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Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 79, 19 February 1877, Page 2

As may have been seen by our Boat* man's mining report on Friday last, the prospects of the Hopeful mine are once more ia the ascendency. After the last crashing sharea went down in value considerably, without realty the smallest reason, and for some weeks were quoted as low as £2 15s. During the past ten days they have been going up in price ateadily, and now stand at £4, with every piospect of the maximum price being again reached before long. Since the last crushing certain works have been carried out in the mine to test the reef at a, lower level, and ifc was the fear of the reef not holding as it deepened which caused the shares to fall, but as it has aow been proved that so far from any falling off either in the extent or richness of the lode in the deep level, it has improved very much, and hence the renewal of confidence in the mine. Elsewhere we publish the list of sub* acribers to the Williams Relief Fund,

Williams, it will bo remembered, was killed at the Golden Fleece Company's works by a landslip some months ago The total sum realised is £.145 10s. The company behaved most handsomely in the matter, contributing a sum of £50, whicli was still farther supplemented by liberal subscriptions from the directors and officers of the company. Great praise is due to MrUJohn Trennery, the company's manager, for the energy he has displayed in the interest of the fund, for to his exertions may be largely attributed the scuceß9ful result of the relief move-^ ment. Mr Matthew Byrne met with a rather serious accident on Wednesday night last. He was in the act of stepping across the ditch which runs parallel with the Buller road, when he missed his footing and fell into the ditcb, a depth of four feet, his aide coming in contact with the and of a log. Succour being at band, he was removed to a place of safety, and Dr Martin being called in pronounced one rib broken, but beyond this, we. are happy to say, no other injury was sustained. Persons holding subscription lists in aid I of the Campbell Belief Fund are requested | to forward lists and contributions to Mr ( A. M'Kay, the treasurer of the fund J Black's Point, or to deposit them at the Bank of New Zealand, Beefton, not later than the 23th instant. The Italian Gully Company has cleaned up after a crushing of 114 tpns of stone, the yield being 109 ozs 9 dwts of melted gold, or an average of nearly an ounce to the ton. The return although not quite so high as some over sanguine persons have expected, is.' nevertheless remarkably good, considering that the bulk of the stone was taken promiscuously from the mine, and there is, not the least doubt that as the mine is opened up that richer stone will be forthcoming. What may be spoken of as the first bush fire of the season occurred on the northern outskirts of the town on Friday last. It did no damage to property, but consumed several cords of firewood which had been split and stacked ready for thecarters. A correspondent elsewhere directs the attention of the schoolmasters, parents, and the police to the depredations of I youthful Reefton upon the fruit gardens 1 around the suburbs. No later than yesterday one garden on the Buller road was broken into by a number of children, chiefly girls, and entirely cleared of fruit (peaches), the branches of the tree being broken off, and, in fact, the most wanton destruction committed. It is really time | that these young offenders received a most pronounced caution. A movement is being set on foot in Reef ton to establish, a Rifle Company. The names of between thirty and forty [ members, mostly men of previous experience in military drill, have already been enrolled, and as soon as the required number is made up the necessary application will be forwarded to the authorities at Wellington for the requisite sanction of the Governor. There should be np difficulty whatever in raising a company in Beefton of nearly one hundred men, and with the facilities at band for the erection of rifle butts, &c, the movement ought to meet with the warmest encouragement. The quantity of amalgam for the last week collected from the plates on Saturday last by the Wealth of Nations Company, was 42& ozs 5 dwts;. and from. the berdans 39 ozs 16 dwts. ! The truth of the ancient adage which says that " a guilty conscience needs no accuser," has recently been verified in Reefton. Some time during Friday night lest, a tremendous crash was heard in the neighborhood of Central Broadway^ The few "late birds" and "Rollicking Rams" who happened to be abroad at that hour (about 2 a.m.) rushed towards the spot to ascertain the cause of all the uproar, but nothing could' be seen or heard to give a clue to the unaccountable downfall. Daylight, however, cleared up the mystery, for the boarded footway in the vicinity of Mr Brennan's office was found to- have fallen in. For a length of time.no one could account for the mishap, but that' it had been caused through some unusual pressure was evidence from the manner in which the whole woodwork was splintered. After a while the footprints of a cow or bullock were detected in the soft mud- below, and it was then evident how the breakage had' occurred. The worker of the damage must have bad a rather rough fall, as the drop from the footpath is about 12 feet, and now the truths of the adage comes in, for while the repair of the damage was being considered, Mr Smith, our respected dairyman, appeared upon the scene with a load of timber and all the necessary tools, and soon restored the footpath. Mr Smith's bull weighs J. - hundredweight.