INTERPROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 94, 21 April 1881, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

I DiSABTR6fs!FIRB IN AUCKKAND.

?■" '. AtJCKi-AND, Thursday. At three o'clock this morning a disastrous fire -broke out in Queen-street, the scene being a block decupled by Mrs Coaler (milliper); While (tobacconist), Cole (basket-, maker), Maaon Brothers (hairdressers), T. Harris (tobacconist), and Patterson's store aud stables. Constable Dewe3, who was on duty at the wharf, said tbe fire suddenly burst out as an explosion, and immediately the whole, iPf -the shed near Whitehead's bowling saltibn w,ae in fiatnesu It Could not be reached from r Queen-btreet, and the constable could do but little. The Fire Brigade was quickly out,- and played on the premises, but before they had got well to work Harris' and Mason's sljops in Queen-street were in a blatfe. The ~Aucklftnd Savings Bank adjoining was in great dangei?, fttld evety effort was made to keen the fire back from it. After a great struggle the ire in Mason's and Harris' was got under, and the Bank was thus safe, 'but .meantime the fire had spread in another direction, Catching in turn Whitehead's, Cos eTB, Patterson's stables, and Payne's, watchmaker. The nest effort | was to p'iit tn»;flre out in Payne's sh^p, which had been cleared of goods by "fche Salvage Corps, ana iuC Brigade succeeded by chopping dowu t&e partition anJ S copious supply of water. The buildings between tne -?- ank and fayne^fc shop, beiug all o\i wooden structures, -tare 'contiilualJ? bfeaklng cut j afresh, and the firemen had great difficulties "to cpntend wjtji awing to the falling beams, having to wbrK tindfefheath ttie Verandahs. A small hosiery establishment ignited from the sparfta, but yUs. put oat before much darbage tv^s done: Foriunately. there were no norses in 'the stabled. Mt Httle or nothing was, saved from any of the shops except Payne'fl. The fire burned brightly for over two hours, when the scene was amass of smouldering ruins. The Bank of New Zealand* half-yearly report shows a net profit of £764464) balance . from last, half year, £28,337; total for division, .&}3<§ol. A dividend and bonus, fifteen pet cent, £?5,000; balance by profit and loss, £24,801. The report was adopted Tbe residence . of Mr Hancock, of the United SerVice Hotel at Epsom, was totally' destroyed by the explosion of • kecosine lamp. - ! Wbixinoton, Wednesday. At the Magistrates' Court this afternoon John Henry Whitelaw, Superintendent of the Mount View Asylum was committed for trial for -ill'treatment of a patient named M'lntosh Ba|L was fixed at himself: in £30') and two sureties tit £150 each. Accused, however,. was unable to obtain, bail, find was 'conveyed to gaol. Instructions have been issued to the Deputy Property/Tax Commissioners throughout the Colony, to take proceedings against defaulters '. '■• '\~ •:- . , , ; 7 '„.■'.; Thursday. In consequence of the danger attached to passing through tbe French Pass, the cap tains of the vessels" in p6rt are dtawing up a petition to the Ministerial Head of the Marine Department to take immediate steps to bare Buitable lights erected where required, i The barque Crownthorpe, 133 days from London, is at the Heads. .; r Hawbra, Wednesday. I Sir William has inserted a notice in the Star cautioning persons against dealing in Native lands' in the West Coast district, stating that all such transact ibos ate null and hoid, arid nb consideration wilt be them by Governmeni if entered on before regulations made by Act of Parliament. f .. ;•' *. Wednesday- night. '. The Tararua", Captain Garrard, left Sydney at9p.m onthe^Uth irist and experienced light freshWariaWe 'winds, and flna weather, and arrived at Russell at 6 a.m. -^On Sunday the 17th inst.ft cbild.six montha old, named Mary Atkinj died .in convulsionsj and was buried at efia ike sanie day. At 5 pip. on 1 the 19th iost whenoni the Nofth Cape she ran down to the.brig Wild Wave of Sydney in answer to < Sfgnals. She hailed her, • and i found her tinder a jury rudder and short of water. : She sent a boat and Captain Hurley came on board- and reported having left ; Kaiapoi on Thursday the Hth bound for i Melboufne; ' The wind died away when on j 1 the bar and the ship becattie 1 Unmanageable and drifted on tbe North Spit, the sea making i a clean breachover her and sweeping off the deck everything moveabJe, water tanks, &c, \ aod staving in the boats. She drifted over, the spit carrying [away her rudder and [after getting clear he rigged a jury rudder with the main boom and part of the deck cargo. The vessel was now manageable requiring no assistance, but wanting water and is making for the Bay of Istands or Auckland. He supplied her with water and at 6 p.m. proceeded to Russell. Wangandi, Wednesday. An architect named Thomas Peake was found dead in his house last night. It is supposed he had a fit. He leaves a widow and family in Cbristchurch. ' The hunting^ season commences in Wanganui on the first Saturday in May. Mr. Bradley of Otago assumes, the mastership, his pack of hounds and the local pack being amalgamated. i . Gkbtmouth, Thawday. ; Further particulars have been received of the murder me at Larry's Creek. The deceased's stUH'was so battered as to expose the braid, Rna;splintera from tht) stock of a g!un show the force of the blow. McGahey, .it U thought; fired^rst at Bell, »nd missed him. McGahey^had been minted ;U years without haying!: cause to doubt hii wife's fidelity. AbbWt'two years ago it wiw rumored that she attempted to poison him, but nothing came of ;.thie i ;rfe^6|rt: Subsequently she ac» cused him of violating an adopted daughter, but medical examination showed the; allegation w«s, ujffonnded. : Mrs McGahey soon after this began complaining of the hardship o^ h~er married life, and the cruelty she wbb epdiring. Some of her sympathisers procured her resD'ectable situations, but these she threw up/and placed herself, under the protection ofrßeli .(the deceased.) The inqjuest was adjourned without taking evicfence. ;.;!' A fatal accWent occurred near the race j course. John^ Harris, a carrier from Westport, was taking his wagon full of men, women, and young children over an old cnlvert .when, just as the bones got across; the culyerfci give' way 'dragging the horses back and falling upon tbe driver at tbe same time and precipitating the wagon full of j people into the creek. All tbe children and adults got out uninjured, and after some j difficulty the^ driver was found under the horse, but all efforts to restore animatioa iailed. : ! , Nbtvt Pitmouth, Thursday. i Messrs Parris and Rennall, accompanied by Hone Panama, left by the Ilawea for Lyttelton, D. unedin, and Hokitika. The object of their visit is in conpectioa with the liberation of the Maori prisoners, which, it is understood, will take place jf Messw Parris and Rennall report favorably to the Government as to the state of mind in which the prisoners are al present, and whether they will be likely to maintain good order if liberated. iOoloneljTrl'mble addressed the :=eftctdrs at Iriglewobd aiid spoke in favor of the/present Gqvernnierit.2 A vote of "confldirice wa»: carried. , , „,,,. {