THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1167, 25 April 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1872.

There was no Resident Magistrate's Court yeatatday. . A new dramatic company arrived yeaterdajr by the pa Charles Edward, who intend giving entertaiuments in the Volunteer Hall ;on the evenings of! Saturday, Monday, and Tnesday. The members of. the company are a young Australian actress of much promise, Miss Clara Stephensori, * assisted by Miss Grace Folland, and Mr Charles Burford. .They have, lately been giving performances with much success at Westport and Charleston, and they intend shortly ■ to visit; Hokitika. . . ■'. . .; ' • .;.".- .., '' '.. ."-'■ ' A quarter-share in, M 'Lean's claim, Adam Smith's. line, InaQgahua, waa disposed. of on Saturday fprLllO. : : ; The matter of pushing on tho road works from Greymouth to Ileefton is one of such vital importance to the inhabitants of that field .and to the .district generally as that the Inangahiia Herald of yesterday urges .the utmost' despatch should, be used in perfecting one line of communication ot least, if not both lines, before the advent of winter. The work to which the chief attention might be judiciously devoted is the completion of the road over the Saddle between Keefton and Mia Mia, which would at least render constant and prompt communication possible between Ileeftqn and Grey* mouth. According to the present rate of Krogress, it is quite clear that the Greymouth ne -is the "only one that can be perfected within the next two months, and however greatly it would have conduced to our benefit to have enjoyed the advantages also of a first-class dray road between the Inangahua Landing and Reef ton- before the winter set in, we must rest satisfied if we possess a road capable of bearing wheel traffic betweenthis and Greymouth. According to the latest "accounts, however, ' this work is not progressing in a manner which would give -earnest of , its completion within the' term specified in the contract. Either the want o£ tpolg or difficulty in obtaining labor or both have contributed to the delay that has already taken ..place. in 'commencing operations, '.and there is little likelihood that the road •wiir bie ready for traffic for several, ■wflijjkß'over the contract time.

, -TJie following items are froxn the Host 2fe we of the 23rd instant .-^-The proprietors of the Young Australian claim' started their wheel yesterday, and found it in good ..working order. 'Their tail-race is quite a success, and rives great facility in working the claim.— , In the flap Hazard claim works are stopped,' and a meeting will be be held shortly, to . consider what course shall be adopted. The shaft is 90ft down, and into .very treacherous clay— so bad as to endanger its safety, — M'Gregor's lease had the full party of men put on yesterday, and work was commenced m earnest. Plenty more men than the irequired number offered to join in working the claim, thus showing the wisdom of the Warden's decision to refuse further protection.— Mr-M'Leod has,- we are happy to hear, regained possession of his farm and some of the prizes, the fortunate winners having dealt with him in a very liberal spirit.— The Drainage. Eugiae. managed to do its work last* week effectually on a consumption of 51 6t>rds of word. >.- (v * '; X

The proprietors of the prospectora' claim on Joe Potter's line of reef, Larry's Inangahua, have registered under the provisions of the Mining Companies' Limited Liability Acts, with a capital .of 145,000. m 5000 bhaves of L 3 each. This claim is supposed to contain the richest stone yet discovered in the district. The company will be knotva

as the Caledonian Quartz Milling Company, and so soon 'a'ff. -arrangement's haye been concluded with Mr^Eomßon,^a&nt for -the England's Foundf^rCompany", jv, battery of stampers will be,,e|sete,d andxa.^watei'-w.heel constructed. *%-' r V". .>; A horse belonging to Messrs Stitt Bros, got drowned, on the 22nd instant, while swimming the Buller river. Mr JohnStitk ythoz r had:*ecetitly purchased -the horse in Reef ton, brought it down to the south bank of the river, and shortly after getting it into the water the animal became restive, and -plunged so much that it was deemed* advis-* able to let- go the rope, and before it could manage to reach the north bank its head gradually sank under the water. . A boat was speedily sent to its' assistance, but reached too late. Improvements are Btili busily going forward in Beef ton, while others are just upon completion. The Herald notices among the latter a large two-storey building fcrSlattery and Sutherland, intended for an hotel, situate in Broadway. ,In the same thoroughfare the following premises are nearly ready for occupation :— Kelly's Hotel, T. Field' 3 ironmongery; warehouse; Graves and Fleming, drapers ; Paterson Brothers, storekeepers ; John Ching, storekeeper; Williams and Gessing, druggists ; Toms, druggist- (at present occupied by Walker, butcher); Sheldon, : tinsmith ; Dupuis, hairdresser; Shepherd and Spooner and T. Cato, butchers; Lenip- , fert, hotelkeeper ; Bailie, bootmaker; Shaw, 1 ' bootmaker, besides many others. In- other portions, of tho town building is going forward with similar activity.' A portion of Gladstone street, Wesfcp^ ort, had a narrow escape from fire on Friday morning last. At two in the morning, while Mr Fasrg, the night watohman, was conversing with Jervis at the. door of the Post Office •Hotel, they distinguished the reflection pi flamesfrom a house in Freeman street, jand .immediately, ran to, the spot.-to make certain of it.' Noticing a considerable quantity .of smoke coming from the building arid a Bright flame inside, Mr Fagg knocked in the.door, while Mr Jervis went to fetch some writer. The house had been occupied by a woman named Parsons, who, it is reported, had gone to bed, leaving a child of six years old asleep in an adjoining room/ cTher^hfld had £jot up in Ihd hijjhtf' and lighted some^matches, one of which is supposed to have set lire to some clothes which were in the room; The flames were fortunately seen in time, and were! extinguished before extending further than the one room, -where several-articles of clothing and furniture had been destroyed. Mr John Brogden, who announces that he has been commissioned to send out ajnumber of workmen to construct the New Zealand railways, seems, says, the Euroj>ean Mail} to be indefatigable in ? liis exertions to procure; those Only; who will be of some services to^tho Colony hereafter. , This is the proper idea to cany out, else the new 'men will be a drug in the market. He has had a very large, ■number of applications, add believes atjtfie beginning of April he. will have got the' required number together. Tn this event they; may lie expected to" arrive in Ne* Zealand, about. June next. ..., ; -Another large crack' has appeared in the. fabric of the Qhristchur,ch Town Hall, and' the noise was such when tit occurred that those in the building ran 'out under the impression that it was going to fall in. The new crack is at the west end of the south wall, and a few feet from the roof.- The building was first injured by an earthquake twoyedrsago. ' A; late Australian telegram reported that Robert Eyton, formerly of Auckland, had been apprehended in Melbourne on a charge of passing a valueless cheque on the Bank of New South Wales, Auckland.' Eyton, who : w'as gainer of the LSO prize for an essay on colonisation, awariledJiy. the General Government; a few years ago, was~TCnpwn (says' the* Colonist) to some persons in Nelson, from several of whom he obtained money on cheques given on his account in Auckland, when there were no funds to meet ' them, his account being closed. Between the end of December and the middle of January no fewer than nine or ten of these cheques were presented to the Bank in Auckland and dishonored! ' The. members of the Dunedin Golf Club wwe to compete for the Annual Handicap !one day last week. Apropon of the visit of H.M.S. Tto.sario, which has .on board a number of tho officers and men brought ,out by the Megaera, it will be of interest to know that when at St Paul's Island Captain Thrupp, of the Megaera, a keen golfer, was rigged out by the ship's carpenter with golfing material, and played his favorite game upon the island, Such an enthusiast does he appear to be, that when the news reaoheVl ; hon>o that the ' Megaera had been wrecked at '■■ St. Paul's, bets were freely offered by friends of Captain Thrupp 'that he Would play -golf on- the island. • Since his return to Enulimd, Captain Thrupp has been playing at Westward Ho, and, according to the Field, his. hand does nob appear to have lost its cunning. , • '