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Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 504, 8 April 1869, Page 2

Messrs Kennedy and De Costa, as a deputation from the Fire Engine Coamittee waited on the Borough Council, on Tuesday, and formally handed over, the five-engine and apparatus to the Corporation. We understand thab a small debt remains to be paid on account of the engine, which the Council readily agreed to liquidate. The fortnightly meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held last evening in the Albion Hotel. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. A letter was read from the County Chairman, stating that the sum of Ll5O had been voted for the erection of additional buildings, and requesting that the Nelson Government should be asked to contribute a similar amount before the 30th of June. Mr Dutton stated that he had sent in his estimates to the Nelson Government for the year, including £1500 as the annual subsidy, aud £150 for additional buildings to the Hospital. The report of the Visiting Committee for the month showed that 11 patients had been admitted, 9 discharged, 1 died, and there were at present in the Hospital 24 patients. The month's accounts, amounting to £242 2s 4d, were passed for payment. Mr Kenrick handed in 10s from J. Harris, being his expenses in a case in the Resident Magistrate's Court. The Visiting Committee appointed for the month consisted of Messrs Hamilton, Maclean, and Arnoit. The lease of the Nelson wharf for twelve mouths was put up to auction at the Crown Lauds Office 0:1 Monday a 1 - the upset price of LSOO. The Mail states that only two bids were made, aud it was ultimately knocked do-wn to Mr Thomas Scott for L 540. The sum paid last year was LI3OO, but it did not prove a remunerative speculation to the lessee. A considerable reduction has been made for the present year in the wharfage and storage rates. This will account to some extent for the falling off in the price realised. The young man Edward Thomas who was killed at the Upper Township, Nelson Creek, last week, was buried yesterday week. He was without friends on the Coast, having arrived here from some part of South Australia. A mate of his fell off the face of the terrace to the creek some time ago, from the effects of which he now lies at the Hospital. This makes the eighth person who has met a violent death in Nelson Creek through sheer careless or foolhai'diness. Thatcher, the well-known singer of satirical songs, is now giving, in Nelson, his "Pictorial and Humorous Entertainments, Life on the Goldfields." The trial of the men M'Grath and Morrissey for a violent assault at the Greenstone on a miner named Johnstone was continued on Friday and Saturday last before Mr Warden Keogh. Evidence for the defence was given at considerable length, but the case ended by the prisoners being committed for trial. A public meeting was held at Charleston, on Tuesday evening, for the purpose of ventilating the cause of Separation from Nelsi n and co-operation with Westport." A discovery of considerable local importance has been made within the past few days, says the Westport Times of Tuesday. A seam of coal has been discovered within two miles of the Buller river, and not more than four or five miles from Westport. The discoverer is Mr William Honess, who resides at the Caledonian Terrace. He has lately been out prospecting for gold in the low ranges between that terrace and the Buller. While so engaged he found an " outcrop" of one, apparently of an excellent quality. He then only brought a few small specimens with him, and, on a second occasion, in consequence of the prevalence of a fog, he failed to find the locality. He went out a third time, however, and yesterday he brought to Westport as much of the coal as he could carry. It is taken from a seam three feet in thickness, which is exposed for .about thirty feet horizontally in llie face of a range about twe

miles from the Caledonian Terrace, and, as we have said, nearly the same distance from the Buller river. Though the specimen brought in was taken from the surface, ifc is apparently of the same quality as the very fine coal already found to the north of Mount Rochfoit, and there is little doubt that the scam is a continuation or a section of the seams which constitute what is known as the Mount Bochfort coal field. Mr Honess has already made application to the Warden for a lease, which, of course, can only, and, no doubt, will be granted by the Waste Lands ! Board. To-day a surveyor proceeds to the ' ground, and his report as to the coal and its situation js naturally looked for with some interest. The "Council Chamber!" is to be made comfortable. So says the resolution passed on Tuesday evening, and any one who knows what it is to sit in the old Religious, Institute for three hours, with a gorge wind Wowing, will readily acquiesce in the motion. At first the required alterations were to cost say LlO. Up to the present time they have cost L7O, and the "making comfortable" expenditure is limited to an additional LSO. There is nothing like getting the thin edge of the wedge in. Where will it end ? In our notice of the funeral of. the late JohnM'Duiinaghah, in our last, we stated that he was a native of County Clare. It oughtto have been the Parish of Clare, County Galway. The West Coast Times states that on Monday a very sudden death took place in Hokitika, as unexpected as it was suddei . Mr Richards, messenger of the Bank of Australia, was yesterday morning in his usual health, but during the day was obliged to retire to his bed. The symptoms getting worse, a medical man was called in, and afterwards a second, but they were unable to save his life. He leaves a wife, but no children. Whilst the Waipara was at Okarita on her last trip, Captain Bascand was told by Mr Warden Price that two Chinamen had been down there who like the country, and that they left for Hokitika to bring down their mates. The tenders called for the Postal Department for conveyance of mails between Charleston and Westpovt, Brighton and Greymouth, closed on Thursday. A daily mail will not run, however, for at least six weeks ; it being necessary to give the mailman that notice.. The Charleston Herald believes that Messrs Greening and Co. are the successful tenderers. It is currently reported that Messrs Holmes and Co., contractors for the Lytfcelton and Chriatchurch Railway, are about to commence an action against the Provincial Government of Canterbury for the sum of £23,537, being the amount of what they con- I aider extra work done beyond the terms of their contract in the formation of the railway. As Tlios. Lloyd, a boy of about 12 years of age, was crossiug from the steamer Kennedy to the wharf at Nelson, the other morning, the steamer gave a sudden lurch, when the bridge slipped, and the boy fell into the water, whence he was rescued by one of the steamer's hands, who immediately jumped overboard and helped him up until assistance was received from the wharf. We learn from our Greenstone correspondent that rumors were rife there on Monday last of a rush to the neighborhood of Lake Hrunnor. The facts which gave rise to this rumor were these :— A party of storekeepers started for the Lake on Monday week, and arrived there, after a very tedious journey, just in time to see a boat about to cross loaded with provisions for a large party of miners who are said, to be working some distance up the Lake, tunnelling into a terrace. The exact locality could not be ascertained but it was supposed to be between 30 and 40 miles from the Greenstone, over very rough country. The rumors are too vague to indu ce any men to set out, but numerous small parties have left the Greenstone within the last few days for the scene of the supposed discovery, but it is expected that they will speedily return. An illustration of the necessity for the law requiring steamers to be provided with proper gangways, and an illustration also of the breach of that law, occurred a few evenings ago at Westport;. The Times says : — ln conseqnence of an insufficient gangway, Mr Buchanan, agent for th« Union Bank, when leaving the steamer Wallabi, after putting some letters on board, was very nearly precipitated into the hold, and, as it was, was injured and. disfigured by being thrown upon the Oeck, and against the combings of the hatchway. Of course, Mr Buchanan was very considerately treated by Captain Daniels, after the accident ; but that is not enough, and it is expected that as there is now a remedy at law, the Harbor-Master, or whose duty it is to prosecute in such cases, will do so, so that delinquent ship's officers and seamen may be reminded of their liability, and that her Majesty's lieges may be preserved. The Duke of Edinburgh is now expected to arrive in Nelson on Tuesday, the 13th inst., and to remain until the 16th. In consequence of this*clelay, the Races, which were expected to come off on the 6th and 7th of April, are postponed until the commencement of the following week — probably the succeeding Monday aud Tuesday, or Tuesday and Wednesday. The entries for the Duke of Edinburgh's Handicap Plate have been made. The general entries have been postponed until the evening of the Bth of April. The following are the entries and weights for the handicap :— Mr Redwood's bk g Blackboy, aged, 9st,l2lbs;Mr Stafford's oh g Magenta, 5 yrs, 9st 81bs 5 Mr Sellon'sbrg Robin Houd, 4 yrs, Bst 21bs ; Mr Redwood's eh f Peeress, 3yrs, Bst 121b's ; Mr Redwood's eh f Misfortune, 3 yrs, 7st 71bs ; Mr Stafford's b f Lacenfeed, 3 yrs, 7st 71bs. The Xf-ehon Evening Mail states 'that some ten days ago three lads, John Lockett, — Rayner, and — Cumming, were out walking on the Wakapuaka road, when, the two latter determined on having a bathe, Lockett, not feeling inclined to do so, strolled quietly on, but before he had proceeded far, heard cries wl.'ch induced h* n to turn back, when

he found that Rayner and Cumming, who were unable to swim, had got out of their depth, and were rapidly being carried away by the force of the receding tide. Without a moment's hesitation, the brave young felt low jumped into the water, laid hold of Rayner, swam out with him and deposited him on the shore, and then turned round to look for Cumminir, who he was just in time to see sinking for the second time. In an instant he was in the water again, but this time he had to swim some distance before ' reaching the drowning lad, who, with the instinct of self-preservation, instautly laid' hold of him and dragged him under ; a struggle ensued, when Lockett freed him-:-self, and laying hold of the boy by the hair with his left hand, struck out for the shore, which he eventually reached much exhausted, having thus savec the lives of his two companions, who but for his assistance must inevitably have been drowned, The wife of a well-known and respected old settler of Canterbury, Mr E. Fleming, of Port Levy, has died from the effects, of an accidental dose of strychnine. A miner named Larry Goodman, a resident of the Brighton district, has been inissing for several days. The Charleston Herald of Saturday says : — " He left Lynch's Gully on Tuesday last for the purpose of finding out an available course to bring in water from Fox's river upon the Dublin terrace ; as he did not return, two. par ties, consis ting of eight and two men respectively, went in search of the missing man. The more numerous party followed his track, which they succeeded so easily in tracing that they entertain hopes of finding him to-day. The remaining party proceeded to Goodman's destination. He being reckoned a good bushman, much anxiety is felt lest he should have met with a fatal accident, tie ranges being very precipitous where he was prospecting."