INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4305, 7 January 1875, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

OTAGO. Dodd, late second mate of the Oneco, says the Times of the 16th instant, who was discharged from gaol on Monday, in accordance with the ruling of the Court of Appeal in his case, had the wagss due to him from his ship paid him when he left the gaol. The money had been placed by the captain of the Oneco in the hands of Messrs. Sievwright and Stout, and Dodd received a pleasant surprise when his money was handed to him intact—no fee being charged for defending him in the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal—to enable him to reach hia home. Dodd is a native of Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, and has an aged mother dependent on him for her support. Such an act as we have mentioned does not often occur on the part of the legal profession in Dunedin. The " Queen's Drive " will henceforth bo a household word in Otago. 'When the first sod of the Ocean Beach Railway was turned, on Wednesday (remarks the Times) the attention of the assembled multitude was naturally directed to the broad cleanly-cut avenues alongside. A full chain in width is the Queen's Drive, and, unlike the longitudinal bogs which pass for roads in "most private towmhips, the main street of Musselburgh has been pitched and metalled throughout, whilst the deep' ditcheß on either side effectually drain the surface. It will certainly become the principal road to the beach, and its proximity to the railway which is being rapidly pushed

forward must.render this charmingly-situated village a favorite residence. We understand that Mr. Proudfoot purposes planting poplars and other trees along the drive. i"woy ea ra hence not a rood will be unoccupied. Ihe sale of sections by Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Co. will come off shortly, when no doubt there will bean eager competition for choice lots.

NELSON. The high framing which crosses Lanlcey s Creek, being part of the Wealth, of Nations Water-race, gave way on the last biuiuay in December. As this structure was erected some two years ago, it is thought that the sleepers may have rotted.. The height from the creek is 92ft., and it is five chains in length. ! It is the intention of the directors at once .to j proceed and make good the breakage with malleable iron rivetted pipes. An accident, fortunately attended with no serious consequences, occurred on the Grey Biver. While one of the coal boats was towing up, and at one of the worst falls between the town and the mines, the tow rope snapped, and a portion of it struck the horse driver on the back "of the head, precipitating him into the stream. He was carried over the tall, but providentially passed alongside the boat, into which he was dragged, little the worse' for the misadventure. An atrocious outrage on the dignity of responi sible government has been perpetrated at Ahaura. Some irreverent vagabond, says the Grey River Argus, has notified the public that the houso and premises recently occupied by Mr. Warden Whitefoord are "Too Let ; apply | to Engine Joe. O'Connor." The announce-. ment is made along and upon the corrugated iron roof of the house in letters three feet long, and the artist is evidently proud of his performance, for he has carefully "made his mark " below the lower right-hand corner of the insbription. It is stated, whether correctly or not, that the notification has secured a tenant for the property, and if this be the case, it will have done some service by saving the " Betrenchment" Government the cost of a newspaper advertisement. The Grey River Argus of the 24th_ ult., reports the following distressing accident : " Two young boys, one about six and the other about seven, were fishing from the edge of the rock work under the wharf, opposite Boun-dary-street, when one of them—the eldest—a son of Mrs. Goard, slipped off into the water, '''he first alarm was caused by his companion, a son of Mrs. Southam, stating that the other boy had fallen into the river. At once a large number of persons assembled with the view of rescuing the child, and after some twenty minutes, its body was found underneath the wharf. It was at once conveyed to the nearest hotel, and Dr. Acheson having come up at the time, he used every possible means of resuscitation ; but it was soon made evident that the poor lad was beyond all help. We may here remark, adds our contemporary, that it is a positive wonder that there are not many more children drowned in this town. The reckless manner in which young boys are permitted to roam about the wharf and under it in all sorts of dangerous positions, and at all hours, is disgraceful. At midnight on Thursday, a very serious j accident occurred on board the p.s. Charles ! Edward. Three of the crew, Mr. Kobinson, the mate, Reuben Morris, steward, and Robert Limpus, sailor, had made preparations for firing a cannon, and burning a blue-light at twelve o'clock. The cannon was loaded, and a tin containing a quantity of powder was laid on the deck. Robinson then applied a match to the blue-light, but he seemed to get nervous, and the light fell and communicated with the powder, which exploded with a loud report. The faces of the three men were frightfully burned. Morris and Limpus were at once removed to the Hospital, and Kobinson to the Masonic Hotel. We understand they are progressing favorably. Owing to the fear of a fire from the explosion the steamer's bell rang an alarm, but all danger wa3 speedily averted. Mr. T. M. Foy, C.E., and the Railway Pass Exploring Party, have concluded their examination of the country about the Ahaura Saddle at the Amuri Pass. As in the case of the exploration of the Upper and Brown Grey Rivers, Mr. Foy has received every assistance and valuable information from the settlers along the route. The result of the examination of the Amuri Pass is said to be satisfactory to Mr. Foy, but until a thorough examination of all the rival routes is completed, and a comparison made, it will be impossible to obtain an authoritative opinion as to which line of country possesses the greatest advantages for railroad purposes. Mr. Foy is now engaged in exploring the valley of the Hope on the eastern watershed of the dividing range between the East and West Coasts, and the party will make a careful search for a pass known to exist between the head waters of the Hope River and the SMne of the Tito Kauro, one of the principal tributaries of the Ahaura River. Cattle-drovers and settlers in the locality assert this pass is the lowest and most practicable on the whole course of the range. It is to the south of the present pass, and at a sufficient distance from the river to obviate all danger from floods or landslips. A fatal accident by drowning at Ahaura is reported by the Grey River Argus. The victim was a young man named David Mackay, who, along with a number of lads younger than himself, went to bathe in the Ahaura River at the back of the Camp Reserve. The deceased was heard to cry out, shortly after which he sank and did not rise again, until his dead body was recovered. When th<; alarm was given, a lad named John Willis went to the assistance of Mackay, but he was unable to get him to the surface until Messrs. John Ollivie'r and Croshier came to the rescue. The two last-named plunged into the river with their clothing on, and between them they brought out the body, which was found in about ten feet of water. Dr. Phillips was in attendance, but notwithstanding the efforts of the surgeon and his assistants, it was found that life was extinct. Mackay -was nineteen years of age. WESTLAND. • The recent little stir in connection with the discoveries at Revell's Terrace, iu the Greenstone district (says the West Coast Times) brought out a fact which was previously unknown, except to a few of the miners in the district, namely, that there are quartz reefs cropping out at no great distance inland of the localky in question. It was then stated that during the summer a party of miners were about to make an investigation of tho reefs in question in the hope that they might prove to be go'd-bearing. We have not yet heard that this project has resulted in any definite action, but we hope that it will not be allowed to fall through, as it is difficult to over-estimate tho benefit to the whole province which would accrue from the discovery of payable auriferous reefs in the Greenstone district. AUCKLAND. A violent assault is stated by tho Poverty Bay Herald to have been committed on Monday la3t, in the Waerenga-a-hika Hotel, by a man named Rowley Hill, one of the Ormond constabulary. On the afternoon in question a slight difference arose between Hill and Mr. Espie, when Hill seized a pewter measure and struck Mr. Espio in the face with it, the blow being delivered with sufficient force to break the glass bottom of the measure. Mr. Espie received a dangerous cut over the eye; and hiß assailant is in custody at Ormond. HAWKE'S BAY. Tho laborious work of sinking an artesian well at Port Ahuriri is being proceeded with, and a depth is now reached of 360 feet. The stratum to which the rods have been sunk ib still alluvial. TARANAKI. Fatal Accident at Haweha.—Tho falling in of the gravel pit at Hawera has resulted in the death of Mr. J. Sole, and of Mr. McCarthy, whose bodies were brought up yesterday, and were buried to-day. Six bullocks were also killed, and four moro were so much injured that they were shot. Tho impression appears to be, that the party were anxiouß to finißh the contract as speedily as possible, so that the membere of it might spend the Ohristmaa with their relatives, which probably caused a want of care in keeping a proper face to tho work;

also that there was an unseen change in tho strata, which is partly accountable for the deplorable result. A few minutes later, the catastrophe would have been greater, as there would have been some six men of the party involved in it who were finishing their dinners. Mr. J. Sole was a member of the New Plymouth Friendly Society, and his funeral was largely attended.— Taranaki News, Dec. 14.