VICTORIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 74, 23 November 1865, Page 2

VICTORIA.

[FROM THE '! AGE," NOV. §.] Another fatal accident occurred afrthd

Grassy Flat Reservoir, on Tuesday morning. It appears from the " Ben-idig-o Advertiser" that " a man named John Alexander and his son, both carters, residing at New Chum Gully, were on their way to Strathfieldsaye for slabs, each having a horso and dray, •when on passing the lower reservoir they drove their horses to the water's brink to give them a drink. They were each of them seated on his own dray, and the son states that while the horses were drinking he noticed his father's horse slip suddenly from the bank into the water, dragging the dray with his father after it. They sank in deep water immediately, the shafts of the dray only being visible On the surface, with the horse struggling on his back between them, and his father calling for help. He endeavored to throw him the reins which he loosened from his own horse, but they failed to reach" him. Ho then called for help, and a man named Matthew Flynn, with his son and other men, who were working near, came to his assistance. By this time Ids father had sunk. Flynn, on arriving, undressed and jumped into the water, but was not successful in finding the drowning man ; and the landlord of the Bull's Head Inn having launched a boat, he got into it and unharnessed the horse, which was quite dead. They searched with the oars for the body, and feeling it they 'endeavoured to raise it with the grappling irons, but could not do so until the dray had first been removed. Before the body could be recovered it had been iv the water at least two hours The hole into which the horse had slipped was an excavation which had been dug out for the construction of the embankment, and was from ten to twelve feet deep" , the edge of it at that hour in 'the morning having been covered by the water. The deceased was a Polish Jew, well known on Bendigo, having resided in the district for twelve years, iand was between seventy and eighty years of age. His wife is still living. A most deplorable case of destitution was brought under the notice of the city police court yesterday. A poor "woman named Margaret Reynolds applied for relief on behalf of herself And six children. She stated that her husband deserted her nearly four months ago, since which time she had done all she could to support herself and family respectably. Her exertions, however, at length failed her, and she then parted with every article of property she possessed in order to find bread for her starring children, lliey had now nothing left except the clothes they wore, and she was therefore compelled to solicit public sympathy and assistance. Mr Sturt remarked that this was only one of a number of such cases very constantly brought before him, and he had given instructions to have it heard in court, so that the benevolent public might be made aware of the fearful amount of destitution and privation which was endured by a very large class of the community. Many poor females, whose husbands were either in gaol, or had left them and were tramping about the country in search of employment, were left, with their little ones, in an absolute state of starvation. Most of the charitable institutions were so crowded that they were obliged to refuse admittance to many persons who were suffering both from poverty and disease. They had positively refused to take 'any more at the Immigrants' Home, in consequence of their crowded condition ; the poor-box would not mcct 1 the demands made upon it, and he had ho other alternative than to send the children to the industrial schools. He, therefore, ordered five 'of Mrs Reynolds' children to be transmitted thither. The applicant here gave way to a burst of grief, and declared that she would rather starve with, than be separated from her offspring. Mr Sturt told her that he could offer her no other assistance, whereupon she left the court and took her children with her, the eldest of which is only thirteen years of age. His worship then stated that there was still a worse case than that to bo dealt with. A Mrs Dickson, who was at present in the hospital, had been (deserted by her husband eighteen months ago, and he had left her eight children to provide for, who were in such a wasted condition that they were reduced to nothing but skin and bone. Mr Duross intimated that the number of children in the industrial schools had now increased to 800, new arrivals being admitted nearly every day from various parts of the colony.