Interprovincial Items.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 767, 7 March 1870, Page 2

Interprovincial Items.

The Dunstan Times gives some very interesting particulars relating to Lake Wakatipu. Its total length is 45 miles, by an average sridjth of 2f miles. The total area may be sot down at 75,000 acres.' The greatest depth is 242 fathoms, or 1,452 foefc more than a quarter of a mile ; and 445 feet below the level of the sea. On its shores there are about 200 Europeans and as many Chinese, the latter engaged «xclu. sively in mining. There are farmers and tfopfc-keepers as well as miners, a brickmaking establishment, and plenty of lime. stone and free-stone. The latter is too hard for building ; but admirably adapted for gravestones, grind-stones, &«. There is plenty of timber for generations to come. The Tuapeka Times gives the following : —On Tuesday afternoon, 15th a serious accident occurred to Mr a miner, who was engaged on John and party's claim, on the Blue Spur. It appears the unfortunate man met with the accident while executing a contract for a tunnel in the above claim. The precise manner in which the keg of powder which was close by his side became ignited, producing very serious wounds and bruises, is only a matter of surmise, as he was working ajone, and a? far as we bar© heard was unable to give any clear explanation of the acciden* It is supposed that while using the handle of his pick as a tamping rod, the iron part of the pick struck a stone ou the roof of the tunnel, producing fire, and ihiit a spaik fell into the keg. l)r Hal.ey, who was iii immediate attendance upon the sufferer, informs us that the injuries consist of extensive burns of the face, arm*, and hands, and a severe scalp wound of four i ch.es in length, and alsj a cut in the shoulder. The doctor supposes the wound to haye caused by the effects of the explosion forcing the man against the roof of the drive. The following interesting instance of the sagacity of a horse is given by the Wanganui Evening Herald :—Captain Hawes, of Wairoa, was riding over his ;arm a i'eiw days jgo, when his attention was drawn to a horsd galloping about in a very peculiar manner. The horse would gallop soma distance ahead in a certain direction, stand still, and then gallop on u<*im. Captain flawed thought. thesonduct of t\\e horse unusual, and at List when they came to the edije of the bush, and t;ie horse went to an opening v.nd commenced whinnying, he imagined there was something wrong. The Captain alighted fpuQ) his horse, a: d proceeded up the bush track, at the entrance of which the horse Was still making the most peculiar signs. He had not proceeded fir before he came upo:: a valuablehorseentaiigledin thesupple jacksi* and locked so firmly in, that, although the skin was abraded from his chest, he was totally unable to extricate himself. Marks' of the most desparate struggling were visible, and about twenty of the supplejack rods had to be cut before the prisoner was released. The horse must have.bpen there at least two days. When he was brought out his Mend who continued to exhibit the most extraordinary emotions, neighed with delight, galloping round him several times. The fidelity of the horse to man has received numerous illustrations, but his faithfulness to his own species never manifested itself more fully than in this instance. The following details of the late fire at Carterton are given by the Wairarapa Mercury of thp 16th ult.: —We regret'Jq have to record a fire —one of the most dis> astrous that has ever taken place in the district, and which has resulted in the destruction of the IVatahi Saw Mills, of five dwelling-houses, of 150,000 feet of timber, and of other valuable property. The fire originated in some embers of a fire that had been lit about a fortnight ago near the Saw Mills, and which was supposed to he extinct. The wind on Monday, however, revived it and it spread with great progress. Mr Anderson, who has been ailing for some time, had barely time to recover his books from the devouring element, and with praiseworthy precaution preserved his rifle, &c., as well. Mr Hughen, a partner in the firm, saved his wife and family, but little else. Mr Beard who was working at Huiuuiorangi at the time, saved his two blankets and a box of clothing, and that and his eight children constitute all his worldly possessions. The house of Mr M'Cormick was fair in the track of the devastating flames and was consumed in a moment, Hjs

house and blacksmith's shop were in flamebefore anything was rescued. A house belonging to Mr Gh Smith situate on Car iter'a Line, but untenanted, was burnt, about noon, being the result of another bush fire; the houses of Messrs Anderson and Challis also caught alight but were saved by the strenuous exertions of the inmates; the house of the former presented a.curious on the following day, the roof being covered witli wet blankets —a most judicious proqeding when sparks are being blown about in all directions. The ea laraity we are recounting is no trifling one ; The damage is estimated at over £2,000, and in many instances it will take the sufferers years to recover the loss. A -contract for supplying Government with telegraph poles, had only recently been taken by the energetic proprietors of the mills,.and of course this accident will compel them to work harder in order to complete their contract in time. They happened fortunately to have been making some repairs to the engine, and the boiler ; wus full of water, so that portion of the machinery is uninjured. A. dray also had passed unscathed through the flames, with the exception of the pole, which is slightly burnt. The bridge over the creek was also completely destroyed, and yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon (he spectacle was most disastrous ; the fire in the bush .was still raging, and each settler regarding it with dismay, was asking his neighbor wh.ere it was going to stop. To travei over the site where the buildings stood is anything but pleasant. Mr M'Cormick's house is known by the chimney, and his shop by a pile of old horse shoes. The .engine stands solitary among the ashes of the mill, and here and there one comes across bullock chains, bows, camp ovens. &c, &c. The whole of the consumed property was uninsured, and we trust that the members of the community will ahow their sympathy for the sufferers by raising a subscription in their aid. Jbew who have not practically experienced the loss can imagine how severe a trial it is to coin inence the world afresh, like Mr Beard i'oi instance, with a pair of half-charred blankess and eight email children. We fed sure that cuiye one w.il take the matter up, and render aid to thoac who are in such distress. A Southern contemporary gives a-i interesting description of an attempt to investigate the head wutt-rs of the Shotover. Hitherto, the inhospitable nature of the region in which the river takes its rise lias deterred the prospectors from pursuing their searches, and the accounts we now he*'' ol it an; not calculated to attract a large population to its banks. To the highest poi it ut which diggers are at work provisions are brought weekly on horseback a distance of about eighteen miles. In the winter months the frost is so intense that work must be abandoned. The parties, however, remain on the ground, and as the scrub is plentiful contrive to make themselves tolerably comfortable. The average yield of gold all the yeaj? round pays well. A curious description is given .of a mining pioneer of civilization in this lonely country :—" About seven miles up the left-hand branch, amidst some of the wildest country that could possibly be imagined, an old Yankee soldier has taken lip his abode for the last five or' six years. He knocks out a living by fossicking about the crevices, and the only intercourse he maintains with the outer world is once every year, when he makes an excursion to Queenstown. He is known by the cogno men of ' Caribou/' and it is said that he never visits Queenstown without leaving bis impress upon the. circulating medium of the place, thereby showing that on the left-hand branch of the river a bit of gold is to be picked up. He packs his tucker from the Junction on his own back, and some idea of the fastnesses amidst which he lives may be gathered from the fact that in going to and from his abode he has to crawl on all-fours. Despite the solitary life ho lives, he is described.as a 'jolly old coon ' living in a good stone hut, amidst plenty of scrub for firewood. Old Caribou is the last vestige of settlement on this branch of the river. In fact, to get beyond his dwelling, it is necessary to leap from rock to roek, at the imminent risk of falling down precipices, in some places hundreds of feet deep." The Evening Post of the 4th inst. says: —The Rangatira brought from Napier this morning two hundred bales of flax for shipment by the Melita. It is of very superior quality, and appears to be the best packed of any on the wharf.

The New Zealand Herald, 16th ult., has the following announcement: —" Some few days ago, Mr Duncan furnished information to Mr M'JJean, Defence Minister, and his Honor the Superintendent respecting the sale of arms and ammunition tu the natives at the Upper Thames. He asked what reward the Government would give to any persons giving such informa tion as would lead to the detection of the parties supplying such arras and ammunition. The reply from the Defence Minister .stated that steps were being taken to prevent the illicit traffic, and that the Government would always be glad to reed re information on the subject. The reply from his Honur the Superintendent was to tile effect that a liberal reward would be given to any one supplying in formation which would lead to the conviction of any one supplying arms and ammunition to natives." Mr M'Lean (says the Wellington Advertiser) appears, then, to have shirked the question of what reward would be given. Not so the new Superintendent." Look on this picture and on that." Our telegram, received on Saturday evening, mentions the arrest of the escaped prisoner Henry Williams. From tbeEvenmg -Post of the 3rd March, which arrived by tht Rangatira last night, we quote the following: —"It will be remembered that three prisoners effected their escape from Napier Jail a short time ago. One ol them was captured afterwards at Wallingt'ord, in Jiawke'a Bay the other tw.o having been traced in this directionThe police in the country districts were warned, and have kept a sharp look-out ever since. Prom information received that one of them—Henry Williams, sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for horsestealing—had been seen going in the direction of the Rimutuka, Constable Lyster, of the Upper Hutfc, commenced a very active search in that iocality, and after being out three days in the hills and gullies, succeeded in capturing him yesterday morning about 9 o'clock. Constable Lyster deserves great credit for his perseverance and skill, as well as pluck. Williams was known to be a very determined man, and it was quite as likely us not that he might have been armed, unci offer a dangerous and formidable resistance." Willi.ms arrived in Napier last night by the Kangalira, and was taken in charge by Mr In spector Scully. The Wanganui Herald says : —" On Wednesday evening a pig, the property of Mr J. Reid, broke out of his stye, and was straying away towards the sandhills, when it met a little child named Igoe. It first knocked the child down, and then began to bite it about the legs and body. The police hearing of the matter chased the pig, and eventually caught and killed it. We are glad to hear that the child is recovering. At the Police Court, Auckland, recently, a woman named Eyres preferred a charge of using threatening language against her husband. On the case being investigated, the "language" usei turned out to be very strong indeed. The husband, assisted by one Paddy, had tied his wife's arms and legs together with a clothes-line, and then told her that he would have her life. He wan bound over to keep the peace for six months. We learn from the Evening Star that on the 20th ult., a very severe flood occurred in the Hokitika River. More damage has been done by it than by any previous one, damage which in many cases is irreparable. The racecourse has been rendered useless j the grand stand booths were swept away and carried out to sea In the afternoon all the Low-lying streets were underwater, and in Tancred and Hamilton-streets boats were in request to enable parties to leave their houses. A numerously-signed advertisement appears in the Evening Post of the 4th ins't., calling a public meeting for Thursday next, to consider the case of Walter Tricker, now under sentence in Wellington Jail. The following Dunedin telegram, dated 3rd March, appears in the Evening Post: —A crushing at the Carrick reef yielded l|ozs. to the ton. A new line of steamers between Epgland and Otago, via Magellan -traits, projected ; the vessels to be 2,000 tons 5 the line connecting South America with theSfcraits; the voyage to be performed in 40 days. Captain Duncan, of Port Chalmers, is offered the command of the tirst ship j Captain Thomson, of the William Cargill, coming second. Only one tender received for the Clutba Railway,

A Canterbury paper says that Mr "Waa. G-reig, of Eyreton, died suddenly on the evening'of Sunday, the 27th ult. On the previous diiy he appeared to be in perfect health, and was engaged at hia usual work ; on Sunday morning he complained of bein<? unwell, and became worse towards evening, when medical nssistance was sent for to Kaiapoi, but he died the same night. It is believed that his death was occasioned by a severe attack of English cholera. Over twenty different parties, varying from two to five men each, are engaged on the beaches near the Race-course Hotel, near Charleston, washing black sand. Some of them are making as much as £l2 a week per man, while all are earning more than wages. The Nelson Evening Mail understands that .a circular has been addressed by Mr Darnell, Commissioner of Crown Lands, to the purchasers of land at Wangapeka, informing them that, in consequence of the General G-overnment having expressed their opinion that the land was, at the time the sale was effected, within the boundary of the South-West Gold-fields, he is unable to proceed with the preparation of the Crown Grants.