NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 723, 13 October 1876, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

FlßE.—About half-past two o'clock this morning the constable on duty in Madras street observed a glare of fire in Calderwood's City Foundry, off Tuam street, at the rear of Meadows' blacksmith's shop. He rang an alarm for a few moments at the Lichfield Htreet station, and proceeded to the scene, where he was quickly followed by a number of the Fire Brigade, who soon put out the flimes, which weie confined to about the centre of the west side of the shop, it being apparent at a glance that the fire had origi nated from the inside. It was soon seen that, this was the work of an incendiary, as, on examining the east side of the building, all the preparations necessary for causing a fire were found in a heap covered with two sacks. Some shavings had first been placed on the floor near the wall-studs, and tar poured over them. In these, two pieces of composite candles were stuck, A number of light wood moulding patterns, over which tar had also been poured, lay against the wall, and once on fire would soon communicate with other patterns hung higher up. Tar had been poured on the weatherboards to nearly the height of the studs. A piece of newspaper was placed alongside the candles, and a wire sieve over that, no doubt raised to an angle, which would allow of sufficient draught ; and the whole was covered with sacks, doubtless to prevent the glare being seen until the fire had obtained a good hold. The fires on both sides were evidently lit simultaneously, and the sieve on the west side must have fallen down and put the candles out before the flame reacbed the shavings. The piece burnt out on the east side is about sft in width, and to the top of the wall studs—about 9ft in height. In addition to the front door looking into Tuam street, there is a small door at the south end of the shop. This was fastened by a piece of cord inside and a bar placed across outside. Entrance must have been made by this door, as the cord was found to have been broken as if by a haTd pull, and on going out it would be very easy to replace the bar again. There had been no fire on the premises during the day, and a man in the employ of Mr Calderwood left the shop at 5 o'clock, and fastened both doors before doing so. The stock and plant were insured for £IOO, and the shop for £SO, in the South British office. Mr Calderwood estimates that the stock and plant on the premises were worth over £2OO. Good Templary, Akaroa.—After some delay, a warrant has been issued to D.D.W.O.T Henry Pearde, to constitute a lodge at the Head of the Bay. A meeting was held in the schoolroom on Monday evening, at which Brothers Pearde and Morey spoke, explaining the objects and advantages of the society ; but, in consequence of the requisite number of persona not presenting themselves for membership, the formation of the lodge was postponed. A good deal of interest is being excited in connection with a rifle match which is about to take place, between the Good Templars and others of. the Akaroa Volunteer Artillery,

Dunedin Jockey Club.—The annual rental which the club has agreed to pay for five years for the Forbury Park, is £6OO. A new grand stand, for which £2OOO will be allowed as valuation at the end of the term, is to be immediately erected. The usual Spring Meeting is to be held on St Andrew's Day, December Ist. The San Feancisco Mail.—This mail arrived at 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, per s.s. Australia. It consisted of 58 bags—viz, 42 for Christchurch, 6 for Timaru, 5 for Oamaru, and 5 for Lyttelton. The Christchurch and southern portion waß forwarded to town by the early train yesterday.

The East Christchurch Rate—The deputation appointed at the recent public meeting respecting the rate levied by the Government in the East Christchurch Educational District, waited upon his Honor the Deputy Superintendent and the Executive yesterday. His Worship the Mayor suggested that the representatives of the press should be present on the occasion, but the Government demurred, as this was contrary to the usual practice. The reporters were therefore not allowed to be present during the interview. The deputation laid their views fully before the Government, and it was intimated that the latter would take an early opoortunityof replying. The Minister for Education was not present, being out of town. Inquest at RAnGIORA.—An enquiry was held at Robert's Club Hotel on Thursday, before C. Dudley, Esq., coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr J. Johnston was foreman, touching the origin of a fire on September 9th last, by which 85 cords firewood, 16,000 posts and rails, 11,000 stockyard rails and panels, 12 gate posts, and sundry other articles, value £312 12s 6d, the property of Mr John Davis, Grey Stream, near White Rock, were destroyed. Mr O'Neill appeared to watch the enquiry on behalf of Mr Davis, and Mr Clark on behalf of Mr McFarlane, owner of White Rock station. Evidence was given at considerable length by John Davis, Edward Wright, Myles Campbell. Herman Seiffert, Bernard Tracy, Edward Tracy, and Mounted-sergeant Morice, showing the direction taken by the fires. The jury retired, and after some consideration returned the following verdict:—"The jury are satisfied from the evidence that the fire was traced to a point five or six chains from Mr Tracy's fence, but no evidence has been brought forward to prove who really lighted the fire, as part of the evidence showed that two of the fires may have joined. We beg to append aB a rider that it would have been more satisfactory to have held the enquiry on the spot, or have had a plan of the locality laid before the jury." The coroner remarked that the case did not appear to have been one for a coroner's jury, but rather for a civil claim for damages on the part of Davis. The police did not appear to suspect an incendiary, and there was no insurance company interested. Sergeant Morice said he was instructed from the Commissioner's office to ask for the enquiry. Mr Buss drew attention to the jurors having been served with the summonses to attend at only a few hours' notice, when the case did not appear to be one in which such urgency was required. He said a day or two's notice would have enabled himself and others to postpone engagements which they could not put off on the short notice given. Kumara.—We have been favored with a view of a private letter, dated October 9th, written by an old digger on the West Coast, who, speaking of the Kumara rush, to which he had paid a visit, says there are far more people there than the extent of payable ground so far discovered warrants. There are a few good claims near the prospectors, but after Ibat the wash dirt gets poorer until "it runs out to a color." Many of the claims only just payable have to be worked by tunnels, some of these being 1200 to 1700 feet in length. The ground is fuller of big boulders than he ever saw before on any diggings he has ever been on, and " they seem to have lost the lead last week," and a great many diggers were leaving the rush A large number of business places had been erected and were still going up, more than he ever before saw on any rush in such a short time. Business sites were very high, fetching from £ls to £7OO. His opinion was that if many of the business people had not already burnt their fingers, they were in a fair way of doing so. People there seemed to be mad about the rush ; his opinion of it being, that it has been in former time the bed of a river, aud the present patch of diggings is limited—similar to the patches on the present rivers or the workings on the banks of them. Other patches may be, and no doubt he thought would, be found not far from the present one, but his belief was not to the same extent as the present one, for this one was in a line with, and about the same distance from the main range as the other goldfields are which have been worked. He was sorry to see by the papers that so many people were coming there, and regretted the accounts that appeared in the various provincial papers about the richness of the ground, as many who had left comfortable homes and situations with the expectation that a large rich field with a golden claim awaited them, would find themselves sadly disappointed on arrival. The day he wrote he saw one man who had come over from Wellington under such circumstances, misled by the glaring reports he had read, and who was then leaving the rush to look for work, and many others he had heard of had been compelled to do the same.