WAIORONGOMAI. [From Our Own Correspondent.) Waiorongomai, Thursday.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 386, 20 July 1889, Page 2

WAIORONGOMAI. [From Our Own Correspondent.) Waiorongomai, Thursday.

Progress at the Battery : Tltn work of laying the flooring is now completed, and the addiiional concentrators, six in nu'nber, arofitted up. The concentrator boxes are being made ready for placing in position, and the phoots nreaiso completed and in their places. Two large pulleys are being constructed to be used in driving the new 20 head of stumpers. The plummer blocks for receiving the driving shaft have been bolted in their places, and the shaft placed in position. At the Tailing plant the roaster, berdans, and pans, are kept going 1 nisjht and day. and a considerable quantity of amalgam is now on hand. The new stone breaker is fitted np, and the driving pulleys are being fixed on the shaft, and I should say that by the end of next week everything will be ready for a start. The tramway is steadily engaged running quartz. Mr Wm. Kycroft has given up his contract (£37 10?), for filling in the approaches to the new bridge, and Mr Or, tlio next lowest tenderer (£45), has taken the matter in hand. I am informed th it Messrs Firth and Greenway are only working half time at their Wairakau Flax Mill jiHt now, in oonsequence of the difficulty experienced in drying the flax. Borough Petition : A petition to have Te Arolm and Waiorongomai constituted a Borough, has been taken round for signature here this week, Messrs Jas. Munro ami M. W. D. O'Keefe being the canvassers. Accident : Mr Charles Jenkins met with a nasty accident on Saturday evening last, whilst working in the New Find mine, wherby he sustained a fracture of his collar bone. It appears that Jenkins and his mate, J. Carroll, were at work in their stope, when they heard the usual signal (fire) given from some men who were working immediately above, and who had several holes charged ready for firing. Jenkins and his mate immediately made their way out, and the former, whilst stepping off the staging, placed bis foot on a small piece of stone, and slipped in such a manner that he was precipitated head foremost down a steep incline about ten feet, striking his head and shoulders very severely against the upper edges of some curved iron that was placed there for shovelling on. His mate made all haste to him and caught him just in time to prevent him falling a further fifty feet. Carroll gave the alarm and the men above who had placed their short pieoes of lighted candle under each fuse removed them at once. The injured man was then placed out of danger, and walked home without assistance. The Dr was called in and bandaged him up, and says it will be six or sevenweeks before be can again use a pick. To show what a narrow escape Mr Jenkins had , I may state that when the tapers were again applied to the fuse, one almost immediately fired ; had tbis occurred when he fell the chances aye that he would have been killed outright, as there would not

then have beeu time to remove him. No blame whatever can be attached to the person in charge of the shift, as the occurrence was purely accidental. On Tuesday last Mr Richard Hill, one of the brakesmen on the Lower Horse grade, met with an 'accident. He was j engaged at the foot of Butler's Spur, i antl whilst in the act of stepping off one of the rails his foot slipped from under him, throwing him heavily on the iron crossing, and bruising his hip. Little notice was taken of it at the time, but I towards evening his leg became very j painful, and he was obliged to lay op for a day or two. He resumes work in the morning. Building : Mr John Mace is engaged in the construction of a seven roomed house, for himself and family. The framework is all up. The situation is on a portion of Maokay's township, immediately behind the Public Hall, and .opposite Mr Newsham's residence. Mi* Harry Southey is also baring erected &, neat little three roomed house on his section. The building is well advanced, and should be completed by the end of next week. The Weather and Footpaths : We have experienced these last two days exceptionally cold southerly winds, which has had a good effect on the roads, and materially assisted Mr Orr, the contract tor for footpath formation and gavelling. Last week the footpaths wore a mass of mud, now they are drying up nicely, and by the middle of next week I expect they will bo completed. The gravelling is finished from the Po3t-office as far as the corner of Kilgour street, and from thence about half way to Mr D. McL. Wallace's blacksmith shop, I understand that Father Keogb, the Roman Catholic pastor of Te Aroha, has secured the Church reserve here at the foot of the Upper Horse Track.