ALL ABOUT CHRISTENING.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 September 1919, Page 8

ALL ABOUT CHRISTENING.

_____...—--<>——--—- THE C'U‘STol\:[ ON THE WEST , COAST. In the COlll‘.\‘l‘ of some reminiscences, Superintendent Kiely, who is retiring from the charge of the Auckland police diSh.ict’_' gave some pal'ticnlars of the custom in the early days of the West ‘Coast goldfields of celebrating everything with a cllristening——“a new culvert on the road, a. bit of fluming in a water race, a bridge, a new claim—-—-any-thing at all, had to be christened, and a “christening” w_as the colonial for a big driink, which in many cases lasted for .3 week, I shall neVerforget,” he said, “this absurdit.ybein'g carried out once at Hokitilm. In my early days there they got :1 fire engine from Vvellington, and the usual pre~ paration was made for the christening of this fire engine. They had a good up._ to- date fire station with a. belfry and a watt-h—tower, which com~ manded a View -of the whole town, which in those days was really alarge town. There was to be .3 torchlight procession and a banquet. and the town was to be decorated in all its glory. A Mrs Mulligan was chosen to do the honours by breaking a bot.tle ot‘ champagne on the fix-Wengine. Late in the aftcrnon, away to the westward a blue cloud began to rise. fl-‘;‘Sl]C'S of lightning appeared darting fro mthe clouds, and approached the town, nearer and nearer. About 7 in the evening the town was enve‘loped ' in a tremendous thunderstorm I remember one terrific crash, and I said to niy mate, “-Come on, and see where that thunderbolt struck.’ «We found out the belfry of the watchtower had been struck by lightning which had blasted the bclfry, travelled down :1 signal wire. to the fire station, and ignited the piles o..ir"fireworks -and torches tthat. had been accurnulated for the e\}ening’s celebration. It fired the buliding, and the flames spread with wonderful rapidity. So this new fire engine, which was going to be christened the ‘Slll'pl'ise,3 got ,3: surprise christening. It was rescued just in time from thcflames, with tthe fore-carriage burnt :1. bit, and I can assure you that engine had a V"'er_i' busy nig‘ht’s work before it. bThe town hall. where the banquet. was spread for the nig'ht’s entertainment, and, I think, two banks and a few private houses were burnt before the fire was arrested. This, to my mind, at tliojiiuze seemed a sort of judgment on their christening .a:bsurdit.y.