SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 811, 18 November 1878, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

p [FROM onil OWV <Vi|{;M'-.sPONDBNT.] i; PALMERSTON. fc November 18. I Information was brought to town yester- ; day that the clothes of Leonard Duncan, "„ who has been missing since June last, had ~ been found in a gully in which are some . | deep water holes by four men who were fishr I ing for eels. On the top of the clothes was ,". j also found bis bank-book. The police have ~ j been out all day, and have just returned, but i ! missing man is a brother of Mr. dames v < Duncan, of the Kmpire Hotel Here. _ i ,-> :' ; PUNK DIN. _ . | November I£. ' j The Xew Zealand Company's ship Piako. i ' from London to Lyttolton, with passengers, . , caught fire, and put into Pernrimhueo. The . ! passengers are safe. Xo particulars arc to 1 ' hand.. The Union Company have risks on .-■ her io LfiOGO, L2OOO of uhie'ii is reinsured. I The child stealing case is compromised, : and the information has been withdrawn. - The agents for the Piako inform me that i the passengers arc all well. The information

from London gives no grounds lor feav that great damage has been done to the ship or cargo. ♦ PORT CHALMERS. ; November 18. j The ship Dunedin is at the Heads. WAIMATE. November IS. The fire i 3 still burning, but no further damage is apprehended. All the valuable portion of'the timber is burnt, together with the mills and machinery. Mr. Stndholme's loss is L 40.000 ; Mr. Price's, LIOOO ; Mr. Barrett's, LSOO ; Mr. Riekman's, L4OOO. It is estimated that LBO,OOO will not cover all the damage. Besides bush and mills, thirtyfive families have been burnt out of house and home. Over LSOO have already been subscribed at Waimate for the relief of the sufferers. ' Tho Mayors of Christchurch, Timaru, Onmaru, ancLDuncdin, are requested to assist in obtaining jelief. The women and children have been provided with accommodation in the public halls, Hospital, etc. * CEEISTCIiURCU. November 18. The ship Rangitikei arrived yesterday from London. The captain reports that on September 5, in 0 N. 23 W., he rescued two Portuguese sailors from a swamped boat. They had been in the water 50 hours. They stated that they belonged to the Portuguese ship Amerique. One of the two survivors had fallen overboard from the ship, and a boat containing live men was sent from the vessel to his rescue. They succeeded in picking him lip, but on returning towards the ship the boat capsized, and filled with welter afterwards on righting. Two of the unfortunate men were immediately swallowed by sharks, but the remaining four got into the boat, when the sharks still attacked them. Two others were washed away into the sea by the waves, and shared the same fate as their unfortunate companions, being instantly torn to pieces and devoured. The other two succeeded in keeping the sharks oil' by tearing oft' everything with them. They were perfectly nude when rescued after fifty hoars' immersion. The boat in which they were picked up was hoisted aboard, and is still to be seen. So persevering were the sharks that even after the castaways were aboard the sharks followed the ship in numbers for a long distance. On November 14th, the Rev. W. 'Warwick Oraigie died. On November 7th, during a hard westerly gale, and the ship taking much water aboard fore and aft, and the main deck flooded, a heavy sea came aboard, washing Richard Samuel Cornish ovorboard. Tt was impossible to attempt to rescue him, owing to the fearful weather. The Waikato left London on the (>th inst.. with 10l immigrants for Timaru. and l(i(j for Lyttelton. The first quarterly rifle firing of the New /v.-aland Association took place on Saturday. The iiring was good considering the strong wind blowing across the range. Two blood mares arrived for Mi - . Carter per Rantcitikei. * 1 NAITEIL November IS. Your correspondent received the following late on Satin-day from M "Lenny, a stove- I keeper : —A tervii le bush lire raged round Xorsewood yesterday afternoon till ni hfc. The danger is not yet over. The wind blew stronger than ever, and it was impossible for a man to sit on horseback. The fire went through the bush like lightning, ft caught my place and burnt it down in about five minutes. The smoke from the rire around made it impossible to save anything. The school-room and other buildings were; only saved through superhuman efforts. My stock was insured in the Hawke's Bay Insurance Company. I estimate my loss over the insurance at L2~>o. I lost- my books. All we saved were a few blankets which wc took out and put on the roof.