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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 597, 1 April 1878, Page 2

An appalling accident occurred to Mr. "Wharton, of Kakanui, last Saturday night. On his return from Oamaru —where he had been during a greater portion of the day—and when near the lime-kiln on the Beach Jtoacl, he was met by Mr. M' Donald, who was drivin" in a buggy to Oamaru. W harton made room to allow Mr. M'Donald's buggy to pass on the road, and when the buggy was fairly on its way, Wharton turned round to the occupants of the buggy and addressed himself to them, at the same time pulling the reins of his horse in such a manner that the animal backed towards the cliff—about 6l)ft. high—which was m his rear. Seeing the imminent danger in which Wharton was placed, one of the occupants of the bugey jumped out and ran to his rescne, but only in time to witness the precipitation of the man, horse, and cart. "Wharton's life was saved by his falling on sand but the horse was killed and the dray •battered to pieces. Through the kindness of Mr. M'Donald, Drs. Fleming and Smith were in attendance with their usual promptitude, and attended to the unfortunate man in the township whither he had been conveyed. It was discovered that he had fractured the ankle and knee of the right leg, wrist, elbcw, and shoulder of the right arm, and broke several ribs. We are glad to he able to state that his injuries, although serious, are not likely to terminate fatally, and that he is doing as well as could be expected.

A communication has been received by His Worship the Mayor from the Government, in response to representions made by him to the Hon. Mr. Larnach, to the effect that the Oamaru Immigrants would be forwarded direct to Oamaru provided the expense was not in excess of that of the present system. The writer however concludes by sayiii". " the Minister directs me to say that there C secms little probability of giving effect to votir wishes, excepting at greatly increased rates. In any case, however, directions will be given for the Oamaru steamer to take the immigrants for that port direct from the ship's side at Tort Chalmers." In our modesty, the latter is all we asked for in our columns, and although we now regret that we did not ask for more, the concession will answer very well for the present.

Notwithstanding the extreme shortness of the supply of trucks, a large quantity of gram is being brought into town by the railways, special trains being run by the department in order t» overtake the work as far as possible Some idea of the amount of work done by the railways may be found when we state that the month's inwards tonnage to the Oamaru station amounted to something like ;"000 tons, while that outwards was 41)00 t >ns. The principal portion of this of course was grain.

We are glad to be able to chronicle the advent of those delicious bivalves, Stewart Island oysters. They have ju>t made their re-appeanuioe at the saloon of Mr. Tunnage, Thames-street, where they may be interviewed in a nicely-furnished room, whose appointments are very different from those usually to be found in oyster saloons. The Horseshoe Bush estate has been withdrawn from sale by auction, the property having been purchased for £lO per acre by Mr. J7 F. Kitohinjj, of Moa Flat.

f Paterson, the engine driver who was m cbarge of the engine that came to grief on Friday evening at Richmond's crossing, has displayed presence of mind and courage that should' not he allowed to pass unnoticed. When the Saladin, or rather her wreck, was lying on its side off the track, and belching forth steam that threatened to almost annihilate anyone daring to approach, Paterson, believing—although he could not see him—that M'lntyre was somewhere _near the engine, dived amongst the scalding vapour°into the "cab" until he found his companion, and, having laid his hands upon him, despite the risk of injuring himself tor life persevered until the fortunate man was extricated from his perilous position. M'lutyre, without doubt, owes the preservation of his life to Paterson, who has displayed manly characteristics that should call forth genuine admiration. The Orooct Samaritan lives agairr in many of the men and women' by whom we are surrounded ; but until some public occasion arrives to develop the features that go to form so admirable a character they jemam unknown. We think that Paterson should receive some testimony that his manly conduct is appreciated We throw out the hint, and leave it to others to decide what form it should take. Whatever is done we shall esteem it -a pleasure to assist. On Friday last a man in the employ of Messrs Honour Bros, met with a serious misadventure. He was engaged in carting coal for a thrashing machine, and as he failed to put in an appearance on Friday night, a search party proceeded to look for him, and traced his whereabouts by finding his hat, jacket, &c, in different parts of the held. When found he was in a terrible plight, and looked as though he had became entangled in some part of the gear and dragged for some distance by the horse, He was fearfully bruised, and was immediately removed to proper quarters in a spring cart. He is progressing as favorably as possible under the circumstances.

We are pleased to learn that Stewart Mclntyre, the young man who was so severely fniured in the railway accident on FricUiy m«ht is progressing favorably. In addition to°a broken leg aud a severe cut on his wrist, one of his feet was severely bruised. The Maheuo School Committee have voted for the following candidates for seats on the Education Board :—Messrs. W. J. Steward, N. Fleming, C. A. DeLautour, M. Fraer, W. Elder Donald Reid, John M'Kenzie, Professor John Shand, and Dr. George Murray Webster.

We understand that No. 1 Compauy Oamaru Volunteers have sent challenges to four of the crack Companies of the Otago Provincial District for a friendly rifle match. The Companies are the Dunedin City Guards, the North Dunedin Rifles, the Bruce Rifles, and the Invereargill Rifles. The date of the match has not yet been fixed, but it is suggested by the local Company to fire on the 15th instant.

The season for duck shooting commenced to-day, and last evening a number of local sportsmen, bent upon availing themselves of the earliest opportunity of indulging 111 the sport, started for a known rendezvous of the feathered tribe.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before T. W. Parker, Esq., R.M., Mrs. M'Murtrie was fined ss. for allowing two cows to be at large iu Glen-street. John M'Rac was brought up on remand on suspicion of being of unsound mind, aud was ordered to be discharged, the derangement of his mental faculties having apparently been set risrht bv a few days' confinement m gaol. A charge of being drunk and disorderly in Tvue-street was down for hearing against Todd M'Grcgor, but it did not eventuate. It seems that M'Grcgor was admitted to bail on the understanding that he should appear at the Court this morning at 11 o'clock, to answer the lie made his appearance in front of the Courthouse about lil o'clock this morning, but was so much overcome, perhaps by his feelings, that he was again taken into ciistody byVhe police on a charge of being drunk, on which he will be brought up to-morrow morning.

The appointment of the new Education Board "will take place on the 10th April next.

The several representations which have been made to headquarters with reference to the extremely erratic and useless nature of the weighbridge which has hitherto done duty at the Railway .Station have brought forth good results. A new weighbridge, by Pooley and Son, of Liverpool, capable of weighing about 20 tons, has been fitted up. It luis been placed at the back of the goods shed, on a siding over which there is the least traffic, and will consequently run less risk of being injured or put out of order than did its predecessor. The new weighbridge lias been carefully tested, and found very'acjurate. This is a piece of information that will, we feel sure, be received with great satisfaction. We have been favored by the Government with sample slips of the new half-penny newspaper wrappers, upon which a halfpenny stamp is printed, the end being already gummed. These wrappers can only lie used under the rules which govern newspaper postage, and no written matter must he enclosed. W r e cannot do better than quote a memorandum printed on each wrapper : —" This wrapper may only be used for newspapers, and must not enclose any letter or communication of the nature of a letter (whether separate or otherwise). If this rule be infringed, letter rates will ,be charged." Should the wrapper be used for the postage of newspapers beyond the Colony, it would be necessary to affix the additional postage. These wrappers may be procured at post oifices at the undermentioned rates :—lB for 10d.; 270 for 12s. Gel.; 540 for 2.35.; 10S0 for £2 10s. They will prove a great convenience to the general public ; but it seems to us that the additional price for paper is too high, and will limit their use.

Mails .for Sydney, per Eotorua, close at Auckland at noon to-morrow ; and mails for United Kingdom, &c, via San Francisco, per City of Sydney, close at 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Several slight alterations have been made in the times of the departure of several of the railway trains. In future the Moeraki trains will make the township of Deborah their first stopping place, in lieu of the YVaiareka Junction, the traffic at the latter place being amply met by the stoppage necessarily made by the Ngapara. tram. Aow that the days are shortening, it is found that the travelling public prefer returning home earlier, and, in consequence, it has been deemecl advisable to alter the time of departure of the Saturday late train for Moeraki Junction, from Oamaru, to 6.30 p.m., instead of 7-15 p.m.. while the time ot departure of the return train from Moeraki Junction will be 7.15 p m. instead of 9 p.m. The only other alterations affecting this district is that the train which has hitherto left Maerewhenua at 8 a.m. and 2,25 p.m. will leave at S 5 a.m. and 2.50 p.m., arriving at the Awamoko Junction at 0.55 a.m. and 4.40 p.m., instead of at 9.50 and 4 15 p.m. Passengers will reach Oamaru at the same time as under the old arrangement, while tliev will not be so long on the road, the alteration having been effected by reducing the time of detention at Awamoko Junction to that necessary for ghunting and coaling purposes.

Mails for the Australian Colonies and Tasmania, per Albion, close at the Blufl at 11 a.m. to-morrow.

The usual monthly meeting of the Committee of' the North Otago Horticultural Society will be held at eight o'clock this evening at Albion House. We .understand that the Hon. Mathew Holmes was a very large purchaser at the Hon. W. Kobinson's sale of imported Lincoln sheep in Christchurch last week. It is notified in another column that persons desirous of nominating friends or relatives as suitable immigrants to the Colony, will in future have to apply to the Immigration Office, Dunedin. Nomination forms may be obtained at the Police Office, j Oamaru.

The engine which was thrown off the line on Friday evening at Richmond's Crossing and considerably damaged, was brought into town yesterday. An engine, with a gang of men and a'crane and other appliance, left Oamaru at half-past eight o'clock.yesterday morning for the scene of the late accident. The work of righting the engine and getting it on to tlie line was one of some difficulty, but, by the aid of screw-jacks, it was lifted, into a proper position,"and, rails having been laid from the main line to where the engine laid, it was soon got on to the line. It was brought into town on its own wheels, and was' found to have suffered less injury than was anticipated. It was forwarded to ; Christchurch this morning for the perfor-. mance of the necessary repairs at the railway workshops. It is expected that the engine will be fit for work again in a week The trucks which were damaged were also brought into town, and are now undergoing the work of repair, no delay being permitted in making them available for use, the present immense amount of traffic on the lines requiring every truck obtainable. Mr. Bennett (Assistant Engineer) and Mr. Smith (Inspector of Permanent Way), with the men under them, carried through the work of getting the engine and trucks into town expeditiously, the fact of the line being clear of oilier trains, owing to it being Sunday, enabling the work to be carried on without interruption.

We have been asked the following question ;—Does Mr. James Fulton live at Woodend, West Taieri, or at Ravensbourne, West Taieri ?—Answer : Mr. James Fulton lives at Ravensbourne, West Taieri, near the township of Woodend, which is about a quarter of a mile from his residence.—[Ed., E. M,]

The harvest thanksgiving services, held at St. Luke's Church "yesterday, were conducted in a manner becoming the occasion. The Rev. A. Clifford (the incumbent of the church) delivered, in the morning and evenins.', appropriate discourses —in the morning, from Psalm cxvi., verses 112 and 117, and in the evening, 2 Cor. ix., S and 11. The choral service, under the management of Mr, J. 6. Finch, was performed by a full choir. The opening hymn, No. 322, in "Hymns Ancient and Modern," commencing "Lights abode, celestial Salem," was very beautifully sung, the whole congregation joining in with earnestness. The Psalms, notwithstanding that it was Lent, were chanted as usual. The anthem in the morning was "Blessed be the Lord God," in which the several parts were sustained admirably. The closing hymn in the morning was that well-known and seasonable one, "We plough the fields and scatter," The anthem for the evening was " Thou visitest the earth." The offertories will be devoted to the Church Completion Fund. The decorations were most appropriate and were as follow :—On entering at the Northern door the first attraction was the font, crowned by a core of tastefully arranged shrubs, and cere:ils. The base consisted of oak branches, intermingled with clustersof elder-berry fruit and scarlet sweet briar hips, while throughout the whole was interspersed the cones of numerous conifera and native plants, the centre portion being composed of nioelygarrangcd bunches of wheat, oats, and barley. The two crosses on .each side of the chancel were formed of rose purple verbena venosa, and around the pillars were cntertwined the hardy native fern. On the communion table was spread a magnificent assortment of seasonable fruit, presented by Mr. Butt, of Wansbeuk-street, and in front of the rails were placed two sheaves of wheat and oats. The sills and styles of the windows, and the capitals of the columns were trimmed with native ferns. The pulpit desk and lectern presented a pretty appearance, being bedecked with berries, autumn leaves, etc., whilst the table of the commandments and creed were edged with ferns. The general appearance of the church was just what it was designed it should be emblematical of the return of a season of plenty. The decorations were the handiwork of Mrs. Williams, Miss Giflbrd, and the Misses Sumpter ; and are so beautiful that we would suggest that a photograph of the interior of the Church, before the decorations are demolished, would form an appropriate souvenir to transmit to friends at Home.

There was only a fair attendance at the Masonic Hall on Saturday evening, when Smith's panorama of the Franco-Prussian War was exhibited for the first time in Oamaru. The gallery was well filled, but the body of the hall was only partially occupied. The smallness of the attendance was undoubtedly owing in the main to the fact of the coming of the panorama not having been properly announced ; in fact, until the band went round during the afternoon no one seemed to know anything about it. The proprietor should in future see that his show is thoroughly advertised if he wishes to meet with success. The panorama contains numerous pictures of some of the most stirring events of the Franco.-Prussiau war. Some of these are exceedingly well painted, and are of a very striking nature. It is a matter for regret that the explanatory lecture is not better delivered, for, if it were, we have little doubt, from what we did hear of it on Saturday evening, that it would prove highly instructive-and entertaining. It is simply folly to imagine that a German boy of some 14 years of age, and only three years away from his native land, can deliver a lecture explanatory of so striking an event in the world's history as the late war between Germany and France. He does remarkably well under the circumstances, and is deserving of very, great praise; but he fails, from the weakness of his voice and his foreign accent to make the principal portion of his remarks intelligible to the audience. Messrs. Riley and Alien gave a number of songs and dances during the evening, most of which pleased the "gods" immensely, encores from that quarter being frequent and loud.

With reference to the sinking of a schooner by the s.s. Easby, reported by cable, a telegram in the Argus of the ISth hist, says:— " The southerly squall yesterday was one of the heaviest experienced for years. A large number of sailing boats in the harbour capsized, but fortunately no lives were lost, although in several instances the crews of the boats were rescued with difficulty. The schooner Northern Light, inward bound, with coals, was run into and cut down inside the Heads by the steamer Easby from Newcastle. The schooner sank, but the crew were saved. Whilst going alongside the crane at Newcastle, on the 19th inst., the Easby collieded with the wharf and damaged her stern and steering gear."

The Rev. Mr. Beecher's late sermon Upon eternal punishment has aroused a great discussion in America. A reporter of the New York Herald has interviewed . the great preacher, and in; the ..issue of Sunday, January 20, two columns and a half of the results are published. In a leading article on the subject, the Herald says:—"The question of Eternal Damnation : Is there a hell, and if so, what kind of place is it ? . We give a large portion of 'our space this morning to a discussion of this exceedingly interesting subject. Mr. Beecher, it will be seen, breaks clear away from the red hot old Calvanistic faith of his fathers and utterly repudiates the brimstone and the bottomless pit and the oceans of eternal flame. It has, he assures us, been a subject of anxious inquiry with him for years, and while he believes that there is a spiritual hell, the old fashioned arrangement that the Calvanistic divines so vividly painted some hundreds of years ago is all nonsense. This is pretty bold ground for a Congregationalist clergyman, but the Plymouth pastor politely tells "the descendants of the Puritan fathers that if they feel like making a row about it, they can do so. Mr. Beecher has simply planted himself on the Universalist ground, and in denying so material a point of Congregational doctrine, has to that extent denied Congregationalism. But if there is •no holl, where in the world do our city politicians go after death ?"