The Evening Star SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1872.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2773, 6 January 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1872.

Few persons can read the account of the Chicago fire without feeling the necessity for adopting the most perfect protective measures against such a calamity. It is no use to blink the fact—every wood built City is liable to it. We had an instance in point on a small scale at Lyttelton : we have had several narrow escapes in Dunedin, No doubt accidents similar to that which gave rise to the fire at Chicago happen every day. Kerosene lamps overturn and set tire to something or other, or candles are carelessly used, or tobacco ashes are shaken out of a pipe amongst straw or rags, or haply dried grass. A combination of favorable circumstances fans the embers into flame, and as happened a fortnight or so back at Anderson’s Bay, fire spreads and docs great and unexpected damage. In the country, unfortunately the risk cannot be much reduced until science has devised means of immediately extinguishing even a widely spread tire. If ever this is achieved, it will even then be very improbable that what appears to be a remote contingency will be provided against by isolated farmers. The cost would in all likelihood be beyond the risk. But that is not the case in a City where a vast amount of valuable property is concentrated in a small space. In such circumstances, a single fire destroys the accumulated capital of years of labor of hundreds or thousands of men, and it is worth time, expence, and organisation to meet a danger that may happen at any moment. And here we cannot help calling attention to the crotchety notions that seem to prevail amongst us : we magnify a possible danger that is very unlikely to happen, and make vast annual preparations to meet it by drilling corps of volunteers to act in concert, at a great national expense; but we comparatively neglect the training and support of an equally essential corps for meeting a danger they may have to face at any moment. If it be replied that we have a Fire Brigade of trained and effective men, we are quite ready to admit their claims to public thanks. They present an example of exceptional self-sacrifice for the sake of protecting the property of many who have not the remotest idea of the value of their services ; and who have very often, out of thoughtless curiosity, impeded their efforts and hampered their movements by crowding upon them. And this is what we wish again to urge upon attention : it is necessary to the full efficiency of the Fire Brigade that they should be supported by pro-perly-organised and authorised Civic arrangements. We have frequently endeavored to draw public attention to this, but, excepting with members of the fire brigade avc have met with no support. What is everybody’s business is nobody’s business, Ave suppose. It is perfectly true we have a Corporation, but they are up to their ears concocting blundering reports about gas meetings, and, as a man can only attend to one thing at a time, Ave suppose a corporation finds that one thing sufficient. We have pointed out that at every fire, the police require help, for they are *not sufficiently numerous to form a cordon round a large area, so that the necessary operations of fire extinguishing and saving property can be carried on without interruption. We have pointed oat that the Avell-meant but ill-directed efforts of untrained men to assist, are frequently disastrous through the damage done to the fire extinguishing appliances, and hindrance to the free and concerted efforts of the Brigade ; and we have also pointed out that, in the excitement of the moment, numbers of men, anxious to save the property of friends, rush into premises, sometimes even absolutely not in danger, and do immense damage to property in their clumsy attempts to remove it, that, in the hands of a cool, well-disciplined force, Avould have been removed- without a scratch. These are facta that every man who has seen a fire in Dunedin can confirm, and they are evils that can be and ought to be provided against. Fire is an enemy that cannot be played with. It is too late to arrange when it attacks ; just as it would be too late to organise our Volunteers if an enemy’s ship Avere entering the Heads. That ship In all likelihood is not yet built—perhaps never may—but Ave prepare religiously to meet her phantom crew. The match may be made that may fire Dunedin; Ave have the Avater to extinguish it, and the Brigade to use the water ; what we Avant are th.e special constables to support the police and keep hack the crowd, and, Avhat Ave will take the liberty of calling, an “ ambulance force,” to save property or give a hand in case of need. If these arrangements are ignored, and life and property ai’e sacrificed in consequence, the ashes of Chicago will rise up some day to pondemia qs.

Bazaar. —The art union in connection with the Catholic Bazaar took place last night, and was partially gone through. Mrs Carroll, Melville street, was the winner of the first prize. The total proceeds up to date are L 495 4s sd. Mr Birch’s Mission. —The Lyttelton Times infers that the position Mr Bir-h will occupy in England in connection with immigration will be that of sub-agent, and that he has been instructed to travel through the country districts of the United Kingdom with the express object of making the Colony known. Gaol Return, —The following is the state of H. M. Gaol, Dunedin, for the week ending 6th Jan. Awaiting trial, 4 men ; 1 woman ; under remand, 1 men, 0 women, penal servitude, 81 men, 0 women ; hard labor, 34 men, 16 women ; in default of bail, 2 men ; debtors, 2. Total. 124 men; 17 women. Received during the week, 12 men, 3 woman; discharged, 17 men, 5 women. Princess Theatre. —The Excelsior Ministrels give their closing performance on Monday evening, on the occasion of the benefit of Messrs Amery and Clarke. The simple mention of this latter fact should have the effect ( f drawing a good house ; but we would like to improve the occasion by reminding playgoers that the beueficiares, who are admitted favorites with the public, will much appreciate substantial support* asthey, in common with some other members of the troupe, were large'losers by the wreck of the Ahuriri. Another Submarine Cable.—Our readers must have been puzzled by the announcement in the mail news that it jvgs proposed to connect San Francisco ; Melbourne by telegraph. The English papers to baud furnish an explanation. The project is made by Mr Cyrus Field of Atlantic cable celebrity, and the route he purposes to, take is thus divided San Francisco to, Honolulu, 2093 nautical miles ; Honolulu to Fiji Islands, 2950 ; Fiji to New California, 810 : New Caledonia to Brisbane, 800 —6653; add 20 per cent for slack, 1331; length, of cable 7984. Political. —According to a local account Mr Hallenstein, mayor of Queens-' town, is likely to have a walk over-for the seat in the Assembly, vacated by Mr Haughtou. The Tuapekn Times publishes some rumors on the subject, which must be taken cum gram. Mr Shepherd, it is stated, will resign his seat for the Dunstan district, and contest the election for Lake Wakatip, as that has been long his favorite constituency. It is also on the cards that Mr Bradshaw will. accede to the request of his Teviot constituents by resigning his seat for Waikaia district, and enter the lists for the representation of the latter district. Important Geographical ' "Discovery.—Dr Petennauii, tlie well-known geographer, writes to several German papers to announce the success of an Arctic expedition. According to a telegram received by him, dated Tromsoe, Oct. 3, Lieutenants Weyprecht and Payer, the one of the German Navy, the other of the Austrian Engineers, have penetrated to the 79th deg. N. lati- : tucle, and actually discovered the open Arctic Sea, so long the El Dorado and Fata Morgana of northern explorers. The featwas accomplished in a Norwegian sloop, penetrating northwards between Spitsbergen and Nova Zembla. The discoverers, who themselves chartered the ship, report having found an open sea from the 42nd deg. to the 60th deg. E longitude, which they navigated up to the 78tli deg. N. latitude. The greatest width was at the 79th deg. N. latitude, and but little ipe was to be seen northward. As this occurred in September there seems to be a chance that the long sought passage to the extreme north has been found at last. At any rate, jt.must be admitted that the anticipation of Dr Petermann, who long recommended a trip north of Spitzburgcn, are borne out by the event. Gabriel’s Gully Reef. —The prospectors of the above reef, says the Times, are vigorously pushing operations for testing it,' They have' stopped in about 20 feet from the h&cklofGiie'ffilye and have also sunk an air shaft. They havp sunk about 10 feet down on "the reef the prospects of which seem to improve with the depth. Aboutfour feet frciin the'top the reef widens from three to five feet,-and carries the latter thickness down. Tlie stone is hard and compact. Numerous specimens in which gold was distinctly visible have been obtained. A number of trials have been made during the- week, roughly,- of' ; course—the . stone being merely, pounded with hammers and washed' in a tin dish or Shovel —and in 'every instance with highly, satisfactory results A parcel of 31bs of tlie hardest quartz, in which the presence ,of the precious metal could net be detected, was cnished in a mortar jn hjawrenpe, and yielded a large number of specks of gold, ft was not treated with mercury, and' consequently a large quantity of the gold ; was lost, as it is exceedingly line, paint ; gold, in fact. This shows that gold is dis- : tributed throughout the stone, and is a very good indication, as the best paying reefs in Vietoi’ia present similar characteristics. The casing yields at the rate of a 4dwt to the dish. The average dip of the reef up to the present depth is one foot in every two. It is proposed by the prospectors to send a few tons of the stone to be crushed at the O. P. Q, battery at Waipori. That thereof is gold-bearing, has now been satisfactorily demonstrated, and it shows every indication of being payable; ncyprtheless, until we ascertain the result of crushing® of considerable quantities of stone, \ve'' shall refrain from expressing a final opinion upon it. Barmaids Legally Considered.— The subject of barmaids was discussed in an exhaustive manner in a case, Matthieson Brothers v. Corcoran, heard the other day in Auckland. The Southern Cross thus reports the affair :—“ The ground of action was laid in Dunedin. Mr Brookfield appeared for the defendant. Ml- Hesketh for the plain lift's. The defendant, examined, said—Mr Macpherson, a traveller for Matthieson Brothers, of Dunedin, about two years ago was stopping at my house. When he left I said to him, ‘Get me a good barmaid; send her up, and 1 will give her an engagement.’ He said, ‘ How much wages would I give her ?’ I said L2 a week if s;io was a good girl. He said, ‘ How about tfi.e passage money V’ I said, ‘ If she stops with me six months I will pay her pas-sage-money. ’ Nothing was said about three months. Six months was the time, but she could have remained two years—that is, if it suited both parties. I received a letter from Matthieson on the 27th of November, 1866. I can’t say whether I answered it. Captain Reyncr, of the Eangatira, applied to me for tlie girl’s passage-im?ney, I said 1

would not pay the passage-money of any person who would not stop at my .house on her agreement. I don’t know whether the girl was engaged for six months or not. I know as soon as she came she walked away up to the Thames. Well, if she didn’t walk up, she steamed up—l can’t say which, and it is all the same to me, whether it was to her or not. The barmaid was a pretty good one—that is, just very fair. The prettier barmaids are the better. I told Mr Macpherson, the traveller,, to send me a barmaid, and that if she sVopped six months I would pay her passag£;ifiisiney. What do 1 mean by a pretty cannot exactly explain ■'that: A barmaid may be pretty and, not good, or she may he good and not pretty. ’ She may be neither, or both, or only sqr 'aa- part. When I say the girl was pretty good, I mean she was a fair average, very look at hut nothing to boast of. Shessftjod pass in a crowd with a little pudh'iii£. Hesketh said the case stood thus : Mr Corran had ordered a keg of ginp the gin had been shipped with a letter or advice accompany - ing.it. Well, the gin but no sooner is fit placedf 4 into Mr some one comes and 1 steals "it. Is that any reason why the person who sent the gin should not be paid ? He emphatically said, certainly not. Well, then, let the Court instead, of a keg of gin, .substitute a barmaid. The cases were pai’allel. It was not gin, but it was a barmaid that was ordered. She came to hand in due course; freight had been paid on her, or, what was the same thing, her passage-fare was satisfied. She is received, according to the defendant’s own admission, in good order and condition, but she is, luml away up to the .Thames. That Had nothing to do with the shippers. . They had complied with Mr Corcoran’s order, and ■ tney were entitled to be paid for the girl’s passage. Mr Corroran (cross-examined). — The girl came to hand safe enough, but she would not stop because I would not give her the upstairs bar. I offered her the lower bar, but she said she would not take anything so low. It does not follow that an upper barmaid should serve in the upper bar of the house. This closed the evidence, and the necessary affidavits having been taken, they are to be forwarded on to Dunedin in course of post.” The installation of officers of the Loyal Leith Lodge, A.1.0.0.F., will take -place on Monday evening, Jan 8. A full attendance requested. A meeting of the Union Permanent Building Society for receiving subscriptions, applications for new shares, &c., will be held at the society’s office, Princes-street, on Monday evening next, from 7 to 8 o’clock. The Union Permanent Building Society’s Office will be open this evening and every Saturday evening, from 7.30 to 8 o’cloclpforßeceipt of subscriptions &c.