The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1120, 3 December 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Information has been received at Dunedin that the Owake powder mill has been blown up. No one was hurt. The New Zealand bred Manuka won the champion prize for thoroughbred sires at the Longford (Victoria) show. The daily consumption of milk in London is one million two hundred and fifty thousand quarts, the cost of it being upwards q£ £20,000.

• - At- -Brisbane "Ifftety" some alarm-was caused by- an explosion of laughing-gas'in a dentistV premises.'. Nobody was bur', but much, damage was done to furniture, &c., by the explosion, which seems to have been no laughing matter. . The Wellington City Council at a meeting on Friday night'appointed Mr J. F. Martin, of Timaru, to the position of Lawyer Town Clerk. Mr Lmighrcy, of Melbourne, was tbe successful applicant for the City Engineersbip,

It is estimated that th'c-total amount given away' last season at race mootings in added money in the whole of the colonies was over £200,000, which was competed for by 2942 horses. According to a London paper ((he Christian Herald) G.M. the Prince of Wales has consented to issue a warrant for the creation of a total abstainers’ lodge of Freemasons in London. The wellknown Dr W. B Richardson is to ho W.M. of (he lodge, which will bo known as the “ King Solomon.” ‘A telegram from Queenstown states that tlic large mrolite which was seen there last Wednesday after peon struck the earth near a farm so heavily that the shock was felt throughout the whole district. The atmosphere was close in the extreme. A portion of|ihc asrolitc fell over Skipper’s, destroying a stable and setting a telephone bell ringing. Commenting upon the match-boxes which do duty for dwelling places in Wellington, the Times says:—“ There is not much wonder that the uncircumcised Philistines at Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin sometimes laugh us to scorn for our buildings.” .

The latest claimant for (ho merit of inventing the'telephone is Charles Boiiracul, a Frenchman, who is said to.have invented the telephone in 18£'t, and his invention is stated to have been communicated to the French Academy, and to have appeared in (he Didaslalia , a supplementary paper to the Frankfurter Journal for 28th September, 1854. The Union Steamship Company are building two new cargo steamers for the New Zealand coastal trade. In size they will be somewhere between the Hawea and Omapcrc, and they will be fitted with refrigerating chambers for the conveyance of m>nt to the ports of departure of the Direct L : no of steamers. A circular, has been issued from (lie Department of Justice, addressed to the Clerks of . B.M. Courts, notifying that when a defendant “ confesses judgment’’ without throwing any labour upon the Court, no fee shall bo charged. This is a matter for gratification, as the imposition was not only most inequitable, but fell with especial hardship upon that struggling class of poor but honest debtors who have a difficulty' in meeting their liabilities. A singular feat is reported from ; Ireland. A man named Walsh backed himself to cross Loch Neagh under water, a distance of four and a-ha,lf miles, in eleven hours, maximum depth eleven fathoms. Walsh entered the water at Ardmore Point at half-past three, and at half-past six he emerged again at Kenning Point, having satisfactorily accomplished his task. The man was a diver at Liverpool, and - was ’urged on by : another diver named.Quinn, of.Olasgow. The wager was £330.

This following gentlemen are requested to turn out to practice during this week, prior to the Taranaki match to bo played on the 12th inst, viz., Messrs Jacomb, Jacob, Head; Fulton, Newton, C. Harden, J. W. Gower, Arundel, Fred Horner, Brown, Taplin, W. Harden arid Redgrave. The secretary wishes also to remind members of their subscription being overdue. The Club has been very much strengthened since the last match with Hawera, so that: they ought to stand a good show with Now Plymouth.

An old Waterloo veteran named Gordon (says the Herald) has taken up his residence at Onchunga within the last week. He had been living for some considerable time previously at VVhangarei, with his two sons, one of whom is 45 and the other 50 years of age. Gordon is now 94 years of age, and, judging by his present appearance, he will yet see the century. When the memorable battle of Waterloo was fought and won, Gordon was engaged with his regiment, the 42nd Black Watch, and received wounds on his leg., He was born in 1789, and has been over forty years in New Zealand. The Royal Humane Society’s modal has been unanimously voted to Miss Frances H. Loyd, daughter of Lieutenant-colonel E. Loyd, for saving a boy named White, aged ten, at Cowes, Isle of Wight. The hoy fell off the quay, opposite the Royal Yacht Squadron Club house, into deep water, and was being washed some distance by the heavy sea and strong tide, when Miss Loyd, who was walking on the sea-wall, without divesting herself of any of her clothing, plunged into the sea, swam out to the boy, and with great difficulty brought him safely to the shore. The little fellow was then in a state of collapse, but subsequently recovered. When it hails in the Transvaal, it docs it with some force, A late paper from Natal says that recently, in the bush, a party who had outspanned their wagons in a sprint had to climb into trees to find safety. A farmer lost 1800 out of 2000 sheep. The horses and cattle were covered with hail up to their very ears, and were fonnd standing dead in the hail. The wagons were covered with hail up to a few inches of the top parts of the hind wheels, and had to be dug out next morning. Four days after this event, hail was found to the depth of lift in some parts of Boekenhoutkloof, and it is believed it will not have molted in a month’s time.

According to some Wellington experts who have lately visited-the-. South,'the crops nt piesent look extremely- well, although backward owing to the excep-. tional coldness of the season. The abundant rains have brought on the growing corn very fast, and if somo warm sunshine is soon experienced the yield of grain is likely to be heavy, although it is probable that there will be an unusual length of straw this year. The grass is rich and abundant, and the stock are thriving well, but the inclement weather has so far been greatly against shearing, which, indeed, has hardly begun in many places. Where it has commenced, the losses from cold have been severe.

Recent. Wellington visitors to Lyttelton, says the Post , are enthusiastic in their admiration of the way in which the Lyttelton wharves are lighted by electricity. The soft, yet most brilliant bluishwhite light, displayed at such a height as not to dazzle the eyes, brings out all objects with surprising distinctness, and emhVs work to be carried on as readily as in the day time. The effect on Saturday night, which was particularly dark, is described as very beautiful, the four electric arc lamps, elevated at a considerable height, contrasting with the brilliant yellowish light given by the numerous incandescent lamps on board tiio Takapuna ami b} T the electric green and red lights shown from her while mast-head light, also electric*. The whole scene tended to impress very forcibly on the spectator a sense of the rapid improvements science is bringing about in these matters.

The'monthly mo ting ofßorougli Council will bo'helti this cveiiingi If Cardinal Manning attends the Queen’s levee this Reason, as it i* said he will do, his health allowing, it will be the first instance in sonic centuries of a Catholic Bishop going to Court. Mr .Oowiern’s Lincoln-street sale will take place on Wednesday, A large number of entries have been received, and bearing in'mind the rising values of stock, a good sale may bo anticipated. The Hospital Board met on Saturday to consider the tenders sent in for hospital supplies. Present, Messrs tt. A Adams (ch. iir), Willi ims and Brown. The following tenders were , t accepted : Moat, P. 0. Gowland \l Bread,' IVlossrs Tlowilt and Buckley alternate months, as their tenders wore alike ; Groceries, J. A. McKenna ; Wines and Spirits, P. Mahony & Co.; Milk and Butter, D. Dwyer. No tenders were accept pd.f of fuel,, only one offer having been repriyed. It wis decided, to accept Dr Keating’s offer to continue as House Surgeon. This was all the business..

A meeting of the directors of tho West Coast Meat mid Produce Export Company was hchl at tho Secretary's office on Saturday afternoon. Present : Messrs Wilson (Chairman), Gibson, Christie, Lyaagbt, Livingstone, Hamilton and Palmer. The principal business was the passing of a resolution, inviting Mr Coxon, the agent for H talam and Co, to visit the district and advise the Company as to the best site for the Company’s buildings,-and other matters connected with tho proposed, works. A. letter was road from Mr Chambers, junr, of Napier, staling that * owing to the failure of the linn that had taken the contract for tho new refrigerating machine (Chamber’s patent) tho trial would bo delayed until December. Mr Coxon wrote, giving it as bis opinion that the plans of the Belfast (Canterbury) works would be of no use, as special requirements and conditions had to bo taken into Consideration in erecting freezing works, which were different in each case. A letter from tho Dunedin Company was to a similar effect; A letter was read from the Goar Company, forwarding copies of circular, stating that they would be glad to be of service to this Company in the freezing and shipment of inent to England. It was decided to thank tho Gear Company for their offer. The meeting then adjourned. This morning the secretary sent a telegram to Mr Coxon, .and shortly before noon a reply was received that that gentleman was in Timaru, but- would .be back to-morrow, when he would communicate.