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Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4269, 6 September 1882, Page 2

In her first trip on Monday last, the new screw steamer Waitoa, Captain Bettis, made the distance to Te Aroha in eight hours. This is very creditable speed, but the Captaia says he would hare done it in seven hours if he hasl not been delayed by several stoppages. At one time, the rudder-chain broke, and at another something went wrong with one of the engines, and they had to go at half speed for a ehoit time. The time from Grahamstown to the Puke was exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes, snd they nearly orerbauledlhe Te Aroha, which had over an hoar's start. The tri^> down from Te Aroha occupied About six:"hours.. From Bagnall's Mill, the Te Aroha andl "Wait3a Tfad" arace." "The latter won easily for the first half hour, butafterwards had to slow dowq in consequence of a slight defect" in the boiler. These slight accidents are to be expecttd with new machinery, but Capt. Bettis ia confident that when Bhe grts into good working order the Waitoa will make the 60 miles to Te Aroha in 7 hours as an average performance. Her draught on the trip was 2 feet forward and about 2ft. 9in. aft, and as she had a full complement of passengers and 9 tons of cargo on board, this may be considered very satisfactory.

Kohieb's Waxworks Exhibition last night at tbe Academy of Music was well patronised. In tbe collection there are about 40 figures- of noted characters, to which that of Winiata has just been added. Other curios attract the attention of the visitor. Mr Kohler illustrated the modus ojperandi of Edison's phonograph', to the great wonderment of the on-lookera. i r; : '■'■.','■'

Ah elderly man, named Phillips, by trade a shoemaker, died at the Hospital this morning.

An elderly married woman, named Lewis, hanged herself atTeHapera, Gisborne, yesterday afternoon. She was seen alive at 1 p.m., and discovered hanging dead at 5 p.m., by her hnsb »nd. Her neck was broken, and the act wus apparently deliberate. Her husband declares the deceased to hare been ia low spirits, and to some extent unaccountably wild in her actions for some time past.

A man named Thomas Mason^ wbo has figured twice previourly within a week at the Police Court, was sentenced by Mr H. C. Lawlor, J.P., to seven days' imprisonment for being drunk and disorderly. The prisoner was quite indignant at the insinuation, but two policemen swore enough to convict him. He declared the*bobbiea had a " set " on him. Sergt. O'Grady said the accused acted as if he had had a sunstroke some time, which excited Mr Mason's ire still more. The gallant sergeant was no doubt laboring under a slight mistake, the difference being that Mason was out in a hot sun) yesterday, and it was the effect of this that he was suffering from wben seen by the men in blue.

The Old Vanguard and South British Claims have been pegged out and amalgamated under the name of the New Vanguard Claim, consisting of 72 men's ground. It will be floated in 70 shares of £30 each. : Of these the promoters McLean and party reserve 20 snares, but pay for the license and survey. This would.-leave £1000 to the Coy. The Bird-in-Haud and South British reefs, good eized lodes, traverse the ground, and avemged from 7dwts to almost an oz. at various crushing!*. The ground has only been tried to a depth of 180 feet.