Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 646, 10 March 1870, Page 2

In order to give the miners an opportunity of attending the Annual Race Meeting, which commences on Thursday next, Wardens Revell and Whitefoord have given notice that all 1 claims in the Grey district will be protected from the 16th to the 21st inst., both days inclusive. It was rumored iii town yesterday that a new quartz reof, in which gold was plainly visible to the naked eye, has been struck in the claim of the Moonlight Quartz Mining Company. No official report is yet to hand. A raining enterprise of some importance, which deserves to be mentioned, has been completed within the last fortnight at the Seven -mile Beach. Parkhill and party (five men) have brought in a race three miles in length, after ten months' work. It contaius twenty chains of fluming. In the claim they have also ejected a water-wheel, 18ft in diameter, of a most substantial description. They have obtained a lease of six acres of grouud, which is suspected to pay about LlO per weeK a man. It is to be hoped the anticipations of the shareholders will be realised, and that they will reap a rich reward for their enterprise. The official returns for the quarter ended 31st December, 1869, of the value of imports and exports at the- various ports of the colony give the following results :—lmports—Greymouth, L 54.657 j Hokitika, L 60.177. Exports— Greymouth, LI 19,093 ; Hokitika, L l O5, Sl6. Gold exported — From Greymouth, 29,690 ounces ; Hokitika, 25,945 ounces. The prosecution against Catherine Hood, for exposing spirituous liquors for sale without a license, was not proceeded with on Tuesday morning, in consequence of instructions having been issued by the County Chairman to Mr Inspector Broham to withdraw the case. On the Bench with Mr Revell were the, following Justices of the Peace : — Messrs. Greenwood, Harrison, and Lapham. In the name of the Bench, Mr Rsvell commented strongly upon the course adopted by Mr Hoos. We have referred to the case much fuller elsewhere. The drawing of the monster sweepstakes on the pedestrian match at Melbourne, between Hewitt and Harris, will take place this evening at Middleton's Hotel. It has been decided that there shall be no Autumn Race Meeting at Hokitika this year, in consequence of the damage done to the course by the late floods. The appointment of Charles Yelverton O'Connor, Esq., as County Engineer, has been gazetted. There was no business at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday. During the day Mr Revell held a Court at Maori Gully. Mr Borton, of Otago, has been gazetted a Warden and Resident Magistrate. A special meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held at Gilmer's Hotel on Tuesday evening; Present : Messrs Maclean (in the chair), Amott, Lapham, Revell, Gilmer, Kennedy, King, Strike, Winter, and Glenn. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been convened to meet Messrs Bonar and Harvey, who formed a deputation from the Hokitika Hospital Committee. Mr Bonar said that the object of their mission was to put upon a satisfactory footing the paying by either Hospital for the maintenance of patients sent from one district to the other. Mr Harvey stated that during the last six months the Hokitika Hospital had afforded relief tc 37 patients, and that the majority of these patients had come from the Paroa Road Board District, from which district the Hokitika Hospital had received no contributions, but on the contrary when the inhabitants of that district were asked to subscribe they invariably answered that they did so to the. Grey Hospital. After some discussion, in which it was pointed out that the patients who went, to Hokitika were from the Greenotone, and that the latter place had not contributed anything for over twelvemonths to the Grey Hospital, the following resolutions were proposed and carried — " That' the Greenstone district, as defined by the Warden's boundary, shall be considered to be in the Hokitika Hospital district, aud that no .subscriptions

shall be collected therein on behalf of the Grey Iliver Hospital." " That in future all patients sent by the Grey Itiver Hospital Committee to Hokitika Hospital shall be admitted, subjoct to the approval of the medical officer, on production of a pass from the Committee, and if a patient should present himself without such paas, and should be admitted, full particulars shall be forwarded to the Greymouth Committee, in order that inquiries may be made inspecting him ; and the Greymouth Committee shall not be changed with the expense of such patient unless they shall certify that such patient ;s a fit and proper person to receive assistance ; and that the same rule shall bo observed in cases where the patients are sent from Hokitika to Greymouth." \ " That a patient shall be deemed to belong to a Hospital district if he shall be domiciled therein, or if he, having no domicile, shall be taken ill therein." In reply-to a question asked by Mr Harvey, relative to some funds held by Mr Abbott in Hokitika, and subscribed by the inhabitants on the West Coast in 18Q5, for the purpose of establishing hospitals for the relief of iniuers and others, the following was the opinion of the Greymouth Cotnmifcte.9 :• -" That the amount be divided in proportion to the number of patients in each Hospital in Westland on the Ist January, IS7O." — The usual meeting of the Committee was held last evening, when there were present—Messrs Kennedy (uhair), King, Glem.» Mogs, Whitefoord, Winter, Amott, Maclean, Porkius, Revell, and Strike. The minutes of the previous meetings were read and confirmed. The accounts for the month, amounting to L 2,20 13s sd, were passed and ordered to be paid, with the exception of some items which were not authorised ; and also an account for extra buildings, L 72. The Trea. surer acknowledged receipt cf the following donations : — M. Philips, Maori Gully, Ll7 0a 6d ; It. Murphy, Maori Gully, Llo Is ; as also L 6 7s 6d from the sale of vegetables, aud some smaller sums. The Visiting Committee reported that there were 27 patients in the Hospital. During the month 11 were admitted and 14 discharged ; and that the general state of the institution was satisfactory. The Visiting Committee for the month are Messrs Strike, Revell, and Smith. The other business was unimportant. The Court House is again open for busi ness, after having been reconstructed and considerably added to. With the exception of there being iucreased office accommodation and a box for a jury, very little can be mentioned under the head of improvements. The designer of the internal arrangements dessrves honorable mention ; for they could not possibly be worse. Thr prisoner's dock has been constructed on a large scale, so as to meet the growing requirements of the place, and fixed so that an inquisitive public may neither see nor hear what is being done. Indeed, it is almost impossible to hear what is said in any part of the building ; but that is no matter, as reporters are evidently not wanted in the Greymouth Court House, no provision whatever having beeu made for their accommodation. We are requested to call attention to the fact that a high and solemn mass will be celebrated in St. Patrick's Church by the Re /. Father Holland on St. Patrick's Day at 9 a.m. There will also be evening service the same day, and on the following Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Messrs Harrison and Lahman, our local representatives in the County Council, announce that they will address their constituents at Gilmer's Hotel, on Monday evening, at eight o'clock. The entries for the various events of the race meeting, which commences on Thursday next, must be made at the Melbourne Hotel on Saturday evening. A young man named Frank Morphy, who has lately been holding the appointment of assistant bailiff in the Hokitika Resident Magistrate's Court, was arrested on Tuesday night on a charge of embezzling the sum of L4O. Within the last few rlays Mr Warden Whitefoord has received a deputation from the miners in the Napoleon district, and listened to their .urgent representations as to the necessity which exists, and has so long existed, for Courts ' being held at regular intervals at Napoleon, instead of compelling those whose misfortune it is to go into Court to trudge to the Ahaura and back, over a most execrable track. We are glad to say that the Warden at once saw the grievance in its proper light, and promised to hold a Court ouce a month at Napoleon, until further arrangements could be made. This will be a great convenience to the residents of Napoleon and surrounding districts. Au awfully sudden death occurred at Baxter and Co.'s claim, in Baxter's Gully, Ahaura, on Monday morning. A miner, named John Gibson, went to his claim in hi 3 usual good state of health, but he had been at work only a short time when he fell forward, and when his mates went to raise him thej r found him speechless. They carried him to his hut, and although every remedy available under the circumstances was applied, the poor fellow expired within five minutes. Deceased was a man well known on the coast, especially in the Buller district. He opened the Waimangaroa Creek, north of the Buller, and he was among the first prospectors of the Lyall. He was wellknown in that part of the country by the soubriquet of "put them through Jack." The deceased was a native of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and was much respected in this district. He was about thirty-one years of age. The body of the deceased was brought to Cobden by boat on Tuesday morning, and in the afternoon an inquest was held by Mr Warden Whitefoord, at the Court-house, when tho following evidence was given : — William M'Gawy a miner, at the Ahuaura: The deceased John Gibson was a mate of mine. On Monday morning, about halfpast eight, shortly after commencing work sluicing— he was 'forking — I heard him making a noise as of some one in agony. I saw by his face that he was in great pain. He was standing, holding on by tho hand, and I couhl see that he had been in the.

water for his flannel was wet. I ran towards him, and he fell into my arms. I laid him down on the bank of the lace. He was" struggling, and I saw he w*is getting weaker, so I thought the heat thing I could do was to run to my mates for assistance. 1 called John Baxter, Healey, M'Leod, and Purkiss, and they ran to the spot, about 300 or 400 yards, over a very| rough track. I believe Gibson was dead when I got back. He did not spsak to me during the time I was with him. I have been mates with the deceased constantly during the last two years, and off and. on for niue years. I had no reason to bslieve that he was suffering from any diseass, He nse,d lo complain of heartburn, but thought it was i caused by chewing so much tobacco. The race where he was working was about three feet deep and three feet wide— nothing to prevent any man from getting out. He could have fallen in without my seeing him. Samuel M'Leod, a miner at the Ahaura : On Monday morning the last witness called me and other, three mates, to run because Jack was dying. I understood him to mean the deceased. We all ran down to where he had been working, and as I arrived first, I found Gibson lying on the bank of the race. He was apparently dead, but we hoped he was not, and we tried to open a vein in his arm. Only a little blood came, lie has been very temperate for the last two years. He and M'Ga.w liyed together, and were always on good terms. John Baxter : I was a mate of the deceased. I have heard the evidence given by M'Leod and M'Gaw, and it is correct in every particular. A few weeks ago the deceased complained to me of a pain in his heart. James Perkins gave similar evidence. Dr C. Morice : I have made a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased. There were no external marks of violence, except a slight puncture* of the left arm, where an attempt had been made to bleed him. All the organs were healthy except the heart, the pericordum was full of clotted blood, and there was a rupture of one of the large blood vessels just at its origin from the heart. That was the cause of death. Ths jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. Auckland news has been received, via Wanganui, to the 6th inst- The Souiltern Cross authoratively contradicts the rumored split in the Ministry. — The Tararua lighthouse has been burnt down, The inmates had a narrow escape. Two children were scorched. — The Arawas refuse to follow Te Kooti on the terms offered by Government, viz., LSOOO for his capture. The Government intend sending Ngatiporous in pursuit. Kemp and Topia also go without pay, but Government finding rations. At the conclusion of the business of the District Court on Tuesday, Mr A. R. Guinness called his Honor's attention to the fact that a number of persons hi the Grey District, who became insolvent, took advantage of the sittings of the District Court held at Hokitika to file their declarations and go through the Court there, frequently to the injury of their creditors here. The question was raised whether there was any division of these districts, aud no decided opinion expressed ; but his Honor promised, for the future, to inform persons fioin the Grey District who attempted to go through the Court at Hokitika, that in order to obtain the required "whitewashing" they must apply to the Court holden at Greymouth. Our readers will have noticed for some time past a long advertisement in most of the New Zealand papers, regarding what was •called "The Thames Shares Investment Lottery," and many of them may have invested in a few tickets. Concerning the lottery we find in the Shortland Times of the 22nd ult. :— We are informed that the Provincial Government will not allow the drawing of the Thames Shares Investment lottery to take place, and that in consequence the undertaken has fallen through. A clause in the Municipal Police Act provides a penalty of £50 for every attempt made to carry such an undertaking out, and, as the Government now refuse to allow the matter to proceed, it of course becomes impossible to name a day for the drawing. But for this interference we understand the affair. would have been carried out, enough money being iv the hands of the agents to make the affair a success, but these parties refuse to hand over the money till a day for drawing the prizes shall have been named. The money received by the secretary has been little more than sufficient to pay the advertising expenses, and it has been proposed, to the satisfaction- of nioat parties concerned, that the balance, whatever it may be, remaining in his hands, should be handed over to the hospital.