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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1392, 16 January 1873, Page 2

A portion of the wharf opposite Boundary street is considerably damaged by the late flood, and unless three or four new piles are driven immediately, the structure is in danger of toppling into the river. The meeting of the County Council was adjourned from Tuesday evening until last night, in consequence of the floods all over the County not allowing the Greymouth and and Ross members to be in their places. The petition of the miners and storekeepers on the South Beach, for bringing the Greymouth and Marsden road by way of Paroa, will be presented to the County Council by Mr Dungan to-day. It is signed by over three hundred residents. Yesterday Messrs Nancarrow and Co. sold by auction the 16£ acres of leasehold land at Murray Creek, belonging to the Murray Creek Gold-miniHg Company, together with the plant and machinery of the company, consisting of a batteiy of six head of stampers, water-wheel 30ft in diameter, and a number of extras, also the water rights of the company. The whole was disposed of for LlB5, Mr Edwin Ashton being the purchaser. The same auctioneers offered for sale a battery of eight head of stamps, together with some quartz-crushing plant in the Moonlight Creek, but there having been no higher offer than L2O the property was withdrawn. We learn from the West Coast Times that the Government steamer Luna called off Hokitika, without crossijg the bar, and Mr Harper and Mr Reid were landed on the South Spit in the ship's boat. The latter brought ashore a letter from Dr Hector to the Hon J. A. Bonar, from which we have been permitted to extract the following : — " I must defer my inspection of the Kanieri Coal-mine till after my return to Wellington. My plans were arranged to hare crossed from Ohristchurch, but I had to seize the chance of visiting Preservation Inlet Coal Mine, or I might not have had another opportunity, and I have promised to report on the coal working there for several years. So much time has been occupied with this trip that I must return to Wellington for a short time. I hope you will explain this to . the Coal Committed, and inform them that I will lose no time in returning to the Coast. We have had a good trip, good weather, and fair winds. I spent several days at the coal-mines at Preservation Inlefc. 'ihe Luna got aground in Milford Souud, but no damage was done to the vessel ; it waa only a few days' detention, but the time was very well spent." Closely following one another as the concluding benefits of the dramatic company have done, there was again a full house at the theatre last evening, the occasion being the joint benefit of Miss Follaud and Mr Herman. Witlx ouvlr d burloo^uo an «.« Aladdin," tho company might have safely preceded it with the play of " London Assurance," which was so successfully produced a few nights ago, but they aeem to have a preference for new pieces and hard work, and accordingly they gave, as wgll as a partially amateur company was capable of giving, the fine comedy of "Masks and Faces, or Before and Behind the Curtain." It was not an inappropriate choice at the close of a dramatic season, containing, as it does, a lesson to the outside public as to the inner life of actors and actresses. It would be ridiculous on the part of any " Mr Snarl" to institute comparisons between its acting in Greymouth and its acting by the high-class companies who have performed it in the Colonies, and it would be as ridiculous to criticise it in the spirit of "Mr Soaper." It is sufficient to say that the audience was satisfied, and that, if they had not been so, they would have been unjust to Miss Stephenson, Mr Burford, Mr Hernian, Mr 'I horuton, and to others whose apology for any defects ie simply that they do not pretend to be thorough-paced professionals. The audience recognised Miss Folland's past exertions by presenting her with some Brobdignagian bouquets, and Miss Stephenson's abilities by doing ditto. It is proper, however, that people who throw bouquets should know, that there are times and seasons fordoing so. The season is certainly not in the middle of a pathetic sentence, but- at the close of a situation, scene, or act. Fortunately the actors took the compliments, clumsily paid, in a friendly and philosophical spirit. Of course Miss Clara Stephensori was Peg Woffingtou, Mr Burford was Trip'et, and Mr Herman was Sir Charles Pomander. The others are too numerous to mention, except that they contributed to what, espei cially in the last two acts, was a most sue* cessful performance. A correspondent of a Dunedin contend porary, reflecting upon recent coach acci^ dents, puts the following pertinent questions: — "Is there any inspector of vehicles licensed for the conveyance of passengers ? Is it his duty to see that the vehicles are fib for their work, and reasonably comfortable ? Is there ever a constable present on arrival or departure of the coaches, to see that no more than the proper number of passengers are 'aboard?' Is it necessary that the coach should have painted on it the number of passengers and amount of luggage it is licensed to carry ? Is it necessary that the driver should be licensed as being capable of driving ? Is it required that the driver be sober, or may he be at the present festive season c half seas over V Is breeching required on the hoi'ses ; and if not, does it matter that the break is fitted with an old boot or two, and does not grip the wheels? Is there anything to prevent drunken men being carried as passengers, or to prevent females being annoyed by persons smoking inside ?" A heavy bush fire has occurred at the north-west end of the Big Rush, Akatore, Otago, and lias done much damage. All, the woodwork connected with Lewis's sawmill, the mill itself, and adjoining cattle sheds, workmen's huts, with greater part of their contents, together with from 20,000 to 30,000 feeb of timber, have been consumed. Officials can sometimes disgorge red tape and condescend to be: jocular A veracious correspondent informs our Tuapeka contemporary that not long since a high dignitary telegraphed to a brother official thusly : — "Business of Courts so small, I cannot attend." To which the other replied, "Sorry business too small for you j am glad it is enough for a judge." The weather experienced in Canterbury last week is thus described by the Lyttelton Times: — "Some few weeks ago a greater boon could, scarcely have been conferred upon farmers than one or two copious showers of rain, bat desires were of no avail, and the drought continued with unpleasant pertin a , <

city until the maturity of thin crops had come to be anticipated with resignation. Unfortunately, this was not to be the only trouble for agriculturists. Just when harvest has commenced, hot dry weather has given place to a sou- wester of the real old-fashioned j sort, a storm indeed of wiud and rain which must result in further loss to farmers. The break occurred on Tuesday evening, when a slight rain set in from the north-east. During the night it veered round to the south-west, from which quarter a violent storm raged during the whole of yesterday. In Christchurch considerable damage was done to trees, from many of which large boughs were torn off, and the fall of rain was such as to flood all the side channels to an extent seldom seen, except during a winter storm. In Lyttelton great care had to be exercised with all vessels, and as one proof of the strength of the wind, ifc may be said that the Taranaki, advertised to sail for Dunediu, was unable to proceed on the voyage. From the country districts little information is yet to hand, but that little is of anything but a pleasant nature. There can be no doubt that the crops will in many places be considerably laid, and the cost of bar vesting materially increased, thus making the farmers' prospects gloomier than before, and that they were bad enough after the drought none will deny. The shorm continued up to midnight with undiminished violence, but afterwards there was a lull, which was followed by intermittent gusts of wind and showers of rain." The respective admirers of Black Eagle and Peeress in Auckland are anxious to bring about a race between these two horses, and we learn that the friends of Peel-ess have offered to back her for LSOO, also giving the Eagle 141 b. A family at Greytown, Wairarapa, have had a narrow escape from poisoning from eating preserved rhubarb. Severe symptoms for a time existed, but ultimately they recovered, under the care of Dr Webb. It is remarkable, the Wellington Independent observes, how people will persist |in eating imported preserves of any kind, when, by a trifling expenditure of money and labor, they can produce a much superior article. Extreme care should always be taken that the part next the tin be not eaten. The acid of the preserves dissolves the tin, producing in some cases a deadly poison. The Golden Crown Company, at the Thames, cleaned on the 6th instant, and obtained 2470z 6dwt of melted gold from 40 tons of stone from the intermediate level, and 30 tons from the No. 2 lode, bottom level. The tributors obtained 660z 6dwt of melted gold from 40 tons of stone. Despatches from London announce that the British and American vessels are rendezvousing at Adel, preparatory to sailing for Zanzibar to suppress^the slave trade. The Khedive, it is said, will anticipate the expedition, and send troops into the interior of the lake regions on the upper Nile. Our Dunedin correspondent lately reported the occurrence of a fire on the Otago Peninsula. Papers of a subsequent date, now to hand, give the following particulars of the damage done :— The fire seen in town in the direction of the Peninsula at about three o'clock on the- morning of Friday proceeded from the Highcliffe Hotel, which was then burniug. The building and stock were totally destroyed, and neither was insured. Mr Robert Coneys, the licensee of the premises, held them on lease from Mr Henry Fairlands. He retired to bed at about 11.30 on the night before, previously examining the kitchen fire-place, and seeing that there was no fire burning. Mr Coneys was the only person who slept in the hotel that night. He woke at about three o'clock in the morning, and found his bedroom full of smoke j he jumped out of bed. and after partially dressing himself, went to the front door, looked round the house, and found that the store-room and kitchen at the back of the hotel were on fire. He at once raised an alarm, and then ran to his sleeping-room, from which he had only time to carry three empty boxes and the bed on which he slept into the yard ; he was unable to save anything else. His cash-box, containing sixtyfive in bank notes, and his clothing, were in the store-room, and were all destroyed. The building, a wooden one containing eight rooms, and roofed partly with shingles and partly with iron, was burned to the ground in less than an hour. Mr Coneys irade an addition of three rooms to the premises a few months ago, which cost him L 7 3; paid his license fee a week ago; lost L 65 in notes, and stock, clothing, and furniture to the extent of L2OO. Mr Henry Fairbank, the owner of the premises, estimates his loss at L2§o. Suspicion of foul play attaches at present to no onej in fact, no one could gain any benefit by thj3 destruction of the hotel. "."' An accident occurred at the Middle Star mine on Friday morning last, at the Thames* to a man named Richard Thomas Thomas and his mate had relieved a shift in the mornitig, and the other men before leaving had put in a shot which did not explode. They told the relieving shift of the circumstance, but it appears that they had neglected to inform the men of the depth of the holes. Thomas aud his mate attempted to drill out the charge, but the powder ex? ploded in their faces. Thomas was consir derably scorched about the face, neck, and arms, bat the principal injury appears to have been to his eyes, which are so much swollen and scorched that they cannoc be seen, much less can he see with them. It is, however, hoped that when the swelling is reduced the sight may be found to be not destroyed. The other man escaped unin-i iured. The iujmed man was ta£eu to the hospital. ' There is at length a prospect of the cutting of the track from Queenstown to Martin's Bay being proceeded with. The Otago Executive have accepted the tender of Mr Sandjson, ana 'tie has left Dunedin for Queenstown to make the necessary arrangements for the prompt cornnjencement of the work. The route taken by $he track is by the Greenstone river and Lake M 'Kellar, it having been proved that this route is incomparably superior to the former one by Lake Harris. It is to be regretted that six weeks of the finest weather should have been lost but Mr Sandison nevertheless hopes to have the work completed before the winter sets in. He has had considerable experience in work of the kind, and the manner in which he has executed it, for instance the Waikaia district, is a guarantee that the work he has now undertaken will be promptly and efficiently performed. Having quoted the opinion ot the Australasian on the disqualification of Peeress, the Nelson Examiner says:— "The case is a yery clear one. The business of the stewards is to see that races are run fairly, and that no improper practices are resorted to upon the course. They have no control or authority over horses until they come before them to run, A man who enters a horse for a race, is under no obligation to run him ; if he pays his entrance fees and forfeits, he fulfils the only engagement he made. To compel a man to run his horse because certain individuals have gambled over the animal's chance of winning, is preposterous. Stewards of races have nothing to do — or should have nothing to do— with bookmakers and betting j men who back horses must take their chances of getting a race for their money. For racing officials to become partizans of the betting fraternity, instead of encouraging racing for its. own sake, is a great mistake, and a serious blow to genuine sport. Owners of horses often eater several animals at a meeting, and start 1

them for such races as they fancy they have the best chance of winning. Are these gentlemen to forego this privilege, and be compelled to run their horses according to the dictum of a body of men whose object is to make money at their expense ? How the stewards at Canterbury could commit such an act of injustice and stupidity is really marvellous. Now that they see they were in the wrong, we trust they will have the manliness to confess it by withdrawing the mare's disqualification." Mr A. R. Mackay, District Surveyor, has furnished the local paper with the following particulars of the finding of a moa's egg in the sandy ground on the north-west side of Cromwell:— "[ found it on the 27th of November, partially embedded in and completely filled with sand. It measures seven and a half inches in length and live and a half inches in diameter. The shell is aboub an eighth of an inch thick, and is broken on the smaller end, where I think the young moa must have escaped from its prison. This is the second moa's egg found in Cromwell, and the sixth found in New Zealand." A large blast was fired at Bell Hill, Dunedin, on the 6th instant, in a bole, 24ft deep, bored with a four-i eh drill, there were put 701 bof rock-render, which on being fired loosened and threw down a great mass of rock, estimated at 1000 tons. The rockrender cost 8d per lb ; and the 701 b did as much work as would be expected from 1001 b of powder. The large mass lifted by the explosion fell in a wonderfully compact form, not a stone being thrown half a chain away. The intense curiosity felb by women to become acquainted with the mysteries of Freemasonry is known to everybody . When, however, they are permitted to behold some of the adjuncts, they are not always thankful for the favor. An instance of this occurred at the late Masonic Ball in Dunedin, where a worthy Mason, whom to know is to respect, received a rather sharp criticism upon his attire from his better-half. He was arrayed in all the dignity of a Knight Templar, having on him a long white cloak with a crimson cross upon it, a sword in his hand, and a velvet skull cap,, with earpieces, upon his head. Gazing at him with unfeigned disgust, the lady exclaimed in rich Doric— "if I had kenned ye were 'gaun to dress yoursel' that way, I wad'na ha'e been here." Then, looking particularly at the obnoxious skull-cap, she added in a stage whisper — " Take that aff— take that aff !" Fortunately, the trial to her feelings was not long sustained, as the opening ceremony shortly afterwards took place, after which the good knight was able to obey the command of his spouse to "take off" the insignia of his Masonic rank. We learn from the Cromwdl Argus, Otago, that at a public meeting h? ld at Alexandra a few days ago, it; was resolved to take steps to form a company to place a steam dredge on the river at the latter place, capable of lifting and sluicing GOO tons per day. The whole of the dredgers in the district put in an appearance, and it was stated that the project would receive strong local support.