TEVIOT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue III, 26 May 1870, Page 6

TEVIOT.

(From our own Correspondent).

Teviot, May 18.

About half-past four on .the morning of Friday last a serious fire broke out at McCarthy's Dumbarton Rock Hotel. Through the immediate assistance of the neighbours and the men employed in reconstructing the telegraph line, who luckily were -camped close by, the fire was with difficulty confined to the old building, which was a thatched place, and separated by only a few feet from a substantial new weatherboard building, recently erected, and which, but for the ready and effectual assistance, would have been lost. The property destroyed, lam happy to state, is not large. The contents of the building, consisting principally of a few boxes of clothes and some oats and chaff, were nearly all recovered without damage ; so that, with the exception of the destruction of the building, Mr. M'Carthy's loss will not be great. On Saturday night last, when the young man who drives Mr. Glass the baker's cart was returning from Benger Burn, on coming to a very sharp turn, known as the Devil's elbow, about a mile and a half from the Teviot, he found a threehorse dray turned upside down, and a man's hand protruding from under it. Finding he was not able to relieve him, he immediately started for assistance, and had the good fortune to meet Mr. Cameron the blacksmith and two other men within a short distance of the spot, with whose assistance he immediately released the unfortunate man, whose name is Russell, of Wetherstones, and who had been up country with some Black Horse beer. He "was immediately brought to the Teviot in the baker's cart and placed under the care of Dr. M'Dougall, who, upon examination, found two large cuts of about four or five inches long on each side of the head, besides other slight bruises on the body. In consequence of information sent that night by telegraph, his friends arrived faom Wetherstones about three o'clock on Sunday morning. Contrary to all expectations, he was able to walk about on Sunday morning, and started on horseback with his friends for the Beaumont during the forenoon, although the removing of him was strongly opposed by the doctor.

The telegraph staff are progressing rapidly with the reconstruction of the line, They have commenced erecting the iron poles along the west bank of the river between here and Alexandra, and expect to have the new line through by the end of next month. This will be a great improvement on the old line over the Knobbies.

Mr. Ayling's contract for the new road between here and Coal Creek is nearly completed, being the last portion requiring forming between here and Alexandra.

Most of the claims here are busy running off and getting wheels, pumps, &c, in working order, to commence sinking in the winter.

A little excitement was caused on Monday by the men of the road party getting up one or two foot races— one of them for five pounds a side — and a four-handed billiard match in the evening for eight pounds aside — Mr. Niel and his mate being the winners of the billiard match, and Raven the saddler here the winner of the foot race for five pounds.

The river rose a little on Monday, stopping one or two of the claims for a day or two. The weather, which has been veiy good for some time past, has now turned to rain, which is expected to cause a further rise in the river before the final going down for the winter.