NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 326, 29 June 1875, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Board op Education.— The final meet' ing of the Board of Education took place yesterday, A full report will be found elsewhere.

Lyttelton Harbor Works. These works are being rapidly pushed forward, and the contractors fired a mine this afternoon at Naval Point, and should the weather continue fine another will be fired at the opposite point during the week. Fakir op Oolu. —There was a very good attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening, when Dr Sylvester in trod need some new illusions, which were warmly applauded. The illusion of “ Masks and Faces,” and ti e roller skate act by the Sylvester Brothers, were very successfully carried out. The stay of the Fakir is limited to three nights longer. 1.0.0. P., M.U.—The half-yearly meeting of the Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge, No 4602, of Oddfellows, was held at the hall last evening. Th? following officers were elected for the ensuing term.—G.M., Bro Clephane; N.G., Bro Thin; Y.G., Bro Howell; 8.5., Bro Jackson. The receipts for the evening amounted to £229, and the expenditure £B3.

Runaway Cab —About half-past seven o’clock last evening, while a cabman named James Dermott was attending to a fare whom he had driven to Barrett’s Hotel, his horse started, bolting down Madras street, along the South town belt, into the Lincoln road, at a furious rate. He was stopped a short distance beyond the Addington Gao], with no further injury than the loss of the cushions.

Vienna Exhibition.— Mr G. Pannell, late of the Heathcote mills, has received by the mail a letter from the Agent-General, informing him that the jurors of the International Exhibition at Vienna, have conferred upon him a diploma and medal of merit in recognition of Ihe excellence of his exhibits in the New Zealand section. The diploma and medal were to be despatched to the Colonial Secretary by the mail, by whom it would be forwarded to Mr Pannell. Medical School for Canterbury.—A deputation from the medical profession here, composed of Drs Powell and Frankish, waited yesterday on the chairman of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College to submit certain propositions for establishing a medical school in connection with the Christchurch Hospilal. The propositions were laid before Mr Grcsson in an exhaustive manner, who promised to submil them at an early meeting of the Boan} of Governors,

Fite Waxtangi Bbidgb.— The Waitangi Tribune says:—This grand structure is fast appi caching completion, and it is calculated that the remaining girders thirty-three pair—to be fixed, will be placed in position in about a fortnight, together with the other iron-work. Lately, one of Marshall’s tenborse power portable engines—which had been used for working the air-lock—was put in order, for the purpose of securing power for cutting the iron-bark logs to be used as cross-beams for the decking, and on Wednesday last a B-feet circular, with travelling bench, was set in motion. The logs are 20ft long and 14in square, and a cut is put through the centre, from end to end, which gives the required size to the cross-beams. Close to the engine-house is erected a substantial crane, which serves the double purpose of placing the logs on the travellingbench and lifting the cut timber up to the bridge; and from the place where the crossbeams are landed the work of decking will be carried on both ways. The whole work of this bridge is being executed in a most systematic manner; but, unfortunately, the draymen experience great difficulty in conveying the deck planking from the Waitangi Saw-mills to the river, owing to the bad state of the road—more especially that portion leading from the main south road to the Waitangi. It is expected, however, that the bridge will bej finished before the contract time expires, in November next. Inquest. —An inquest was held at the Rangitata Bridge Accommodation House on Thursday, on the body of James Walker. The following report of the evidence appears in the Timaru Herald: —George Jenkins, a laborer, said that between three and four o’clock on Sunday, the 20th June, he saw deceased lying under a flax bush in the Rangitata river bed, near the bush. He was muttering and groaning. Witness tried to get him home, but he could not walk. Deceased asked witness for a drink, and he gave him some water in a brandy flask. Deceased did not drink any of the water. Robert Peel, a laborer, deposed to having discovered the body of deceased near the flax bush referred to by last witness, and said that the body was quite cold when he found it. John Sulli /an, a laborer, said that he left the Rangitata Bridge Accommodation House at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, the 19th inst., in company with deceased. They walked together till reaching the old store. Deceased appeared to him to be not quite sober. Deceased gave him two bottles of brandy to carry. They drank half of one bottle between them. The bottle which was half empty witness carried home with him. The other bottle was broken by accident. He left deceased at the old store, and went home. He was quite sensible then. Witness saw a flask in deceased’s pocket similar to the one produced, but he could not say whether there was anything in it. Deceased appeared quite capable of taking care of himself when he left him. Dr Fish, of Geraldine, said that he made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased. He observed some bruises on the forehead, which he supposed might have been done by decc; sed through falling or rolling about on the ground. He found severe congestion of the brain, which he believed was the cause of death. He also found the heart softened, which would have predisposed deceased to die from apoplexy. The liver was somewhat diseased. He did not think that the bruises on the forehead had anything to do with the congestion of the brain. He considered deceased died from ■■ —*■—«■* nn y- J-ne lOllowmg verdict was returned: —“ That James Walker died of apoplexy on the 20th of June, brought on by exposure to cold.”