The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1420, 21 April 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.

The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council is appointed for this evening. The contractors for the deviation of the road from Kmnara to Westbrook commenced work to-day, and had men engaged in grubbing stumps in First street, opposite the brewery. It is to be re-

gretted that the plan of the work has not been prepared upon a different system, as the formation will be only sixteen feet wide, while the road, (or rather track) will be only metalled for a width of eight feet. Of course this means that it must be widened afterwards, but this will cause a much larger outlay than would have been the case had full width been included in the original contract. There was but a moderate attendance at the Adelphi Theatre last evening, to benefit Messrs Marshall and Smythe, the professional actors. The nautical drama of “ Ben Bolt” was, however, well produced, the principal characters being even better sustained than on the occasion of the play being performed on the 25th ult. To-morrow evening, by requisition of miners and residents on the Education Reserve, a public meeting is called by Iris Worship the Mayor “to consider the new regulations relative to the occupation of the Education Reserve for mining and other purposes.” The importance of this question to the townspeople and miners should bring together many debaters. The winning numbers in Cameron’s consultation on the Christchurch Great Autumn Handicap are to hand, and may be seen at either Gilbert Stewart’s or the Kumara hotels. The Great Monster “Oracle” Company at Melbourne announce in another column having commenced operations on the V.R.G. Spring Meeting, which includes, fis a matter of course, the Melbourne Cup. The amount for division amongst nonstarters in the races this year differs slightly from that of last year, being materially increased for those events which have very large entries. “The Oracle” offers special prizes for early applicants, which will be paid in full when 5000 shares have been applied for. Dr. Farrelle died at Nelson yesterday morning. He proceeded thither last week after a very successful pecuniary professional tour along the West Coast, and was purposing to return to England afterwards. The Argus says of him : “ Dr. Farrelle had been for many years a sufferer from a complication of ailments, and from the insidious effects of which all his own medical skill was unavailable in prolonging his days. Constitutionally he was weak in his heart, and liable at any day to fall a victim to that treacherous disease ; while to asthma he was a perfect martyr. Strange to say Dr. Farrelle was very successful in prescribing for asthma in other people, often giving great relief if not effecting a complete cure, when other practitioners had failed to give any relief to the same patients; Deceased was undoubtedly clever in many branches of his profession, but was somewhat eccentric in demeanour at times.” An accident, whereby Mr W. Deakin, a well-known livery stable keeper, lost his life, happened on the Christchurch racecourse last Monday. It appears that during the Hack Race, Deakin attempted to cross the course, and the horse, being close to him in the straight, he was knocked down. Dr. Prins was quickly on the spot, but at once pronounced life to be extinct. The third day’s racing at Hokitika yesterday is said to have been very enjoyable, though only two events are reported by the morning paper. The first was a Hurdle Handicap, for which there were five acceptances ; distance, a mile and ahalf. Hero won the race by a length, beating the other four starters—Tout, Bat, Kensington and Whalebone, in the order named. The Consolation was won by The Field (9st 101 b) beating her only opponent Native (6st 41b) somewhat easily. Respecting the match between Mr Gallagher’s Lillipie and Mr Moonlight’s Dandy, the Reefton Herald says :—“There was a large attendance, about four hundred people being on the ground. Owing to a mishap Dandy was beaten easily, having dislocated his shoulder at a sharp turn in the course early in the race.” We (Otago Daily Times) have been shown a most ingenious little calculating machine, recently patented by Mr Leonard Stowe, of Wellington, by which it is alleged that additions of pounds, shillings, and pence can be made with surprising celerity, far exceeding anything that can be done by the quickest calculator. The machine is enclosed in a small mahogany box about 15 inches by 9. Three rollers worked by brass handles are covered at regular intervals with figures and enclosed by a plate of glass. At one end of the box is a brass plate with holes, through which figures appear either on turning a small button alongside the holes, or at intervals on turning the rollers. The figures under the brass plate having been

put at 0, the rollers are turned in a particular manner to the numbers required to be added, and the answers come out in shillings and pence or pounds and shillings as the case may be. The machine requires some practice in using it, but is simple enough to be easily understood. The calculator, under the name of the “ New Patent Adding Machine,” has been brought out in London by Messrs Stowe Bros., of 32 Essex street, Strand. The Nelson Colonist reports some tall scoring in firing for M‘Gee’s medal last Tuesday week, when Gunner Wimsett made a possible at the 500 yards range on the Wimbledon target, and the following morning, in firing a private match, the same man made a possible at the 400 yards range, on each occasion these being the longest ranges. A Dunedin lady correspondent has courteously favored us (Morning Herald) with the following conundrum:—“ Q. What is the difference between MiBracken [editor of the Saturday Advertiser] and Mr Macdermott [solicitor] ? A. The one courts the Muses, and the other ’muses the Courts.” New York’s public schools cost last year 10,300,000d01. The Illustrated London News says a coin over 1000 years old was recently unearthed in Marsh street, Walthamstow (England). This coin belongs to the reign of Alfred the Great. The milling on it was as clear and distinct as one of George the First’s reign, which was found near the same place, although there was nearly 900 years difference in the dates of the two coinages. The rare phenomonen of an inverted rainbow was observed at a Prussian town recently. The ends of the semicircle, the centre of which was the sun, rose and moved westwards with the latter for some thirty minutes, when the appearance vanished. A Petaluma farmer has a potato digger with which a man with a span of horses can dig from 200 to 250 sacks a day, according to the yield and lay of the ground. It requires about eight men to pick up, sack, and stow away the potatoes. The other night in San Francisco, while Mr Moody was dilating on the gratifying result of his preaching, and his approaching departure for other fields of labor, a rough-looking listener in the gallery said : “ Where are you going Mr Moody?”— “I am going to heaven,” said the evangelist promptly > “ and I’ve been on the way for twenty-two years.”—“Well, if you’ve been on the road to heaven all that time, and havn’t got any further than ’Frisco, you had better give it up, pard.”—And the great exhorter joined in the audible smile as Mr Sankey led off with “Inching Along.” A laughable circumstance once took place upon a trial in Lancashire, where the Rev. Mr Wood was examined as a witness. Upon giving his name, Ottiwell Wood, the Judge, addressing the reverend person, said ; “Pray, Mr Wood, how do you spell your name ?” The old gentleman replied : “O double T I double U E double L, Double U, Double O, D.” Upon which the astonished lawyer laid down his pen, saying it was the most ex-traordinai-y name he had ever met in his life, and after two or three attempts, declared he was unable to record. The court was convulsed with laughter. For list of prizes in a grand art-union at Hokitika see fourth page.— [Advt.] ( To those in search of merriment, visit S. S. Pollock’s, and obtain the great Irish song “The Babies in our Block,” , 0 r “Little Sally Waters”; price sixpence. [Advt.]