Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 336, 10 March 1868, Page 2

We are glad to announce that the Union Theatre will be re-openeel fi>r dramatic performauces on Yv cdnesday evening by a small but talented company, comprising Miss Annie Mertnn, Mr Newton, and Messrs Towers and S. Fawcett. Miss Mevton is a very clever actress, and has always proved herself a favorite with the public. We trust to sec a good attendance. We understand that David Johnston, Esq., collector of customs' at this port, will shortly be removed to Nelson, where he will take the place of Mr Rou, h, at present collector of customs' at that port. Whilst congratulating Mr Johnston on what must be in every way an agreeable change, we are sure we shall only utter the feelings of the mercantile community of Greymouth in expressing our regret at hi 3 departure. We have not yet learnt who is tv be Mr Johnston's successor, The last eacoit from Boss to Ilokibika brought 3000 oz of gold for the Bank cf New South Wiiles and the Union Bank of Australia. We are in receipt of our Tasmania.ii iiles to the 20th tilt- Besides the report of the races they contain little intelligence of any general interest. The Launceston Champion Race was won by Mr Tait's Fireworks, with Sydney Tim second, and Strop third. Daniel Oonnors had been sentenced to death for the murder of Ellen Griffiths, at Longford, and Ephraim Booth, for a criminal assault committed on a child named Ellen Shoe, at Torquay. Among the various extravagant statements regarding the Maryborough diggings is the following, which we copy from the Melbourne Argus : — After a recent heavy rainft-11 at Maryborough a little boy picked up a nugget weighing about an ounce in one of the streets. A day or two after, many of the youngsters of • the town were fossicking in all of the gutters, and several obtained many minute particles of gold. Men also collected in buckets the deposits in the gutters, and carried the stuff away to wash. The death of Sir Dominick Daly, Governor of South Australia is announced. He died on the 19th ult. ]le had been ailing some time, and at half-past ten o'clock he was seized with an attack of sickness and vomiting which was followed by utter prostration Dr Gosse immediately attended, and seeing that the case was serious, summoned his Excellency's family. Ho died at twenty minutes to two o'clock. He was in perfect possession of his mental faculties, and quite free from pain. He was seventy years of age. The Nelson Evening Mail of the 4th iust. says : — We yesterday had a call from an intelligent miner who has lately been over to the Karamea Valley, and also to the fvaramea itself, down to the seaboard. He informs us that he has carefully explored the Valley from the gorge down to the bottom, and that the prospects of its proving a rich gold field are extremely promising. He, however, coincides with the opinion some time sir.cc expressed by Mr Hough, to the effect that the main weight of gold will lie deep, but this he and his party had no means of testing on account of their provisions failing. Our informant states that if the Government could once get provisions packed over to the point on the flat near the Waimea Gorge, a full supply might be ensured for the diggers in any part of the \ alley. He entertains no sort of doubt that in a year's time the Government would realise L2OOO from miners' rights alone, not to mention the duty on the gold obtained, but that until provisions can be placed on the point which we have already indicated, all attempts at prospecting, or fairly developing the resources of that district, must prove futile. The Aucklaud papers of theJlSth February relate tbe following melancholy story : — " It appears that a man, named John Blair,about 30 years of age, had been living by himself for some time past in a small whare at a place called the Peak, at Riverhead. He had no regular employment or means of subsistence beyond what miserable pittance he could eke out by an occasional day's work at gum-digging. He was known to subsist iv the most precarious way, often living foi days together on a few biscuits, and when these were consumed he would creep out of his hut to scrape up a kit of gum, on the proceeds of which he would continue to drag on a miserable existence for a few days longer. However, he was seen alive on Thursday evening by an assistant storekeeper, named Edward Twilves. who found him dead in his 1 whare on Saturday morning. The police authorities were commuuicated with, and on

the same night constables Corrigan and M -Cafferty were despatched to Riverhead. On reaching the whare they found the unfor* tuaate man lying dgad in the most appalling condition of utter destitution and neglect. He ! appeared to have died either from absolute ■ starvation, or from want; of inedica} attend- < ance ; he was wretchedly clothed ; his f ramn ; was much wasted and attenuated, and one of the eyes had been eaten out. The corpse is said to have presented a most striking spectacle from filtlj and neglect. It was rer mqved to town and placed in tie dead-house, ! to await an inquest, whjch wjU most probably take place this afternoon. At present the above fa.cts are all that have cpme to our knowledge relative to this truly deplorable case, and we oauuot \>\\t deeply regret that a fellow qreature should conic to sq miserable a,n cud. The Nelson papers report a serious acpident to a child. The Colonist says :— A distressing accident has occurred to a little boy about five years of age, son of Mr A. Huuter, Watchmaker, Bridge street, at Messrs Mou. tray, Barclay and Co.'s Foundry. It appears that the workmen on the establishment were engaged \n pasting a large fly-wheel, and the Ulast furnace, which is driven by hors«r power, was in operation. The r little boy, who was playing about the premises, tried t.p climb qn to the shaft where the driver was sitting, but was told to gofeway, and he then tried to climb on to the bar at the other side of the large cog wheel which the horse was turning, and in so dojng something caught his leg and over-balanced him, when he put his hand on the wheel to save himself from falling, and it was immediately drawn between the cogs and crushed. The cries of the unfortunate little fellow quickly brought assistance, the wheel was stopped, and the little sufferer was extricated, and conveyed to Dr Cotterell's, when amputation of the hand just above thewri&t was found necessaiy — the operation being performed under chloroform. The child was progressing favorably some time after. The Hawke's Bay Herald of the 29th ult. states that Mr Ross,- surveyor, atpiesent engaged in exploring the country between 1 Napierand Taupo, had lately a narrow escape. Iv entering upon a piece of country, with the view of examining a new track, he was misled as to the time it would take, and started without blankets or food. For two days and two nights they were without sustenance, and, travelling over an exceedingly rough country, he became thoroughly exhausted. Fortunately, a native who was with him managed to crawl to the station of Mr Ticehurst, who immediately went out on horseback and brought Mr Ross in. Although in a state of great prostration, ho speedily recovered under the genial influences <>t rest, warmth, and food. Another sad case of death by drowning in the Okarita district, is reported by the West Coast Times, and concerning which v.c have gathered the following details froiu an official report forwarded to th.j Inspector of Pnlicc. On the morning of the -uth ultimo, a digger named Hurley, equipped fur si day's shooting, and accompanied by a dog, left his hut near the Five-mile beach, and struck into the bush in the direction of the Totara Creek. Shortly before sunset the dog returned without his master, much to the astonishment and alarm of Mrs Hurley, who, after waiting some time in agonising suspense for her husband's appearance, gave the alarm to his mates, and theu proceeded to the Police Camp, and made known her fears to the police. At daylight next morniug a search party, headed by Constable Douglass, proceeded to scour the bush, and very shortly picked up the tracks of Hurley and his dog, ■ followed them over a high terrace, across ' several creeks and then through a patch of ' flat scrnbby country, bordering the Waiau ' River. The tracks were traced iuto the river, at a place where the stream is both • deep and rapid, so the party went a little 1 lower down and crossed at a safe ford, and then ran the stream up again, searching as ' they went to recover the tracks. Suddenly, s a cry from the headmost of the party brought the others to his side, and theie, leading out of the water, a dog's footprints were clearly distinguishable in the soft sand. But the man's tracks were not to be seen, ' and after searching for them for some time in vain, the party followed the dog's trail, 1 traced it down the river, and round to Waiau Bluff, and so on along the sea beach to within 1 a few yards of Hurley's dwelling. As he had not arrived there, all hopes of his safety were reluctantly abandoned, it being only too 1 evident that he had met his death in the 1 river. The next care was to, if possible, re--1 cover the body, which was accomplished by ; Constable Douglass, who found it, half 1 covered with sand, lying upon the south ' bank of the Waiau, about teii yards below ' high water mark. Excepting the hat, it was • fully dressed, and hail suffered no mutilation, 1 and was at once taken to the hut, where an ' inquest was held upon it by Mr Warden Price, and terminated in a verdict of accidentally drowned. Hurley was twenty-six 1 years of age, and a native of Ireland. He 1 leaves a widow and one child in — we regret I to say — straitened circumstances.