THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1772, 10 April 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDA Y, APRIL 10, 1874.

We telefiraphed to Westporfc last night, asking to be furnished by wire with the latest English and Australian news by the Alhambra. We were informed in reply that the Wallace left Nelson an h ur after the arrival of the Alhambra, but that she brings no English telegrams. The presence of the Provincial Auditor in Greymouth reminds us that his report laid before the Council has not yet. been published in the Gazette, nor has the balancesheet been made public There appears somehow to be a good deal of slovenliuess in the Superintendent's office, which is not likely to be lessened by tho absence of the Superintendent, either oa official visits to glaciers, or when he must absent himself to attend the Assembly, A sale of suburban sections in Block 67 was pursuant to notice held at the Court House, jesterday, before the Chief Commissioner of Orown Lands and B. Patten and C. . Hoos, Esqrs., members of the Waste Lands Board. There was only a limited attendauce, and the bidding was not spirited. The lots sold and the prices realised were as follows: — Lot 1, 10 acres, L 25, H. H. Wolters ; lot 2, 10 acres, L 22, J. Kilgour ; lot 3, 10 acres. L 22, E. Wickes ; lot 4, 10 aores. L2O, *\ J. Gleeson ; lot 5, 10 acres, L 22, E. Wickes ; lots 6 7 and 8, of 10 acres each, L2O jer section, K. Wickes ; lot 9, 10 acres, L2O, J. ! G. Anstey ; lots 10, 11 and 13 were unsold, - and Mr Wickes purchased lots 12 and 14, at the price ef Ll9 and Ll2 respectively. The passengers and mails which arrived off the coast by the Alhambra, from Melbourne, which passed here on Tu-sday, must have bad quick despatch at Nelson, as we learn that they are on board the Wallace, which arrived at We&tport yesterday, and was to leave that port at midnight last night for Hokitika. As soon as this in. formation was received, representati'nis were made to the Postmaster regarding the absurdity of the mails and passengers being carried past this port, and thus depriving the public of the opportunity of replying to the correspondence by the Claud Hamilton. Mr M'Beth telegraphed fr> Westport, asking the captain to run in here with the mails as be would have ample time to reach Hokitika on the same tide. We hope that this course will be adopted. A narrow escaje took place on Monday, during the late storm, at Duffer Creek. Two large reservoirs in the second right fork of the main creek, the property of Messrs Abbot and Baybutt, burst their embankments owing to the great and auddeu pressure, | discharging their contents, which, rushing j down the creek in a solid wall of water, swept everything moveable defore it; A miner named Archv Downie ran down the gully to give the alarm to Mr C. Clarson and his family, whose house is situated at the junction of the two creeks, right in the fair way of the bore, and must have been carried awa\\ probably drowning the inmates, if the volume of water hod come with its full force against it. Fortunately the stream was divided, just before ie reached the house by the accidental circumstance of a large stump being in the way and acting as a breakwater, but on this unexpected division taking place Downie'' was caught in one of the streams, and carried down the creek along with a mass of dead timber and other rubbish amid which he was severely knocked about;. When the water spread over the wider channel of the main creek- Archy was left high, but not dry, and after all not much the worse of his involuntary voyage. The punt built by Messrs Yiolich and Sacchoni, for use on the Grey River dt the Little Grey Junction, was carried away during the late flood. From some fault of construction, and the disadvantage of itsposition, the punc had never been of any use to the traffic,. so that the loss would not b§ yery great, except that the materials ef which it was constructed were in good condition and could be utilised again. The contract for bringing in sixty heads of water to the Inangab.ua Quartz Mining Company's claim has been let, the price being L 787. This work when completed will give employment to over 100 men, in opening up and working ground in the vicinity. The directors of the Greymouth Coal Mining Company are requested to meet at their offices, Mackay street, this afternoon at half-past three o'clock, to consider some important business. Yesterday, W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M., with Messrs Harrison, King and Masters, Justices of the Peace, revised the jury roll for the Greymouth district. We are requested to make a correction with respect to one o£ the names of those mentioned as having taken part in the recent concert and ball at No Town, in aid of the Grey River Hospital. The name "Dennis Carroll, the Champion Jig Dancer,'" should read " Denny Driscoll," late of Greenstone and Greymouth. We regret to say that there is every sign of a considerable iusb to the Palmer diggings from this district. It is known that some forty or fifty men have taken passages in the Claud Hamilton, and we are informed that there were heavy withdrawals yesterday from the Government Savings Bank and the local Banks by those intending to leave.

Great damage has been done to the Christchurch road by the late floods: 'The West Coast Times states that at the upper crossing at the Arahura an approach to Hungerford's bridge is swept away, and the river nearly, if not quite, runs at present under Harcourt's hotel. At the Kawhaka, a large strip of road has been completely washed away, and the river now runs where the road traversed a week ago. It will, we are informed, lake many thousauds to make good this damage alone, and where the money is to come from has yet to be ascertained. A member of the Grey Valley Local Revenues Board writes to us as follows :— "Sir — As a member of the Valley Local Revenues Board my attention has been called several times lately to a communication that appeared in your columns, emanating, I presume, from your own correspondent, to the effect that the Board had ' made fools of themselves by passing votes amounting to LISOO when they had no funds in hand.' The statement is simply a perversion of facts. A communication was received from the Provincial Secretary requesting the Board to forward a list of urgent works needed, with the cost of each. Such was done, and the total amount was as stated. Members of the Board suffer abuse enough, without being made target for ridicule through such gross misstatements. I enclose my name, and am, sir, yours, &c— A Member of t&e Board. NoTo^n, 7th April, 1874." A nearly fatal accident happened at the new Twelve-Mile Landing, at the beginning of the recent flood. Mr Patrick Gilteu, Mr John Devery, and a man, generally known as Mickey Free, a herd in the employment of Mr Gillen, were rounding up cattle from the grazing land by the river, on Sunday morning, a precaution usually taken at the approach of a flood. While Free was attempting to cross a temporary bulge over a deep bye-wash near Mr Uelaney's homestead, the structure broke down, letting the man with his horse into the deep water below. Horse and rider rolled over several times, and then disappeared iv the current, The man was so long under water that his companions gave him up for lost, when suddenly he re-appeared lower down the stream, clinging to a clump of brushwood. Mr Devery stripped and went to the_rescue of- the castaway, who was all but exhausted when his deliverer reached him. With great difficulty, and after a fine display of skill, coolness, and courage, Mr Devsry succeeded in biinging Free to a place of safety, amid the applause of the bystanders. We, regret to add that the hero of this adventure received serious injury through being scratched and to;n from head to foot while swimming among the prickly brushwood, and staked by an invisible snag, in his endeavors to reach the nearly drowned man. The complimentary benefit to Mts P. Kyle takes place at the Volunteer Hall this evening. The programme comprises music, vocal and instrumental, by lady and gentleman amateurs, aud a dramatic performance. As Mrs Kyle has on several occasions given her services iv aid of public institutions, she I should deserve a good house on this occasion. Cobden suffered considerably from the encroachments of the river during the late flood, a good deal of the ground fa ing the byewash having been washed away and the buildings left in a position of danger. The inhabitants held a public meeting on Wednesday evening, w hen the following resolutions were passed : — " That in the opinion of this meeting it is most desirable that the attention of the Provincial authorities shoul<l be directed to the critical and daugerous state of this town, owing to the action of the late flood, with a view of taking immediate steps for its protection." " That the Government be requested to appropriate the sum of LSOO for the formation of the Cobden pro t«ctive works." A Committee, consisting of Messrs Ryan, Tyndall. Stone, Jackson, and Boase. was appointed to communicate with the Provincial Government on the subject. The prisoner Levy, who by a fluke escaped conviction for attempted murder at the late sitting of the Supreme Court, was brought before Judge Harvey on Wednesday, and found guilty of an assault upon a ga>l warder, and was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, to coinmenc§ at the expiration of nis present sentence. The Auckland correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing upon tbo Thames Uold-field, says:— "We are losing a good many of our miners attracted by the miseries of Palmer river. Whether the men leaving have better information than the public possess I cannot say, but if not, the infatuation which takes tijtem $o s,uch a plimate and such hardships must be great. The limnediate effect here is a threatened rise in the price of mining labor, both at the Thames and at Coromandel. '< he present wages are 7s per day of eight hours, and the men ask Bs, which will probably be at once conceied. At Coromandel the demand for labor has materially increased. That notorious sell, the Green Harp, promises, as the Union Beach, to prove that the men most seriously done were the originators themselves. The gold being got from the winze is both rich, pure, and plentiful— so much so that there is now no doubt they really did at first get all they represented. Bat the men who owned the claim were a loose set, and spent large sums in various flash ways, so' that wb§n they lost the run of gold they were without means to prosecute the search. The consequence was the deliberate Jjoax, by which so many suffered. That the Onion Beach is now one of the favorite aud most promising claims in the Province is clear, and it is likely to cause a resumption of the old activity at Coromandel. The difficulty will be labor, and honest, skilful management, difficulties which are likely to cripple and keep within eomparatjyely narrow.bounds all genuine mining industry for some time." The special correspondent of the Sydney Empiic in his report from the Palmer River rush says :— I will mention a few cases that will give you an idea what men have suffered, which will be only a fraction of what actually has occurred. One party declared they took the girths off their saddle, green hide ones, gleaned them as clean as possible and stewed them, after being three days without food. The same party, when they came to the Normanby River, had to camp several days, when mmy more situated the same as themselves joined together, and between them collected Ll6, and paid it to one of the men that was detained, who had a wretchedly poor horse, described as so poor that you could hang your hat upon his ribs. They killed it for food. Some stewed it. Those who did so generally got the dysentry. Others roasted their portions upon the goals, when the froth that came out of jt was astonishing ; but, on the whole, it was not such bad eating. Another party of three left their horses behind, and, after being several days without food, gave L 5 for what they consumed in one day. At, Auckland, a few days ago, Mr Matthew Fleming lost his life by falling over a precipice. It appears that just about dusk he was going round his farm, accompanied by his wife and an adopred child, and before returning to his house remained watching two of his neighbors attempting to spear fish. He stood at the top of a hill which sloped very abruptly to the beach almost perpendicularly, and was about twelve feet high. The men had a lantern, and it is supposed that the deceased's sight was partly dazzled by the light. His wife observed I that he was standing very close to the edge I and was just on the point of warning him Of his danger, when' that same instant he feji

over its brink : For a short distance he slipped clown on his heels, as tke marks are to be plainly teen on the sides of the cliff, when he appears to have turned over, his head falling under his body, the position in which he was found. The Messrs Kirkbride ran to his assistance, even before the cries of Mrs Fleming had reached them, and carried him to his homn. Ab soon as he was raised it was found that his neck was partially dislocated, and that from the neck downwards his body was quite paralysed. Yet he was perfectly sensible for sixteen hours afterwards, and gave instructions regarding his affairs. Medical aid was at once sent for, and afterwards S. E. Hughes, Esq., solicitor, but Mr Fleming was insensible before the latter gentleman could reach his residence. Curious enough the deceased had called on Mr Hut'hes the week before, and intimated that on his next visit to town he would get him to prepare or alter his will. T^he boy. a child about seven years old, had hold of Mr Fleming's hand at the time he fell, but was quite uninjured. Had Mr Fleming been alone he must have been drowned within half-an-hour, as the tide would by that time have covered the spot where he was lying. Referring to the adulteration practised by publicans, the Hokitika Star says that not many weeks since a Chinaman who sells vegetables in the town, went into a publicbouse in Hokitika, and was served with a pint of beer. As soon as he drank it he became insensible, and op. recovering consciousness, found that a sum of L 2 15s had been taken from him, and this is by no means a solitary instance of "what may happen to a man in Hokitika." The Provincial Secretary of Taranaki lately said in the Council that Tarauaki was the only place in the civilised world where professed Christians did not attend to the wants of the sick and poor, and where the support of the hospital devolved entirely upon the Government. We take the following items of news from the Inangahua/ZeraW: -Dr James, of lloss, has been appointed Surgeon of the Reefton Hospital, vice Dr Bulmer. — Steps are being taken to form a " Miners' Accident Society" at Reefton. — On Wednesday, a man named Samuel Sillcox met with a severe accident He and another were engaged falling a large black birch, when the axe-head used by his mate flew off, and severed the biceps | muscles. The following appeared in the West Coast Times of yesterday : — A story is current, whether well-founded or not, we cannot say, to the effect that one of the members for the Arahura, in the Provincial Council, lately came to serious grief as far as countenance is concerned. The tale runs that the Chair nan of Committees, who prides himself on his athletic prowess, was celebrating Easter Monday at Big Dam, by a wrestling match, in which he was taking a prominent part as ono of the principals. Whilst struggling for victory the member and his opponent suddenly disappeared into a tail-race that ran unfortunately convenient, and the former made such a mess of his face, that it is lucky a week or two has to elapse before the Council meets. We hope the hon. member is uot in training for the next session, for, if so, a higher class, of amusement than he even afforded last time, may be in score, The Can Can dancer 3 who recently came out to Auckland at Government expense have quite shocked the in >rals of the citizens, and the Mayor has, from his place in the City Council, moved— "That a bye-law he made to regulate dancing saloons, sineiug halls, theatres, and other places of public amusetnent. 1 ' Ihe motion was duly stconded and carried, when the Town Clerk was directed to draft a byerlaw in acqordanpe with the resolution, for submission to and approval of the Counpil. This motion arose out of a late very scandalous exhibition at the P'iaoo of Wales Theatre, which gave grave offence against all public sense of propriety. The Premier has had a compliment paid to him by a Poverty Bay shipowner, who has named a smart schooner the "Julius Yogel." We understand that an effort is to be made by the Government to obtain an enumeration of the Maoris in the Colony— as well as the Europeans. As it would be a rather difficult task tq ascertain the numbers of the Maoris in the same way that the numbers of Europeans are obtained, and therefore a schedule will be left at each settlement, instead of one to each bouse — as in the case of the Europeans and their descendants. The results will be obtained before Parliament meets and will doubtless form one of the blue-books tp be presented to that assemblage. In the city of Sydney there are 560 licensed grog shops, and in the colony of New South Wales a fjrand total of 2500 amongst a population of little more than 500,000. The above does not include the number of grog shanties throughout the colony where grog is sold " on the sly." A new manner of catching rats is exciting great interest among the New York householders. A barrel is filled half full of water. A layer of powdered cork is laid on its surface, and over this a Jayer of corn-meal is sifted. A chair and a box or two are placed unobtrusively in the neighborhood, whereby the rat gains the edge of the barrel. He sees nothing but the meal. He has no innate ideas which teach him to beware of the treacherous foundation on which that tempting surface rests. He sniffs, he leaps, and goes gently down through meal and cork to his watery grave. If any of his friends sees see him disappear from the edge of the barrel, they hasten after him to get their share of the plunder, and are in turn taken ju by hospitable death. The. United Service Gazette contains the following';— 'l \fe le^rn that Commodore J. G. Goodenough, in command of the Australian station, has accepted a seat in the Executive Council of New Zealand, but that the Admiralty, not being prepared to recognise such an innovation in connection with the duties <>f an officer commanding a squadron, has requested the übiquitous commodore to resign his new office." In connection with the loss of the schooner Flopa M-'PonaJd on the Manakau bar, there were several narrow "escapes, but thaj; ot a woman going to join her husband at Raglan is the most remarkable. She left Auckland by train, but in mistake took the train which stopped at Ellerelie. She had to return and await the next train to Onehunga. The delay caused her to miss the Flora Macdonald, but saved the lives of herself and baby. A late file of the Tasmanian Tribune, published at Hobart Tqwnj contains the follow: ing item of interest to New Zsaland readers, as referring to a singular gold disoove'y— " The people of Timaru surely are not aware of the wealth lying at their doors. The brig Jane, Captain Westbrook, recently arrived in port with about S'xty tons of shingle ballast, procured from the beach at Timaru. A gentleman, desiring a few loads for his garden walk, had some conveyed to bis residence, and happend to notice a piece of quartz among it. Upon examination, xie found the quartz to be thickly studded with gold. If the reef from which this piece has been detached could be discovered, there woiild certainly bo a rush to Timaru. We think if Mr Evans were to ballast his vessels with quartz like the specimen before us, the timber trade might 6oon pass into other hands."

Our Parna correspondent writes:— "The monotony ef the New River was somewhat disturbed on Tuesday last, not so much on account of the damage that had been caused by the flood, but through a report getting current that actually a rush had taken place to some new ground in the vicinity of Scotch Jock's Creek, a tributary of Cockeye. Report says that a good few claims have been taken up, but full particulars of the ground are not at hand ; in fact, it will be some days before any authentic information can be given, as this part is too patchy to be thoroughly relied on, so often have good prospects been got in one claim, and nothing payable in the adjoining one. However, it is to be hopjd that this will prove an exception to Ihe ■ general rule, for a veritable rush would infuse a little life in mining matters, which have lately become very dull. There is one thing in reference to Scotch Jock's that augur well for tho future, and that is th belief that many miaers hold of it being in the line of the Old EightMile lead, so that gold can be only traced^there is a fair presumption that gool will follow. It has been pretty well demonstrated that the gold running through Mosquito, Cariboo, and No Name terraces has no connection whatever with that of Eight- Mile and that that line would be further back, so there may yet be hopes of something to be found, hence the cause of the present excitement. The sth and 6th April, 1874, will be long remembered in this district as being the days on which the largest floods have ever occurred in the New River. All the low-lying ground alongside of the banks was flooded several feet. The damage done to those who had clearings has been great, fences washed away, and the surface covered with sand and debris, almost necessitating as much work to set it into proper order as when it was in its natural state. Mining has a'so been seriously affected, dams carried away, and in some instances considerable quantities of gold lost. Tramways have also come in for their share of damage, that from Marsden to Paroa was entirely blocked for several feet through a large slip off the terrace, near to Morrisey's, at the junction of the Welshman's track. The Greymouth aud Paroa tram likewise suffered, two or three of the culverts being so injured that they will require to be almost rebuilt. The road near to Paroa also was much damaged, and will have to be repaired immediately if it is to be ot any service, and it should be attended to • immediately, if not, ie will be useless. The various tall-races along the beach also have beea injured, and the only fear is that a good deal more of the sand on the banks will yet come in, and due precaution should be used so tint no accident cnay occur in the future. At about the middle of next year, under the provisions of the Public Health Act, the use of earth-closets will become compulsory iv all towns and villages in the Colony of over 2000 inhabitants, ( f which Greymouth is one. We take the following from the Ross Guardian of Tuesday :— " The indignities the members of the Road Board suffer at the hands of creditors are not at all pleasant. However, wordy warfare can be endured ; but when creditors lay violent hands on member^, and endeavor to take their moneys worth out in punching, this is a little more than good nature can put up with, singular as it may seem, a case of this kind took place in the Road Board Office on Saturday night. Mr Parks, a creditor of the Board, pitched on to Mr Banks, and caught hilr> by the whisker. Mr Banks tried to free himself from the unwelcome gras •, and, in doing so, fell, Mr Parks falling on top of him, at the same time striking Banks a nasty blow on the cheek. The clerk then rushed to the rescue, pulled Parks away, and ejected him from the office." The remnant^ of the Grey Valley Cricket Club were gathered together at Ahaura to play a fngodly match on Good Friday. The sides were cfiosen by Mr W. S. Staite and Dr Phillips respectively, and the wickets were pitched on the old spot in Pothan's paddock. Although the season is far advanced, the ground was in capital order, and the playing was as good as could reasonably be expected at this time of year. The event of thematch was a "splendid catch," made by one of "muffs," who wer« inveigled into the game, with the understanding beforehand, that nothing should happen to them. T;he one who distinguished himself on this Qucasiori by some misadventure got his head where his bat should have be°.n, and received the full force of a straight " shooter" right on the bridge of the nose, sending the unfortunate batsman flying over, as well as off his stumps. The umpire couldn't help giving the bowler a man as well as a wicket, for both lay prostrate for some miuutes. After two or three hoijrs gpod healthy apqrt, the stumps were drawn, and the party, re? turned to town. Advantage was taken of meeting to transact somft little remaining business in connection with the matches last season. There is an announcement in the Auckland papers of the death of Thomas Hanson, of Russell, Bay of Islands, in his 89th year. In the announcement of his death the. following facts are stated, on authority or assumption : -He was the oldest inhabitant in New Zealand, he having arrived here with the first MAsßiu.n in the °,B,th year of his age. He leaves over 9,Q descendants. The manufacture of spirits in this Colony is increasing at a' rapid rate In 1872 the number of gallons taken out of the bonded warehouses for home consumption was 34,60.6 gallons. In J§73 the quantity was 60,478 gallons. These were from the Crown Distillery, in Auckland, and. from the New Zealand Distillery, Dunedin. The article is said to be largely used for" amalgamating " with imported .'iquors— no doubt with the usual effect of mixing new spirit with that which has attained more age.