TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5540, 30 December 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(FROM A, CORRESPONDENT). Foston, Sunday. The Hydrabad was driven ashore by yesterday’s gale as far as opposite the punt. The ship’s chain, bent on. the big chain, parted. The ship lies at. au angle of four points to the beach, bow to the southward. (PER PRESS AOENOr). Saturday. Charles Lucas’s grocery and boot store, Grove-road, V'as burnt ou(j at four o’clock this afternoon. The family were all in the front shop with customers. A. person outside saw fire coming out of the bedroom window in the rear. All the inside of the room was t in a blaze, and nothing could be saved, neither clothing nor furniture. The building and stock were insured in the South British for £350. The cause of the fire is unknown. Gmtmocth, Saturday. It has rained almost incessantly since yesterday at 2 o’clock, and the rivers are now in full flood, the Grey being near its highest. The races had to be postponed as the course is now under water. The banks are said to have bought more gold this Christmas than for years past. A miner named Eric Boated, a Scandinavian, committed suicide this morning by jumping off the wharf into the river. The body was swept out to sea. Nelson, Saturday. Au interesting competition took place in the Drill Shod last night, between Wellington and Nelson Artillery cadets. Both were remarkably smart, and it was difficult to say which did best. Wellington boat Nelson by seven seconds in dismounting, but Nelson was the quicker in changing wheels. Major Pitt warmly complimented the Wellington lads on the spirit they displayed in coming over, and ho hoped that Nelson would soon send a detachment to Wellington to compete. Captain Best warmly thanked the people of Nelson for the kind treatment his lads bad experienced. They return to Wellington in tho Kennedy to- i morrow.

Hokitika, Saturday. It ia raining heavily and blowing • like midwinter weather every day since the holidays commenced. There ia no sign of improvement. The rivers are flooded again, and a great deal of damage has been done. The races are postponed till next week. The Christchurch coach, due last Wednesday, has not arrived. The outward mails’cannot be despatched on account of tlie-floods. The damage done to roads and bridges will take the county three months* revenue to repair. Christchurch, Saturday. In consequence of the strong nor’-wester and heavy rain that fell last night, the railway traffic, as usual, ia interrupted. The south pier of the North Rangitata Bridge being carried away, so that all goods traffic is suspended. The Wakamereni is also rising, and accounts from the Bcaley describe the weather there as awful. The gale has abated, but no rain has yet fallen. express train was an hour late last night, and will be so every night till the Rangitoto Bridge is repaired. The Stewarts are doing a splendid business. Hundreds have been unable to gain admission for the last two nights. Agn-irt complaints have been made about shortness of trupks at Lyttelton. Vessels now in port would employ 300 trucks daily; Mr. Conyers in a letter to the Harbor Board said the railway authorities were doing everything possible to meet the demand. Captain A. S. Strix has been appointed Assistant Harbor-Master. At a meeting of the Selwyn County. Council yesterday it was resolved to recommend another conference on the subject of hospital and charitable aid management. The railway employes will have a monster pic-nic during the first week in February, but the place Is not decided on. Probably it will be on the racecourse. A letter was read at the County Council meeting yesterday, in which the Commissioner of Railways declined to grant free passes to members. At'the annual meeting of the subscribers of the Corn Exchange, held this afternoon, a committee of 21 was appointed to see if arrangements could be made to meet the views of the proprietors of the premises in which the business is done, and the rental of which is £2OO a year. The result of the first innings of the Canterbury team against the Ballarat men gives great satisfaction. Betting is slightly in favor of the local team. About noon to-day a child named George White, seven years old, was run over by an omnibus and killed. Charles Lazard was to-day elected to a seat in the City Council, in the place of the present Mayor. Five hundred young trout were released in the River Avon to-day, in front of the Government buildings. All the rivers have gone down considerably, Dunedin, Saturday. The Harbor Board has initiated proceedings against David Prcmdfoot to compel him to complete his contrat<; for purchase of leases of sections in Crawford-street blocks. The Harbor Board at.»present employs 303 men, and the wages account for last month was £2475. The athletic sports got up by two Australian pedestrians named Goodfellow and Shepherd took place to-day in the presence of a thousand people. As both men, though evidently good runners, declined to run their best, great dissatisfaction was expressed at their action. Clyde, Sunday. The river is very high, and running above the old suspension bridge. The water went down yesterday morning, but has risen again three feet since last night. There has been heavy rain up the country, and a bad flood is expected. Direct coach communication has been stopped at Owen’s Punt near Arrowtown, and at Alexandra the passengers and mails crossed at some risk in a small boat. At Cromwell races yesterday Haricot won the Handicap of 45 sovs., and Clyde the County Plate of 50 sovs. Balclutha, Saturday. A very strong gale has been blowing since yesterday afternoon. The river is in high flood and rising very slowly. The protective works which are in progress are proving thoroughly effective ; but for theso the township would again have been flooded, but there is not the slightest danger at present, A considerably larger body of water is flowing over into the town of Clufcha to-day. At a meeting of the Clutha County Council last night a committee-was appointed to take steps for the erection of a new bridge at Balclutha. A conference is to be held with the Bruce Council, to arrange for the Bruce County bearing half of the cost ; meantime the Clutha Council has employed Mr. Higginson, C.E., to report, and an application will be made to Government for £IO,OOO out of the £50,000 vote passed by the General Assembly for such purposes.., XNvianjan;iOriXiij^&atiU’day, The report of the drowning of George Crisp, arbitrator, has received confirmation. He was en route from Wrey’s Bush to Winton, and was being carried across the ford of Jacob’s River, at Johnson, by a man on horseback. It is supposed the ford was missed, for the stream swept the horse away, and Crisp was -washed off. He, however, with the horse and the other man landed on a gravel bank in mid stream, where the water was about knee deep. A man named Mortimer, who was waiting to be carried across, saw him suddenly fall, and the current swept him into deep water. Mortimer hurried along the bank, and got hold of him and pulled him ashore, but he was quite dead. He was subject to fits, and is supposed to have been seized with one. A requisition is being, signed to Thomas Denniston, asking him to contest Woods’ seat for Mataura. He will consent. Mr. Kinross, who was lately appointed to the Waste Lands Board, is also likely to be a candidate. Mr. Shanks is already in the field, and working hard. Active preparations are in progress to cele-. brate the opening of the railway through to Dunedin. The invitation committee have decided to issue invitations to the Mayors of twenty-one municipalities, commencing with Wellington and ending with Winton and Riverton. The County Council was recommended to invite all chairmen of cotinties, and it was also resolved to invite all members of the Colonial Legislature residing in Otago and Canterbury. Preparations for illuminating the town are being made, and devices erected in front of the principal hotels.