AQUATICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2021, 5 March 1907, Page 3

AQUATICS.

Recoived 1055 p.m. March 4. SYDNEY, March 4. At the paying over of the stakes Stailbury declared that if Towns wold row him Towns would not row such an easy length against him ns lin did against Durnnn, adding, ho (Stailbury) had lots backing to row Towns in Australia. Towns did not reply. EARTHQUAKES. Received 10.55 p.m. March 4. LONDON, March 4. At Now Jersey an earthquake shock was felt for a distance of 60 miles. The Daily Mail states that the explosion violently shook tho cntiro area of Greater Now Y'ork. One Italian was killed. Me dropped some hot ashes on a caso of dynamite, which, igniting, spread to the magazine at tho mouth of tho tunnel containing one hundred tons of explosives. One hundred workers at the tunnel had a marvellous escape. An enormous hole was torn in the ground. Dozens of buildings woro wrecked.

PERILS OF THE SEA. . A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. ADELAIDE, March 4. The ship Barcore, from Puget Sound, reports tho picking up in latitudo 47 north, longitude IS west, the crew of the American ship Great Admiral. A heavy galo was raging when a mass of wreckage was sighted, consisting of the afterhouse top of the Groat Admiral, and on it were fifteen men and oue woman. They were in a precarious condition. The ship was brought as noar as was prudent, and with the aid of large quantities of oil a boat succeeded in reaching the wreckage after many attempts, and got all on tho Barcore, these including tho master, mate, mate’s wife, and 12 seamen. Tho cook and steward succumbed during the first night on the raft. The people were in a pitiable condition. They spent two nights and part of two days clinging to the housetop without food, water, or shelter. Had it not been for the wreckage acting as a breakwater they would have perished, as a terrific sea was running, which must have washed them off.

During a south-east gale tho Great Admiral, which was laden with lumber, was found to be leaking fast, and was thrown on her beam ends. The captain ordered the masts to be cut away. The crew then crawled on to the after housetop, when the mizzen mast snapped about eight feet above the house, and a tremendous wave swept the vessel and carried off part of the house, with the crew on it, into the sea. On the morning of December 24th the barque Andrew, from the Sandwich Islands to San Francisco, hove in sight, and tho shipwrecked people were transferred from the Barcore to her, and landed at San Francisco. The Great Admiral was commanded by Captain Sterling, who valued the vessel at £25,000. She was uninsured.

LONDON COUNCIL

LONDON, March 3. In the London County Council elections there were 262 candidates, including 118 Municipal Reformers, 13 Independents, 109 Progressives, 22 Socialists and Labor. At the polls 500,091'Moderate and 360,301 Progressive votes were cast. Twenty-one Progressive ex-councillors were defeated. The Reformers obtained a decisive victory, returning 80 members against 24 Progressives, three Labor, and one Independent. (Per s.s. Sierra at Auckland). NEW YORK, Feb 3.

A cable to the Sun from London says: A campaign to save London fiom bankruptcy at the hands of the Progressive Socialist majority in the County Council has now developed into the hottest political struggle in the modern history of the Metropolis. The issue is solely, the question of the further municipalisation of local industries. The present majority have been in unbroken control Bince the creation of the Council in 1889, and are so confident' of their strength that they have enlarged their electrification scheme so as to call for a capitalisation of 120,000,000 dollars. The plan contemplates the buying up of nearly all the existing electrical undertakings. It has been pointed out that most of these plants will be useless in a great centralised works, an enormous initial cost which will fall upon the taxpayers. Moreo\ er, all electrical engineers agree that the Council is unable to manage the contemplated works to the best advantage, especially since the industry has not yet passed beyond the experimental stage. There h<is been in the last few days further exposure of the manipulation of County Council accounts to show profits in municipal matters and shop enterprises where more oxisted. London’s debt was 34 dollars per head when the Council took charge, and has increased to 80 dollars today. London now can borrow only at 15 per cent, discount on 3 per cent, bonds.