AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 168, 23 April 1872, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(From the Hydncy J foniiny Herald, April 15.) Accident. —Several accidents have occurred from time to time at the foot of Erskine-street,ncioss which logs of timber are placed to prevent fish-carts or other vehicles from being backed on to the wharf. The obstruction is sufficient for this purpose, but the timber is not very high, there is little light at night-time, and it is a much-frequented thoroughfare, as the wharfs for the Balmain ferries lie on either side. It is difficult for persons to see the obstruction (which was placed there by the Corporation) at night,

an i many a “tumble” lias mn.-.i place. List Tuesday evening, an unfortunate ac :idcnt befell a gentleman whilst walking down the street, not being a frequenter of this part of the city, and being unaware of the wooden obstructiono, ho stumbled against and fell with great violence, dislocating his elbow, and sustaing other damage in the shape of bruises. It would be well if the Corporation would either remove the obstruction altogether or take means to have something sufficiently high to prevent persons stumbling over it; otherwise accidents of a still more serious nature than the one now chronicled arc not unlikely to happen. Sudden Death. —About 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon a carter, named Janies Stockbridgc, [forty years of age, died at h : s residence in Wallas-street, Woollahra. A short time before that he was found unconscious, lying alongside a chaffcutting machine on his premises, and ns there was a severe bruise on his head, it is conjectured that in descending some steps which led to the room in which it was placed, lie lost his footing, striking against it in his fall.

Fatal Ac:ident at North Shore About half-past 5 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, a boy, named Frederick Filbeau, fifteen years of age, in the employ of Mr Elijah Suttlc, baker, North Shore, was found lying dead under a capsized baker’s cart, close to tbc Lane Cove Road. Portion of the ltid’s head was under the cart, and the horses were struggling violently. It is believed, two stumps having been found on the roadway where the cart had been capsized, that deceased, while turning the cart so as to escape one of them, must have come in contact with the other. A severe fracture of the skull appears to have been the cause of death. An inquest will be held in the course of the day at Bullivant’s Rag and Famish Hotel, Millers-strect, St. Leonards. Coroner’s Inquest.—Open Verdict oe Found Drowned. —On Saturday forenoon the City Coroner (Mr Henry Shiell) resumed, at the Observer Tavern, Georgcstrcct North, an inquest, adjourned from the previous day, touching the cause of death, of a man named Wiliam Jones. Catherine Jenkins deposed that she was a married woman, residing with her husband at the Forth and Clyde Hotel, Prince-street; she knew deceased, whom she last saw alive on last Wednesday morning at from twenty minutes to halfpast G o’clock ; lie was then lying on the footpath in front of her house ; there was a man standing looking at him ; deceased appeared to lie in a fit ; he afterwards came into the bar, and left by himself shortly afterwards ; witness saw no more of him till she saw his dead body; she saw him on last Tuesday night, and he seemed then as if he had been drinking very hard. Dr Hamilton deposed to having made a post-mortem examination of the body. He was of opinion that death had been the result oL suffocation by drowning; from the appearance of the body be should jud-e that it nnd been in the water for five or six days. The jury returned an open verdict of found drowned. Tiie New Guinea Expedition. —The Ballarat Jfail writes:—“ Mr Lane, one of ihe survivors of the New Guinea Expedition, returned to Ballarat, and was welcomed back by his friends on the Corner to-day. Lane was one of the men who, upon the Maria sinking,had to climb to the top-gallant, mast, from whence he afterwards swam to the overcrowded boat, which ultimately, with gooil fortune, reached Cardwell. Mr Lane looks little, the worse for Ids misadventure, and is still sanguine in his belief of the merits of the objects of the expedition. Adulterating Spirits. —The sale of spurious brands of spirits is pretty extensive in the colonies, more especially in what may be termed “ fancy articles.” We understand that one brand of celebrated “ Schnapps,” has been largely counterfeited, and the police are actively engaged in collecting a quantity of samples from various public-houses. It is clear that some further legislation is required to protect the manufacturer and the public from these frauds. The vile compounds of which the adulterated articles are made endanger the health of those to whom they are sold. We believe tbc agenti for the sale of Wolfe’s schnapps are making strenuous efforts to bring the offenders to justice,—for which they deserve every credit. Extraordinary and Determined Suicide. —The Codrington correspondent of the Richmond River Express relates that a man, named Thomas Adams, committed a most cool and systematic suicide in that locality. This man was last seen by bis nearest neighbour, Mr Hiscock, who lives upon the opposite side of the creek, in the forenoon of the Wednesday week previous to bis remains being found ; and lie was then in the act of going up the creek in his punt, when Mr Hiscock hailed to him and said, “ Tom, where arc you off to ?” Tom’s answer was, “ Only after the cockatoos.” These are supposed to be tbc last words be ever exchanged with any one. He appears to have come back, leaves his punt at bis own wharf, lets go his pigs, covers up bis fire, leaves two buckets of water in bis ’house, closes bis door, and returns, by land, to the place lie had chosen to commit bis dreadful purpose. When found, be bad a bullock chain tightly coiled round his body,and attached to it was a nail can, containing about one cwt. of stones. The ingenuity lie seemed to have displayed in confining the stones in this can, atid the stealthy manner in which lie bad carried out the whole plot, would be sufficient in themselves to convince any person that there was no insanity in the case. On the top of the stones lie placed a small tin dish, and over this dish lie worked a strong rope across from one side of the can to the other, and through boles perforated in the sides, and between this rope and the dish lie placed bis bat, with the intention, no doubt, of keeping it from floating; and by this act lie furnishes another instance of the cautiousness lie bad observed throughout to render his disappearance as long as possible a mystery. The place lie bad chosen is the most lonely and secluded part of llie creek, having a thick scrub standing on each side, and is, by water, about a mile and a half up the creek from the North ArmJ To this place 1t would seem he had taken (lie necessary appendages in his punt in the early part of the day, then returned home to regulate matters according to his ideas, and afterwards came hack to perform the lust act of the tragedy. In his pockets was found an old file, some pound notes, and upwards of a pound’s worth of silver.