NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 302, 1 June 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Papanui Ploughing Match.—A meeting of the committee of the above will be held this evening at the Sawyers' Arms. Kowai. —The election for a member to fill the vacant seat in the Road Board was held on Thursday, 20th ultimo, and resulted in favor of Mr John Innis. St. Luke's Parish.—ln consequence of ill-health the Rev C. Merton, curate of this parish, has been advised to seek a change of air for a few months. San Francisco Mail.—This mail arrived this morning by the s.s. Phoebe, and was forwarded up to Christchurch by the 11 a.m. train. The mail consisted of forty-seven bags. Government Scholarships.—The examination for the Government scholarships will commence at the Oolombo road schoolroom to-morrow, and will be continued on Thursday. Driving Round Corners.—A resolution was passed last night at the City Council, on the motion of Councillor Ick, instructing Dr Foster to prepare a bye-law to regulate the speed at which vehicles shall be driven round the corners of the principal thoroughfares of the city.

Reserve Corps.—A meeting of the provisional committee of the above was held at Warner's Hotel last evening; Captain Ross in the chair. Seven new members were enrolled, and it was resolved to request all intending members to attend the general meeting to be held on Thursday next, as the requisition to the officer commanding the district will be forwarded immediately thereafter. Those who wish to join after Thursday next will have to be balloted for in accordance with the rules of the corps. Pedestriantsm. —A match has been made between S. Collins and W. Delaney, for £25 a side, at three distances, viz., 100, 150, and 200 yards, to take place on Saturday, the 12th June; two out'of the three events to be the winner. £5 a side has already been deposited ; the second deposit of £lO each to be made on Monday, the 7th June, and the final deposit on the 10th June; the start to be made by report of pistol; either party going over the mark to be put back one yard. The race is to be run on the Agricultural Show grounds if permission can be obtained. It has been decided to request Mr Maxwell to act as judge, Mr S. P. Andrews as starter, and Mr Hebden as stakeholder. This race is for the championship of Canterbury. Waimate Steeplechase Club.—At a meeting held at Waimate on Wednesday evening last, the following resolutions were carried :—" 1. That in the opinion of this meeting a club be formed, and that it bo called the Waimate Steeplechase Club. 2. That M. Studholme, Esq., be president'of the Club. 3. That Mr Frank Slee be hon sec to the club pro tern. 4. That a committee of eight members be appointed to transact the business of the club pro tem, consisting of the following gentlemen : Messrs E. Elworthy, G. B. Parker, P. J. Kimbell, Richard Wills, Frank Slee, E. H. Martelli,- George Lovegrove, and G. R. Freeman. 5. That the said committee do all in their power to induce the inhabitants of this district to forward the object of this club, and also forward circulars to all gentlemen whom they think will be willing to join in getting up the Waimate steeplechases. 6. That the annual subscription to this club be £l. 7. That the committee report at a general meeting of the club, to be held on the Ist July next. 8. That the rules of the Grand National Steeplechase Club be adopted by this club. The secretary then informed the meeting that the names of forty-eight gentlemen were already on the list as members,"

The Drowning Accident at Akaroa.— It is all but certain that the news contained in a telegram of Saturday respecting the supposed death by drowning of two sailors whilst putting off to their ship, the American whaler Eliza Adams, is true. The men were last seen alive on Tuesday about midnight going in the direction of the wharf, and have not since been heard of. Several of their shipmates, who had also been on shore, had previously gone off in the ship's boat, and it is supposed that in order to get on board the two men took a small dingy, which capsized in a squall early on Wednesday morning. The boat with the oars and two hats have been found on the beach, one of the hats being identified as belonging to Martin, one of the missing men. Escape of a Prisoner from AddingTON Gaol.—About half-past ten o'clock yesterday morning a prisoner named Morgan Harper, who is serving a sentence of six months' imprisonment with hard labour for the larceny of a watch and other articles, and who was placed at some work yesterday outside the walls of the Addington Gaol, took occasion during the momentary absence of Warder Ferguson, who went to look at some of the other men at a short distance away, to make his escape, and before he was missed had succeeded in getting out of sight. Information was at once sent in to the police depot, and through the energy displayed by Chief Detective Feast, Harper was arrested about eight o'clock last night on the Lincoln road, near the Junction Hotel. When arrested he had on his prison shirt and trousers, but had by some means succeeded in obtaining a coat.

Opening of the Rangitata Extension.—The extension of the Great Southern Line to Rangitata was opened yesterday morning, when the first train ran through. Messrs J. Lawson (traffic manager), J. G. Warner (railway engineer), Maxwell (General Government engineer), and others were passengers by the train, which ran down very smoothly on the new line from Ashburton to Rangitata. Arrived at the bridge it was tested by Mr Maxwell, and found to be perfectly satisfactory, the deflection being trifling. On arrival at the Rangitata an impromptu luncheon was provided for those who had travelled from town, by Mr E. G. Wright, the contractor, when success to the new line and the contractor was drunk in bumpers of champagne. After a short stay at the Rangitata the party returned to town. We may note that the narrow gauge line from Rolleston to Ashburton was opened at the same time, the line having been laid the entire distance. Two trains per day are now run upon the Rangitata line, the coaches at the southern end connecting with the trains from Christchurch. Beyond what we have stated there was no public demonstration on the occasion.

Lecture.—The lecture by Mr J. H. Twentyman last evening at the Durham street Wesley an Church on the two American evangelists—Messrs Moody and Sankey—who are creating such a stir throughout the United Kingdom, drew a large attendance, the body of the church being filled. The chair was occupied by Mr C. W. Turner, who briefly introduced the lecturer. Tracing the efforts of Messrs Moody and Sankey from the time of their landing in England, Mr Twentyman proceeded to remark upon the extraordinary success attendant upon their meetings in Liverpool, Manchester, and London, and still later the success reported in our telegrams from Europe. The mode of conducting the meetings was described with considerable minuteness, and with the assistance of Mr Roberts, the hymns which form so prominent a feature in the services were given, so as to show the style of music. Many of them, so far from the droning tones usually associated with music of this character, partake more of the secular, and are such as are likely when known to become very popular, the airs being very pleasing and at the same time easy of acquisition. Mr Twentyman, after remarking upon the style of music introduced, then commented on the fact that in London the Prince and Princess of Wales and numerous members of the aristocracy had attended the meetings held by Messrs Moody and Sankey in the Royal Italian Opera House, the Agricultural Hail, and other places. Coming nearer home mention was made of the revival movement recently set on foot in Dunedin, where the melodies sung by Mr Sankey have been used with great success, so much so that they are now heard constantly in the streets Altogether the lecture was a most interesting one, and was listened to with marked attention from its commencement.

Fatal Accident near Timaru.—ln yesterday's PRESS a short notice of a fatal accident near Timaru was published. The Herald gives the following fuller particulars : On Thursday evening last a young man known as Harry Nettleton was drowned in the Pighunting Creek, about five miles south of Timaru. Before describing the accident we should state that the bridge over the Pighunting Creek is at present closed for repairs, and that the creek is crossable by a ford. It appears that at about eight o'clock on the evening named, it being very dark at the time, a workman on the bridge, named William Spain, heard a horseman riding near his tent. He hurried out to show him the ford, and ran along the side of the creek calling to the man to stop. He came up to the man, and upon commencing to tell him where to ford, he urged his horse along the bank away from the direction of the ford, at a quick pace, and said, " My horse will swim anywhere with me on his back." Spain called out to him as he retreated from his view that he would be drowned if he went through the creek at the spot he was riding towards, and after waiting for a quarter of an hour he started to examine the creek, thinking that the horse was longer crossing than it should be. When he arrived at the creek he saw the horse scrambling up the bank, but could not see the rider. He immediately sent word to Mr J. Fulton, of the Sportsman's Arms Hotel, Saltwater Creek. Mr Fulton informed the polce at Timaru, and went in company with Constable Thoreau to search for the missing man. They searched, the creek for two or three hours, but failing to fiud any trace of the body, they gave up the search for the night. They returned to the spot on Friday morning with a grapnel, and, assisted by a workman at the bridge, succeeded in finding the body at 11 a.m., after having been dragging for three hours. The hole in which the body was found is about 150 ft long, 40ft wide, and 14ft deep, the banks being undermined. The ford was only about eighteen yards distant from the hole. The body was removed to the morgue at the Timaru Hospital on Friday morning, and an inquest on it will be held this afternoon. The parents of the deceased live at Kaiapoi,

The Cabmen and the hity Council. —At last night's meeting of the Council.a letter was read from Dr Foster, stating that a leading member of the cab committee desired that the informations taken out should be withdrawn, and the cabmen would try the bye-law for two months, if the Council would then re-consider it if found necessary. The Council, after discussion, determined by a large majority to allow the prosecutions to take their course.