THE PROVINCES.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 224, 26 February 1875, Page 3

THE PROVINCES.

WESTLAND. The Grey River Argus, of Monday last, records a narrow escape from drowning which took place on the river on the previous Saturday:—As Mr Millar, of the Bank of New South Wales, was walking on the old wharf, opposite Albert street, his foot caught in one of the numerous holes, and he fell into the river. A blacksmith, working close alongside, observed the accident and jumped into the river, but the drowning man caught hold of him and struggled so much that both were nearly gone, when Mr Howie, junr, an experienced swimmer, jumped in to the rescue, and succeeded in bringing both men ashore. We are glad to say that none of the parties are any the worse for their ducking. At a recent meeting of the Grey Valley Race committee, held at Ahaura, the Argus reports : —The date of the forthcoming meeting was definitely fixed to commence on Friday, 23rd March. An examination of the canvassers' subscription lists showed that ample funds are available, and it was decided the committee would be justified in having two days' racing instead of one as originally intended. Messrs W. Burrows, J. M. Olliver, J. Kennedy, R. Reeves, and G. H. Gilmer were appointed stewards. The appointments of Messrs Olliver and Hayden as treasurer and secretary respectively, were confirmed. A lively discussion took place as to whether the custom of former years should be adopted of offering heavy prizes as an inducement to owners of crack horses to run their cattle, but the general opinion was averse to that plan, and it was settled that there should be more events and smaller stakes. Messrs Reeves, Olliver, and Hayden were appointed a programme committee, and they were instructed that the Grey Valley Handicap, the principal race of the meeting, should be made for fifty sovereigns, and that the stakes for the other events should be fixed in proportion. It was also decided that the District Handicap Race, instead of being open as heretofore to all owners of horses resident on the Nelson and South-west goldfields or the Province of Westland, should be made a purely local event, and accordingly the boundaries of the district were fixed, for the purposes of the programme, at the Arnold River, thence eastward to the Amuri Saddle, and from Lake Brunner northward to the Lyell River. Another fatal accident by drowning haß happened, says the West Coast Times, on this occasion at Stafford, the victim being a child of about four years old, the son of Thomas Lilliquisfc, a miner living at Ballarat Hill. The boy's mother missed him from home about half-past eleven o'clock on Saturday, and, becoming alarmed, informed the neighbours. Search was made, and the poor child's body was found by a man named Tell in a dam about one hundred yards from Lilliquist's house. There was about six feet of water in the dam. An inquest will be held at Stafford to-day. The West Coast Times, of the 22nd, supplies the following latest news from Jackson's Bay :—" The information received from Jackson's Bay by the Waipara on Saturday evening is still satisfactory as to the progress of the preliminaries to the starting of the Special Settlement there. Sixteen of the cottages have already been erected, and the erection of four others will soon follow. In addition to this the work of constructing about three-quarters of a mile of road has been proceeded with, and labor, contentment, and, of course, sand-flies prevailed. Mr Mueller, Provincial Engineer, returned by the steamer, which on her way up called at the river Paringa, whence she brought a novel consignment for Westland, in the shape of thirteen bales of wool, forwarded to Mr Ecclesfield as the clip of the small flock belonging to Messrs Ward and Douglas. There may be larger sheep-ownera in the Okarito district, but they do not usually clip their sheep, and this is the first shipment of the kind to Hokitika from such a remote situation as the Paringa. Hence its interest as an incident. With reference to the Waimea water race the Times of the 22nd says:—Mr Smith, of Kanieri, the contractor for the conveyance and laying of the large iron pipes, which are to form the syphon on the Waimea water

race, is to commence his work to-day, when two of the pipes, each of which requires a separate "junker" drawn by three horses, will be carried a distance of thirteen miles out of town. At that point a two-mile tramway has been constructed by the contractor, and upon it the pipes will be conveyed to their destination. But for the fac* - . that a portion of the road was in disrepair through a recent accident the work would have been commenced last week, and the weight, dimensions, and construction of the "junkers" have also been obstacles, but Mr Smith has resolved to make experimental trips, and it i 3 to be hoped that he will not be so seriously disappointed in them as it was feared he would be. From the original plan for laying the syphon, it is said considerable deviation has been made, with the effect of shortening its length, and thereby avoiding the necessity for further shipments of pipes through the breakage of those which have already been received.