Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 593, 4 November 1869, Page 2

Mr Hoop, County Chairman, and Mr W. H. Hevell, R.M., arrived from Hokitika by coach yesterday afternoon. It is rumored that an auriferous quartzreef has been proved with satisfactory results near the Saddle. The prospector is well known up the river by the cognomen of the " Flour of Wheat." We notice that one of the oldest grocery businesses in town, that of Mr James Taylor, has been disposed of to Mr George Taylor, who will in future carry on the business. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Tuesday, before J. Greenwood, Esq., J.P., two druukards were fined. In cousequence of there being only one Justice on the Bench, a supposed lunatic had to be remanded, and all the civil cases were postponed until Thursday. Yesterday, the only Justice who attended was Mr W. H. Harrison, who fined James Sharp and John Hansen LI each for having been drunk aud disorderly, and was compelled to adj ourn cases —including lunacy , and felony, until next day for want of a second Justice. The Court was adjourned, but opened again at twelve o'clock, when a charge of assault at the Eight-mile was dibposed of. Westland has again been unlucky. The latest piece of misfortune is, according to the West Coast Times, that the amount of the late County Treasurer's embezzlements is, by the failure of the European Assurance Company, for ever lost to the County. We learn by telegraph that a serious fire occurred at Charleston on Tuesday night by which the following business places were destroyed: — Perrit's Butchers shop, Mirfin's Black Bull Hotel, Behan's Commercial Hotel, Taylor, Fruiter, Hibernian Hotel, M 'Gee's Stables. It is stated that the fire originated in the Commercial, rented by Miss Hegarty. Fire caused through the bursting of a kerosene lamp. No lives were lost, and the loss is estimated at £1000. The Canterbury Press says : —A meeting of the Starlight Quartz Mining Company (Westlaud) was held the other morning at the offices of Mr J. D. Macpherson, for the purpose of considering whether the company should be registered forthwith. Mr Macpherson occupied the chair, and ib was resolved that the directors be requested to convene a special general meeting of the shareholders to decide as to the registration of the company. At a meeting held in the Brunnerton read-ing-room on Tuesday, Mr Charles Taylor in the chaiv,it was announcedby the committee appointed to collect funds for the assistance of the family of the late Christopher Clarke, chat the very handsome sum of J/239 19s Gd had been gathered. It was resolved that the sum of L2OO should be placed in the P. O. Savings' Bank for the widow ; such sum only to be drawn subject to the approval of Mr J. Henry Lowe, and Mr Charles Taylor, who were appointed trustees ; the remainder of the sum to be handed to the widow to meet any immediate wants. The committee, on behalf of the widow, most cordially thanked the public for their very liberal support. A correspondent of the Southern Cross writing with regard to the receut fall iv shares at the Thames says : — "I think that the worst is now over, and that better days are in store for the owners of shares in claims or companies at the Thames, though the fierce excitement which ruled a few months back will probably not return in a hurry, and it is better that it should not, for such a state of things is sure to have the effect of depreciating the stock immensely below par when it subsides. And the reactions must do an immense amount of harm to shareholders, unless they are in a position to pay their calls, and hold on to stock. In many companies, shares have gone down several hundred per cent., and without any apparent reason, One can understand shares in a particular claim, or a particular locality, going up or down, but that bad and good should alike suffer, ' duffers' and dividend paying claims, is to me somewhat enigma-

tical. Surely the Long Drive, for instance, is not one whit worse than it was two months ago. Yet it has come down nearly 100 per cent. This state of things must right itself ; if not, the wbole field might as well be abandoned, for many claims would not fetch, selling at per scrip, as much as a half-share in the same claim would formerly. There are, however, signs of improvement. People see that prices now, instead of going lower, will gradually rise to a fair value, and this alone will be sufficient to give interests generally more stability than they have had of late. The crisis iv scrip has, I think, parsed. The people who have suffered are those who sold for a mere nominal sum ; the people who have gained are those who have bought and who are able to hold on to interests acquired for a bagatelle, until they come up to their fair value again, which they will do before very long, or I am much mistaken." If the gentlemen in this town who have the honor of writing J.P. after their names do not consider themselves in duty bound to discharge the duties of the office when called upon, the least thing they can do is to resign. Lately, during the absence of the Resident Magistrate, it has been most difficult to obtain the services of two Justices, and in consequence cases have been postponed from day to day, to the great inconvenience and expense of the public. On Tuesday a long list of civil cases was, on this account, adjourned until Thursday ; aud, yesterday, for the same reason, several criminal cases were adjourned until to-day. It is high time that the whole question of the manner in which the Bench at Greymouth has been treated during the last month, should be made a matter of enquiry. We know that the subject will be brought before the next meeting of the County Council During the fresh in the Opihi on Wednesday week, a man named E. Stonyer is supposed to be drownud. He was seen by three horsemen attempting to cross the i stream, but was seriously warned of the danger and returned to the bank. There is little doubt of his having resumed the attempt aud perished, his hat having been found on a spit below. The river has been daily dragged but his body Las not been ! found. Accidents in the Brunner Coal Mine have been of so frequent occurrence of late as to call for special notice. It ia only a month since Christopher Clarke was killed, and dnce then three accidents have happened, one of which proved fatal yesterday afternoon. On Monday week a man named John Broadfrot was severely burnt in the arm and face by fire-damp ; a few days later Charles Campbell had his ancle broken by a fall of coal out of the face, within a few yards of the place where Clarke was killed. Yesterday afternoon, John Barris and his mate were engaged filling their last truck with coal, Barris was in front and his mate behind the truck. Suddenly a solid block of coal, weighing about half a ton, slipped from the face, and fell on Barris, crushing him to death instantaneously. His mate only heard him give one short crj 1 . Several men ran to the spoti and removed the lump of coal from off Barres, aud when taken out he was found to be quite dead. The frequency of these accidents requires some special enquiry into the system of managing and working the mine, as the miners now employed in it are loud in their complaints when they do speak, but it is only on occasions such as these that they can be induced to give an expression of opinion, and no doubt they have good cause for their reticence. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held last evening at Gilmer's Hotel. Present — Messrs Lowe (in the chair), Moss, Strike, Maclean, Perkius, Kennedy, Miildleton, Arnott, Lapham, Uilmer, Greenwood, and King. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Secretary stated that he had telegraphed to the County Chairman with regard to the unpaid subsidies, and had received a reply enclosing the subsidy for the month of July, and stating that the remaining unpaid moneys would be forwarded when the County funds could afford it. A letter was received from Mr Hoare, resigning his appointment as dispenser from the 31st inst. The Visiting Committee reported that there were 31 patients in the Hospital on the Ist September, since then 12 have been admitted, 1 died, and 7 discharged, leaving 35 in at present. The accounts for the mouth, amounting to £333 16s lid, were placed on the table and passed, with the exception of one item for eggs, which was considered overcharged. Mr W. S. Smith was appointed a. member of the Committee in place of Mr | Frost. Messrs Arnott, Greenwood, and j | Gilmer were appointed Visiting Committee j l for the month. Consideration of the applications, about 90, for the situations adver. tised, were postponed until this evening, when a special meeting will be held. From the Christchurch papers we learn that upwards of half a ton of quartz arrived from the Rakaia on Saturday ni^ht week, having been taken from a reef near Windwhistle. We yesterday saw a specimen of this quartz. It weighed about fourteen pounds, and was thickly studded with mundic ; but its extraordinary *vei»ht for its size has led many to suppose that it contains gold, or some oth^r metal nearly as valuable. It is said to bear resemblance to specimens brought from the Thames by Mr M. Oram and to be exactly similar to some quartz tested a short time since by Messrs Coates and Co., and pronounced to contain gold. About half a cwt. is to be sent to Dr Hector at Wellington for analysis. A portion is to be retained iv Christchurch, and we hear that the remainder is to be sent to Melbourne for the purpose of being tested. A public meeting, for the purpose of taking the preliminary steps towards holding athletic and other sports in Greymouth dura ing the Christmas week, was held in the Masonic Hall, Gilmer's buildings last night. There was a very limited attendance on the part of the business community at 9 o'clock. MrE. Ashtonwas called to the chair, and after explaining the object for which the meeting was convened, called on th.oge pre-

sent to take the initiative by moving resolutions on the subject. Mr Payne said he thought it was high time the residents bestined themselves if they intended to have the usual sports in Greymouth at the Christmas season. He stated that the inhabitants of Hokitika, West^ort, Charleston, and Ahaura, had moved in the matter of providirig sports in their respective towns, and people in this district were naturally looking for a programme of sports to be held in Greymouth. He moved — "That in the opinion of this meeting it is desirable that sports be : held in Greymouth during the Christmas week," which was agreed to. It was deemed advisable not to appoint a committee from the limited number present, but that a meeting be called for Monday evening, at nine o'clock, for that purpose. We then trust to see a muster of gentlemen present willing to lend their services in promoting the Christmas sports. On the beach in front of the township fo Westport, the sea continues to encroach. The Times states that since Saturday, the houses of AJessrs Robertson and Reid, and of Captain Leech, have been removed by carpenters, and tlje sections upon which they stood have been removed by the sea. High water mark now runs close to the gable of Mr Tyler's houses, having intruded for a breadth of four sections, and the early removal of Mr Tyler's property will soon be found necessary. As the sea has, in this encroachment, removed an area of ground considerably higher than the level of the ground tp the landward, it is probable that, on the occasion of high tides or storms, it will now advance at a much more rapid rate than hitherto, and it may eventually come in dangerous proximity to those parts of the town where hoxise property is most abundant and valuable.