TOLOGA BAY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 128, 29 January 1874, Page 2

TOLOGA BAY.

(from a correspondent.) It may be that the following news will serve to fill up some small space in your next issue Last Monday Mr. Murphy and party started in Captain Trimmer’s whaleboat for Gisborne, and after getting as far as Whangara the wind shifted, and they had to lay-to all night. "While drifting about waiting anxiously for daylight, they were very nearly being run down by a schooner which carried no lights, and had it not been that some of the crew descrying the schooner in time they would inevitably have been run down. After knocking about the whole of the next day they returned to Tologa Bay in the evening, very much exhausted as they had started without any provisions, thinking they would have a straight run to Turanga. N.B. —Would it not be advisable to call attention to the necessity of vessels carrying lights ? This afternoon, the Native Teacher’s dwelling here, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Parker, was in a few minutes burned to the ground, and had it not been for the timely exertions of Mr. Thompson and others, Mr. Parker would have lost his all. About 2 o’clock Mrs Parker had occasion to go outside, and observed smoke issuing from the back of the house, calling Mr. Parker’s attention to it, he ran out, and on is removing some bags of potatoes a strong flame burst forth. He immediately called on the natives who were near to bring some water &c., they however stood aghast, and beyond the usual exclamation of • a»," <ua iwiniug. vvniL great ctnnculty Mr. Parker succeeded in saving his effects, but had timely assistance been at hand there is no doubt that the building would have been saved too. It appears that the fire originated from the hearth which was only composed of one layer of bricks, some of which had mouldered away, and a live ember must have fallen between the hearth and the flooring and smouldered for some time before the fire was discovered. Our energetic East Coast Engineer has been busily employed the last few days laying off new roads and arranging with the natives for completion of contracts Ac.

Bye the bye I forgot to mention that Mr. Parker desires through you to return his sincere thanks to Mr. Thompson and Air Glover for their kind assistance. There is a new Ferryboat building here and will be completed in the course of a fortnight.