Our Wellington Letter

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 83, 3 January 1891, Page 3

Our Wellington Letter

(fbom oufi own coeb.es7ON.dent.) Wellington. December 31. The Eev. Charles Clark bas just finished a* very successful season here, and has left as great a name as ever behind him. The Wellington people went nearly mad over the great lecturer, and on his last appearance, on Christmas night, Mr Clark was called before the curtain twice, and even then it seemed that the people could not part with their favorite, who made a neat little speech and promised to visit Wellington again in a few months. Sir "Walter Buller then rose, and in a few words eologised the Rev. Charles, after which cheers were given and the national anthem sung by the vast audience assembled in the opera house. Never before has any public man received such testimony from a "Wellington audience that he has established himself a public favorite, and that they could go on listening to his eloquent voice night after night for xnonths without tiring. A very singular accident befel a young • man named John Baxter, a telegraphist in this city, a few days ago. Baxter had received a hard smack on the shin bone from a ball returned to him whilst bowling at cricket practice about a week previous, but beyond feeling slightly lame nothing more serious was thought of. However, last week Baxter started playing again and, whilst delivering the ball, he over-stepped himself and, in attempting to recover, his leg snapped across at the place that had been bruised a few days before. This should serve as a hint to cricketers who are in the habit of looking upon these smacks as mere nothings, that serious consequences may ensue. Whilst on the subject of cricket I may just give your readers who are Knights of the Willow a short account of a little incident that may be of value to them. In a Senior Cup match that was taking place here a Saturday or two ago ; MoG-irr, a bowler of some note, strained his right leg and found that he would have to retire. The Umpire decided that he must finish the " over," and the batsmen. Moorhouse *nd Frith, who had been hitting the bowling to all the corners of the field, felt that they would be showing a magnanimous spirit by just •'patting" the remaining balls of the over back to the bowler instead of " pasting" the " soft uns" as they might easily have done. Unfortunately. however, the la6t ball was too Boft and the batsman, meeting it too eariy, put it to mid-on, who received it with thanks. .Frith, the batsman, argued that he should not retire as he was only just stopping -the balls to oblige the injured bowler, bn;. the umpire ruled that he was out, though it was considered that the fieldsman should have let the ball drop under the circumstances. A great deal of exciteznent was caused by the incident as the match was a very even one. Fath, how•ever, was conciliated on his arrival at the pavilion by the ovation he received for his generosity. Visitors from the Empire City to the Oroua have been very pleased with the healthy appearance of the fields of wheat and oats that have met their gaze at every turn of the line in your productive district, which, backed by Itangitikei and Wairarapa augurs well for the future of Wellington as a distributing port. When two trains meet face to face on the same track with no opportunity of passing each other, it is generally regarded as a very ugly piece of business, the repetition of which s not cage ly looked for, and for this reason the pub ie tmad has been much unhinged of iate consequent on two trains irying this impossible feat a little while since on the Manawatu line near Faikariki. The Directors have been looking into the matter and have found that the blunder was due to the driver of an excursion train not hitching to the early morning one from Palmerston as he had been instructed to do, but tried to come down after it about half an hour later, the result being thai another excursion train met it ; then there was a great hubbub and general consternation. Luckily the line was straight at this spot and so a serious accident was averted. The Directors have decided that though the driver has a very good record in the service they must, in the interests of the public service, dismiss him. As several *' narrow squeaks" have occurred on this line, it is to be hoped that the decision of the Directors will prevent anything of the kind in the future. Such nerve-shockers are not at all nice.