The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 63, 13 March 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1880.

A meeting of citizens is called for Monday evening next at the Council Chamber, for the purpose of considering the proposal of the City Council to borrow £4000 for the following purposes: — Building a cart bridge over the Maitai in the place of the dilapi dated structure that now connects the two river banks in Collingwood street ; building a new cart bridge over the Brook-street stream iv Nile-street ; building a culvert in St. Vincent street ; and re-building or repairing the foot-bridges over the Maitai. As the whole of these works are much needed, and it is proposed to pay the interest out of the general rates, the proposal will probably be agreed to without a dissentient voice. We would call attention to Mr Pownall's advertisment which appears elsewhere, in which he announces his intention of opening a singing class in the Masonic Hall on Monday evening. We have only to point to the success achieved by Mr Pownall at the Port, as an assurance of his ability as a musical teacher. Mr Mabin reports the sale by auction on Thursday of the cargo of cattle ex steamer Patea from Patea. Bullocks realised £8 5s to £10, being about 22s Gd per !OOlbs; cows (dry), £7 103; heifers, £6 15s to £7 ss. The Congrpe'ational Church, to which some extension aiditior.s have recently been been made, thus largely extending the accommodation required by the rapidly increasing congregation, will be re-opened to-morrow, when sermons will be preached in the morning by the Rev W. Fell, and in the evening by the Rev J. Beckenham. A children's service will be held at 3 p.m. A tea and public meeting will he held on Tuesday. The Customs receipts for the week ending 13th March, 1880, amounted to £1055 15s sd. We heve received numerous and perfectly justifiable complaints of the absence from our columns yesterday and the day before of any information respecting the Wanganui races, in which a large amount of interest is taken in sporting circles all over the colony. It is exceedingly annoying to be placed in this position but the entire blame rests with the Press Association, which is paid to supply us with news from all parts of the colony, but has, in the present instance, grossly neglected its duties. We are also entitled to complain of having received no informa tion regarding the serious accident to the steamer Te Anau, of which we bad heard nothing, although she had, ou Thursday evening, returned to the Bluff in a disabled condition, having lost the fans of her propeU j Jer while or 6 passage to Melbourne, Wo

are frequently deluged with the most uninteresting rubbish in the shape of telegrams, many of which are almost daily consigned to the waste paper basket a3 not being worth publishing, while events of rSal interest such as those referred to above, are left unnoticed. Messrs Sharp and Pickering sold by auction to day on account of the mortgagees — Lot 1, agricultural lease dated Ist January; 1880, of 85 acres 3 roods oh the Grey Road, with hotel thereon, formerly known as Mclnerney's, for £150 ; and, Lot 2, Crown lease of 40 acres 28 perches, Buller Eoad, and agricultural lease dated Ist October, 1879, of 107 acres 3 roods, 2f perches, Btiller Road, for £250. The Marlborough Times has the following with regard to the discovery of gold in the Wairau Valley, reported by telegraph a few days ago : —We continue to hear of parties being out gold-prospecting in the upper part of the valley of the Wairau. A short time ago, Messrs Litchfield and Son purchased at their store at Renwicktown about eight ounces of heavy nuggety gold, intermixed with quartz, which was brought in by persons working on the Wairavi fiHe of the dividing range, but at what precise spot was not stated. A party of thirteen, who crossed over the range a week ago from the Wakamarina, are said to have obtained good prospects. There appears as yet nothing to justify a rush, but from the fact that enquiries have been made as to where miners' rights can be obtained, and that some owners of land have been complaining of their property being trespassed on by gold seekers fossicking about, we judge that "something is doiug," and hope that payable gold will be found. On Friday last Mr Litchfield purchased another small quantity of gold from the same locality, and lodged it in the Bank of New Zealand. There were stated to be between twenty and thirty miners working in a small gully, on or near Mr Bell's run, with fair prospects up to the end of last week. From time to time gold has been found on the Wairau side of the dividing range, as well as on the Wakamarina aiae, aM the probabilities are that there is an important gold-bear-ing reef in the locality, bnt so far many years' searching has failed to " strike it." As we have said previously, there appears nothing to warrant a rush, but at the same time it is quite on the cards that a payable goldfleld may yet be developed, and if should be the case, a great stimulus will be given to the prospects ot this highly favored distriot. The followiug account of the late exploBion in the Brunner coal mine is from the Grey River Argus : — On Wednesday afternoon last a serious accident occurred at the Brunner coal mine. Shortly after 2 o'clock Mr Elliott, the manager, in company with Mr Broadfoot, was busy making preparations with the turbine to resume work on the following morning, and, while doing so, Broadfoot, who is not a practical miner, raised his candle to ascertain how the fan worked, when the. foul air, which had been generating, exploded, scattering the men, who were at work in the other parts of the mine, in all directions, but withont inflicting auy serious injuries. Mr Elliott and Mr Broadwood were not so fortunate, and the latter was severely burnt and bruised all over his body. He managed, however, to ! walkoutof the drive, and was broughtdown to Greymouth in a canoe, and taken to the Hospital. For some time the fate of Mr Elliot was uncertain, and it was feared that he had been suffocated by the after damp. However, shortly afterwards, Mr Elliot (who, it appears, had the presence of mind to throw himself on his face in a water-course directly he saw the fire) was discovered by some of the miners, and brought out, when it was ascertained that, although severely burnt, he was not seriously injured. The force of the explosion was such as to shake the houses in the immediate neighborhood. It is not often that we have to record any accident in our mines, as every precaution is taken, and the ventilation, especially in the Bruuuer mine, is as complete as it is possible to make it. No injury is done to the mine, so that no stoppage will be occasioned. We regret to announce that Broadfoot died from the effects of his injuries on Thursday afternoon at half-past two o'clock. The Cromwell Argus of Tuesday, Feb. 24, says:— lt is exactly twelve months last Sacurday since the Kaitangata colliery accident occurred. The subscriptions at the time amounted to £15,804 15s Id, and on July Bth trustees were appointed to provide alimony for the relatives of the deceased. Since that time four children have been added to the number of orphans to be provided for, there have been no deaths, and four of the widows have re-married. The Executive Committee pays £54 10s fortnightly as alimony; the total up to the present time £1,464 19s 6d. |