INTERPROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 169, 17 July 1880, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

CHKisTCHimcH, Saturday. The twelve hours' walking match between Swan and O'Connor is fixed for the 3 1st July. Efforts are being made to organise a 24 hours' walking tournament. A strong north-west wind prevailed all last night, hut veered round to the southwest this morning, and it is now raining very heavily. The rain is very welcome to the farmers. Napier, Saturday. The party especially selected to visit and report upon, the Mohaka quartz reefs returned to-day and Ibrought back a quarter of a ton of stone and lodged it iv the Bank of New Zealand for transmission to Auckland for crushing and testing. The party reports that quartz reefs undoubtedly have been discovered of auriferous character, but the gold is extremely fine and must be treated as such, requiting a large capital aud much perseverance. . New Plymouth, Saturday. The schooner Edith Reid which went ashore in the WV.tara River is reported to he: breaking up, and is ? : kely to become a total wreck. A fatal accident occurred at Stratford yesterday, where two men were falling busb, when hy some mischance one of them fell to the ground just as his fellow workman's axe was descending. The axe struck his head, fracturing the Bkull and causing instantaneous death. The men are Italians. The inquest will be held to-day. The Edith Reid is having her cargo discharged, and it is thought she may be got off jjfnext tide, hut a north >asterly wind is blowng which may prove disastrous to her. Kutr>°ra, Friday night. The inquest on the boc'y of John Phelan commenced this morning at 10 o'clock, and terminated at noon, when the following verdict was returned: — "Tbtt the deceased John Phelan was Buffocnted by a fall of earth in the sludge channel, and that the accident was caused by the giving way of the false set of timber in the face of the drive," to which the jury added the following rider :— "We are of opinion that short sets are useless, and we recommend the use of intermediate sets at every third set, and that the sets, should go across the drives, and also that the legs shoi'-'d be twelve by eight inches. £

Blenheim, Friday night, the 'Wool pack Inn at Ren wick Town, occupied by George Stevenson, was burnt down on Thursday night. The origin is unknown but the fire is supposed to have broken out in one of the bedrooms. There were twenty persons in tho house at the time. The occupants were greatly excited and a num> ber of them jumped from the windows sustaining slight injuries. One man, named Moses Carfcwright, was burnt to death, and tour others were injured. It is surmised that Carhvrigbt was not acquainted with the passages leading from the staircase to the exterior, and when awukened must have taken the wrong turn aud continued straight on into the kitchen and been suddenly brought up by the wall. The confusion which would naturally ensue in his mind, and the smoke, which, it may be presumed, filled the apartment, combined to bring about his destruction, and he must have fallen and been either suffocated or burnt to death as his remaius were found on the floor. The insurances were as follows : — On the building £300 iv the Union, £100 in the National, aud £250 iv the New Zealand. On the furniture ; £200 in the Union and £50 in the New Zealand ; on the stock-in-trade £100 in the Union, and on the stable £100 in the same office. On the billiard table £120 in the Victoria. Total £1220.