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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1146, 1 April 1872, Page 2

About half-past one o'clock this morning the fire-bells rang out an alarm. Being the morning of the Ist of April, many disregarded it, but it proved to be a very narrow escape from an extensive TJtmflagration, as the building in which the fire originated was situated in the heart of a dense clump of stores and hotels on Mawhera Quay. The fire was first seen in the second storey of the newly-erected building for Mr O'Brien, bootleaker, and immediately the alarm was given the first men who were on the spot were Constable M 'Donald and Watchman Boylan, but the. latter ran to the fire-bell. The Fire Brigade were speedily on the spot and got to work with' wonderful alacrity. The flames were extinguished before the general public had well assembled on tbe spot. The damage done was, we are happy to say, only trifling. Tbe drawing for the prizes in the Ark Union in aid of the Presbyterian Church is announced to take place this evening, at eight o'clock, in the Volunteer Hall. Mr James Brogden and his chief engineer, Mr Henderson., visited the Brunner coalmine, on Saturday. They were accompanied by Mr Hamilton Gilmer, who was a fellow passenger with Mr Brogdeu from England, and were shown through the mine the mine, the party came down to Greymouth by boat, and subsequently rode along the North Beach to the Ten Mile, where a seam of coal is exposed. Mr Brogden's fiait to the district was very brief, and did not include an inspection of the proposed line of railway. With Mr Henderson, he left Greymouthf yesterday, for Hokitika, intendiug to proceed overland to Canterbury and Otago. The Little Grey Hotel, the property of Mr Emanuel, formerly in Gladstone street, and latterly at the corner of Bright and. Palmerston streets, Westport, has changed hands, Messrs Tonks and Hughes being the purrhasers. Our local Postmaster, Mr M'Beth, has been instructed to take temporary charge of the Post Office at Hokitika, and proceeded ttither for that purpose on Saturday. Meantime the Greymouth office is in charge of Mr Andrews, a brother of Mr Andrews, of H.M. Customs. Mr Andrews, who is not a stranger to the West Coast, has been temporarily transferred to this office from Dunedin. Mr Greenfield, the Nelson Provincial Secretary, returned to Greymouth on Saturday, •after a visit to Reefton and to the principal mining centres in the Grey Valley. Mr Greenfield proceeds from Greymouth to Nelson by the first opportunity, the mining districts in the Buller Valley having already been visited by the Superintendent. Dr Knight, the Auditor-General, only made a short stay in Greymouth, having left by Saturday's coach for Hokitika. Hereturns to Greymouth before proceeding to Wellington. The Eev J. T. Shaw, who has been Hesiderit Wesleyan Minister in Hokitika for the last three years, is appointed to the Port Chalmers Circuit.. Yesterday he was to deliver his -farewell sermons. Madame Carandini, with the Misses Carandini and Mr Sherwin, have returned to Victoria after a professional tour in Tasmania. Information reached the police at Ahaura, on Saturday, that a party of miners at No 3 Gully, Nelson Creek, while clearing out a water dam on Saturday morning, found the 'dead body of" a man in the deepest part of the embankment, The Coroner, Mr Whitefoord, will hold an inquest on the remains on Monday. The Eev Benjamin Backhonse was to preach in the Presbyterian Church, Hokitika, yesterday. Mr Backhouse has been commissioned by the British and Foreign Bible Society to visit tho Colonies, for the purpose of extending the work of the Society, and otherwise to promote its usefulness. A telegram has been forwarded from Westport to the Superintendent of the Province, signed by a number of the leading business people in town, drawing attention to the circumstance of the laying of tbe groin at the end of Gladstone street having been stopped. The message showed that only 940 tons have been deposited, and that 600 tons more are required to complete the work, ■ A meeting of the Greymouth Relief Committee was held, last week, at the City Council Chambers, Wellington. His Worship the Mayor, the Yen Archdeacon Stock, the Hon W. B. Rhodes, Mr E. Pearce, Mr G. Hunter, Mr P. A. Buckley, and Mr J. Dyer, v were present. The Mayor stated that the meetiug had been called in conformity with the resolution formerly agreed upon that before the amount subscribed was forwarded to Greymouth the expression of the subscribers should be taken as to tbe manner of its disposal. The telegram from the Mayor of Greymouth, conveying instructions to close the subscription list, was read. Mr Buckley thought it would hardly be necessary now to forward the amount, as the latest accounts seemed to indicate that all wants had been fully met by the sums already '

to hand. Mr Hunter differed somewhat from this opinion, because the telegram of Mayor Wickes merely instructed them "not to extend" the subscriptions, so that they were in a manner bound to remit the L6l odd subscribed at the first meeting. Mr Hunter, therefore, paid in his subscription. Other gentlemen offered, opinions on the matter, and it was decided that the money should be held in handytiUcommunication had been had with the Mayor of Greymouth. j.

The .memorable Nelson gold robbery,'* which took place in or about the year 1852, when an enormous amount of gold was stolen from the ship Nelson in Hobson's Bay, is likely to become a Bubject of renewed interest. The authorities in Melbourne have received information which may lead to a portion of the gold known to be in one of the banks being recovered.

At a recent sitting of the Resident Magistrate's^ Court, atCamptown, a man named John Rirwin received a 1 sentence of six months 1 imprisonment, with hard labor, for violently assaulting a wonmn named Martha Woodward, at Try-Agaii Terrace, Nelson Creek, last Christmas. JKirwin absconded after the committal of the outrage, which was of the most cowardly and disgraceful character, and he'was airested, after escaping the vigilance of tha police for some months, by Constable Jeffries at Reefton.

Captain Leech, harbor-master at Westport, has been instructed ,to inspect the Snag Falls.in the Buller Riven He proceeded to the Falls on ThursdayVarid is satisfied that the removal of the obstructive snags can be completed at an inconsiderable cost. After consultation with the Provincial Engineer, it is probable that tenders will be invited for this purpose. :

A simple and inexpensive precaution against accidents hi descending or ascending the shaft consists in having, at the proper places, straps of leather fastened to the rope, one of which, when the miner has taken his place, is secured round him under the arms. By this moans, should anything happen to dislodgo the feet, there is still a secure hold, and lie can continue his descent or ascent as though, nothing had occurred. This plan, states the Bendigo Advertiser, is adopted universally k the mines of South America.

The Gazette contains a notice on the part of the Melbourne Omnibus Company, that application will, in the ensiling session of Parliament be made to authorise the company to construct and work tramways in the city of Melbourne.- The proposed tramways are shortly, one from the Victorian Railway Station to Smith street, thence turning up Johnston street to Carlion, and from there down tothe Hobsoh f s.'Bay Railway Station. Then there are to be other lines— one lalong Victoria street, one in Richmond Bridge road, one to Hotham, and one in Brunswick street. The promoters of the Portland Railway Company give similar notice of their intention to apply for leave to introduce a bill. •

The unfortunate man, Martin H. Kellj, who recently met his death under such painful circumstances at Hokitika, was about being enrolled a member of the Nelson Police Force at the time of his decase. Kelly, who was formerly in the Otago Police, made an application for admission into the force some time ago, and on the day of his death Sergeant Goodall, who was in Hokitika attending the Supreme Court Criminal Sittings, was in search of bun to inform him of his appointment to tho No Town district. . The bnding of the body was the first intimation Sergeant Goodall had of tbe whereabouts of the deceased.

Referring to the case of Maunsell v. Cassius, t.Ti n Afp.l Ijnii vna n-p]j>.a vat> 7i_ ssum i Mr .Ireland was particularly severe upon the father and brother of the plaintiff, who, he said, had, from motives of cupidity, forced a sensitive and affectionate young lady into a position which was peculiarly a disagreeable one. .With the latter remark no one will be likely to disagree ; but the former starts a question which is at present one entirely for the jury to consider. On Saturday, as usual when cases of this character are under consideration, the Court was crowded by a mixed audience, who seemed to gloat over every prurient allusion, and fairly laughed outright at one or two necessarily broad expressions in Mr Ireland's speech.

A notable old Australian, Captain Wm. Hovell, who performed, in company with Mr Hamilton Hume, the first overland journey from New South Wales to Victoria, arrived in Melbourne by the overland mail last week. Captain Hovell landed in New South Wales in 1813, and his trip across the continent was made in 1824. He is now in his 86th year,, but is •Kale^and hearty, as, may be imagined by his sustaining^the : 'great fatigues of the coach journey from Sydney. Some years ago Mr Summers executed a bust of Captain Hovell, which is now in the Melbourne Public Library. The captain has of late years travelled a, good deal/ and is in a better state of. preservation than" Mr Hume, though the latter is his junior by 15 years. ' ,

About ten o'clock on Thursday, night an alarm of fire was raised in Rovell street, Hokitika, which quickly caused a crowd of persons to hurry to the shop of: Mr Johnson, bootmaker, opposite M'Gurk's stables, where a great blaze gave the appearance of a serious conflagration; but before tho place was reached, the fire was entirely out. The occasion of the alarm was the bursting of a kerosene lamp in the window, the oil from which was immediately ignited, causing a great glare of flame all over the front of the shop. A timely application of water, which Mr Johnson had at hand, immediately extinguished the flames, and the danger was over almost as quickly as it arose.

A Sydney telegram of the 19th instant states : — The police have succeeded in tracing Walker up into the company of the'supposed murderers on tne night "he disappeared. They have also found where the men were in the habit of hiring a boat, and upon searching the. prisoner's lodgings a shingler's hammer and life-preserver, both stained with blood, were discovered. After dragging the Parramatta River all day, the police this evening found Walkers body, with a large stone fastened to tbe » neck by a thin cord. The skull was fractured in two places, arid the body much mutilated. The documents found in the clothes of the deceased ihan have not yet been examined. Rumor connects the diappearance of Irwin, the Tambaroora speculator and mining agent, with Bridgers' murderers. : : . : V

The notorious criminal Isaac Robinson has again managed to effect his escape from MountsaEdeit Gaol, Auckland. It will'be remembered that on a previous occasion he also managed to get clear, and that after his escape he went to a 4 settler's house, and brutally assaulted, and then robbed him. After being at large a short time, however, he was recaptured and sentlback to prison, after standing his trial for the escape, and getting an extra terni ,of, penal servitude. He was originally convicted of a highway robbery with violence, and was undergoing a term of sixteen years' penal servitude. His latest escape was effected in a very ingenious manner. By some means or other not very clearly explained, he managed to get possession of a warder's suit of clothes; and, dressed in these, he seems to have passed scot-free beyond the precincts of the gaol; It was not long before he was missed ; the police authorities, were communicated with, i and men sent in pursuit in all. directions; but he has not yet been re-captured. ; . ; .