GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 161, 7 January 1914, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS

I A young man iuul an oxj)oil<ii:t' nl. WeiuUmside. near Core, which he: will not , forget for some time. When riding home about 11 p.m. lie luul occasion to go through u gateway, and as he was passing through, tile gate closed on bim. and 'his foot became entangled in suck a manner that lie'could not extricate, 'himself, neither could he free himself from the Raddle, as his foot was stuck in the : stirrup. After vainly struggling for • 'some time he decided to free himself I from the horse liy taking oil' the saddle. He did this, hanging on to the gate, on which lie could not properly get astride of owing to the position of'his foot, and 1 neither could he reach the ground ior, I the same reason. After four hours' struggling and resting by turns he at last got free, and as the night was a cold one and the position unconuorfalide he was much exhausted and still', .but was none the worse in a day or two for 'his strange experience, i The shark which attacked a native swimmer in the Thames (julf, as reported in a telegram, was (says a Christchurch journal) probably one of the large ami often ferocious species called by the Maoris "tuniwha," because, of their size and voracity, which haunt the Bay of Plenty and often rove up into the bays and estuaries of the Hauraki. Occasionally they wander further south, and I though they do not often attack human ( beings there have been several tragic ■ instances. The natives and coast settlers in tile far north, about Mangonui, and ' .Whnngaroa and Manganui Bay, have, a 1 dread of the hammer-headed shark, which is frequently seen in those parts, but this creature, though ferocious enough in appearance, does not appear to be a man-eater by habit. The "taniwha" ' species is found in great numbers around Mayor Island, in the Bay of Plenty, and sometimes the .natives make wha'leboat excursions slfark-catching for the sake of its "mako," or great teeth, -which arc < valued as ear-pendants after the native ' fashion.. This "taniwha" chase is said to be far more exciting sport than the ordinary shark-catching around the ! coast, and the fishers frequently liave to ipetiim "mako'Mcss, and witu all their tackle gone. The most exciting of Melbourne Christ- | mas Eve accidents which possessed possibilities of tragedy occurred at the large emporium of Messrs Love and Lewis, in Chapel street, Prahran. One of the electric lifts in the establishment became out of gear, and descended to the basenwnt j at terrific speed, the floor of'the lift ■bumping the bottom of the well. The impact was so severe that the passengers, were all more or less severely shaken. The attendant threw open the door, and the excited women, with their terri. tied children, half fell out. the attendant was quick to ; follow thatn, and just as lie had readied a place of safety the lift commenced to feascend almost as. quickly as it had come down! The noise it caused, combined with the condition of the women, most of whom were on the point of collapse, created a sensation the emporium.