COUNTRY NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2032, 9 November 1869, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

A little boy, a son of a Mrs Currie, residing near the brewery, Oainaru, was accidentally drowned about one o’clock on .Friday afteruom. It appears that about the time mentioned a child came to Mrs Curries house and told her that “Willy,” the little boy in question, was in the water. Running out, the mother saw the child floating, and her screams attracted the attention of a man employed at the brewery, who running to the spot saw the child in the water, but being unable to swim, vainly endeavored to reach him, as he was s%’cral yards from the bank. Serjeant Naden of the police, who was neaithe bridge, hearing the woman’s screams, ran to the spot, and immediately jumped in an 1 hrmght the body to the bank ; the child, at the time he arrived on the scene, being floating heels upwards in the water. When taken out of the water the child was found to be dead. An inquest was held the same afternoon at the Empire Hotel, and a verdict of “Accidentally drowned” was returned, the jury adding a rider to the effect that it was desirable that the attention of the Corporation should be called to the necessity of providing some protection against the recurrence of similar accidents in the locality, which is a very dangerous one ; also that in their opinion great credit is due to Sergeant Naden for his intrepid act in recovering the body. A question of great importance to miners has been raised on the Maerewhemm goldfields. Several applications for water rights to Warden Robinson were opposed by the runhoklers, on the ground that the water would, owing to mining operations, be rendered unfit for sheep-washing and similar operations. The cases were adjourned—the Warden expressing his opinion that the injury caused by tailings to the purity of the wa er, was hardly a sufficient objection. He suggested some private arrangement between the parties. On Tuesday last a prospecting party started from Clyde, fully equipped with all the necessaries for prosecuting a successful search for the hidden treasures that are supposed to exist under the Dunstan Range, between Clyde and Devonshire Gully. A pheasant’s nest, with ten eggs, was discovered in the vicinity of Otepopo the other day.