spread so rapidly that it was impossible to save anything. There was a strong norther'y breeze blowing, and the fire is supposed to have been caused by some live ashes being blown from an adjacent ash-pit under the weather-boards of the house. This is the more probable from the fact that live ashes were afterwards found in tho pit. The premises and furniture were insured in the South British office for £4OO, and the loss is said to be estimated at £OOOO.

It is well known (says the Palmerston Times) that the gentlemen of the long roho have recourse to all sorts of expedients to win the case for their clients, and thus add to their popul irity ami shall we say obtain increased credit for forensic ability ? The most novel objection that has yet been raised in the Palmerston R. M. Court, and we might almost assert in any other Court, was that taken up Mr Fraser on Thursday last to a printer’s error, in the borough bylaws the letter “O” having been substituted for that of “ A ” making the horses in the particular section to “wonder” instead of “wander.” All through the objection assumed the feature almost of a joke it was nevertheless successful To what extent will not legal ingenuity go ? Ha t the constable noticed the look of the horses on finding them in a strange place we have no doubt he might have interpreted their astonishment to one of wonder and so substantiated his case.