MISCELLANEOUS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 408, 5 October 1889, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The New York "Sun" reports that Paddy Bing, wreabler and all-round athlete, accomplished the following jumps in an exhibition : — Standing broa'J jump, 14fb r»in ; standing high jump, sft 4in ; and a running jump over a three-foot chair, placed eleven feeb from the mark. I have ro acknoutaJge the receipt from Mr L. A. CufF, Secretmy of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, of a copy of tho Club's annual, which contains a large amount of information valuable to members of the Club and others interested in athletics. The mile amateur swimming championship of England was competed for on July 20th. There were thirteen competitors, and the event was won .by H. Bowden in 31min 4 4 sth sec. J. F. Sbandring, who won the half-mile championship about a fortnight before, was second, finishing ltnin 50sec behind the winner. • The " Sydney Morning Herald " states that Itansbury, the only oarsman that made Searle do his utmost to win, is gradually increasing his pace, and generally developing into a majrnilicent oarsman. It is anticipated that he will issue a challenge to Searle when the latter returns to Sydney. Stansbury premises to be the man who will rob Searle of his championship honours. C. Stephenson, the Aucklander who defeated Kemp recently on the Parramatta, has challenged Hearn, at present champion of this colony, to row for the championship and £200 a .*ide, and the contest is likely to come off shortly, as Hearn ha 3 been in communication with his backers, and has expressed his willingness to arrange the match. Most athletes throughout the colony will bo plea&ed to see that the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, at itslasb annual meeting on Monday evening, 23rd insb., decided to join the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. All the amateur clubs of the colony will now be under the same rulos, and the championship meetings will be held in rotation at tho various centros. Auckland's former isolation was the one obstacle to unity before.

Longevity is said to be the rule rather than the exception in the districts north' of Auckland, and two recent cases support the statemei>t. Mr Rodeiick Fraser died at the residence of his niece, Mrs McDonald, Parua Bay, on the 9th instant, aged 92 years. The funeral took placo on the 11th, the coffin being conveyed by bono to the cemetery at the Heads. A large concourse ' ot settlers had assembled ajt the cemetery. The burial service was read by Mr Allwood of Parua. The deceased >vas a very old settler,, having resided on his farm at the back of Manaia for many years, latterly he lived with bis niece, Mrs Macdonald, at Parua Bay. He retained his faculties and energy up to tho very last. Last week, the, people of Waipu buried Mr James Fraser, aged 89 years, who was, &ays a correspondent, one of the very worthiest of the original stock of NovaScotias — a man of pure singleness of heart, good r without ostentation, pious without Felf-ri£fhteouM»esp, severe only to his own short-coming, and, indulgent to those of others. A large gathering of fettlei'd attended his funeral, at which the Rev. J. Jones most feelingly officiated. A San Francisco paper nays :— "William (^rilfin, who makes a living by swallowing swords, was treated , at the receiving hospital. , Griffin attemptod to swallow a pword three feet long, with the result that he injuied some internal organ,' and hemorrhage resulted, which, nearly firiisned his. career. 'TK© amount of blood which was discharged from his stomach so weakened him that when he was taken to the hospital he fainted away and was with greaadiilituHy' revved." * !