Miscellaneous Items.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1639, 19 February 1886, Page 4

Miscellaneous Items.

o ;Tb^e i . : Perth (Western. Australia) psjpeVjs iienort r an , interesting libel . aptfon!: .tried iin the Supreme Court; iPiehberg ; and Rogers, a firm of auctioneers^ v. Iho Western Australian newspaper. Tho matter has boon the cTu(c6tno of the rage which exists for l'^nd^, speculation-. The auctioneers 89 me itiiue since nroc-ired for some Jg&OO a *' ribbon" grant of land, some' five miles m length by 200 or 300 ; wide. This they euphoniously christened the •Bay.swfttei EViate, .ajad ;had it pegged out into five : acre allotments. ; Owing to there being no -lithograph «tone m the Colony, large; enough to work up a decent 'piaii!, ' • a pian : was prepared sh ow i h » Jth : 6'"''ribbonVgraht cue' up into three Jaifge ..parcels;^ and though befoi'e the Bale* the anctibneers were careful to explain the * k lay of the ground, yet to .^ii casual ; observer the. plan was ding* The' Western 'lAuftralian was perhaps rather u little ; 't6o ••' severe' iririts ; criticism, and the TiWaT'.i'r^ulted lii a verdict m favour: of the' plaintiffs ' for one iarthing i . damages and.,- cost?. One umusiug gncident ,<inr- connection with the case iisji -.-worth recording, as it rather adds ; ■Sinew phase to the theory of , Miipti";' propounded by Darwin. A jpainter was engaged to depict Bay'swater on calico', this, he did admirably . 'wi£h the ' ; Bid. of bnlliantrboloureil ! jpigruen s.; ■ Fieii.berg, the auctioneer, m giving his; evidence, .stated that i he wished the artms to depict him; 'iri the action of selling the land, "but | the- artist made such a daub of it that! J.Be : (Fiepiberg-V got him to convert the : a tree." " 'AT terrible accident happened on v fhe- ''Eergus Falls branch of the | Northern Pacific railroad, seven miles '■ west of St. Paul, on October 8, by ; •which five men losG their lives and i'3'o.or 40 more were more less injured. Jidiin Robinson's show left Wahpeton, for this place m two sections. When ■within . seven miles of Fergus Fall," toear.a. small place named French, the head, or baggage section brok^e m two while going up a heavy grade, ; ,and 10 or 12 cars went flying back at , a terrific rate. On the rear train were three sleepinjj-cai's Occupied by work-. over 2000 m number all of whom were sound asleep, and not aware of the impending danger. The ,c»rs which had broken loose increased Vtheir. speed as , they approched the 'Second or cage section, an<i probably had run a mile before they struck it..; ... The engineer of the rear section saw ■,the.,cars approaching, but only had <timeto stop his train before it slruck him . The result was soon apparent More than a hundred men were buriod m the debris. The ni^ht was fearfully dark, and the groans of the men were appalling. The people m the rear, sec'ion at once began the work of renioving the men, five of whom were found dead ?■ and many others wounded and bleeding. Word ''Was at once despatched 16 this city, a train at once hastened to the • scene, and the dead and wounded brought to thfe place. The J Work of removing the men from the ''debris, was a sorry task. A man, °alive ' aritl uninjured, was taken from wider two dead ones, and it was simply ''a/miracle that he escaped.