WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1763, 16 August 1884, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(From our own Correspondent,) On Monday I was informed that four cases of small-pox were known to have broken out in the city, and that there were several other cases which were believed to be this much dreaded disease. But, fortunately the wild rumor of umall-pox proved to be totally unfounded; but what gave some color to the rumor was the part that a MiAdams, employed by the Government, who came from Melbourne in the Waifcora on her last trip, had been slightly indisposed, and had to take leave for a few days; but his indisposition was nothing more than a bilious attack. It appears that this gentleman brought with him a dog that was taken charge of during the trip by Mouafct, the small-pox patient at Napier, and of course some people jumped to the conclusion that Mr Adams must have caught small-pox from his dog. Messrs Luke, Sons, k Williams have just erected at their foundary a large steam hammer, weighing between seven or eight tons: It was made, from designs prepared by Mr W." Brown, who has lately arrived from England, and it is, I hear, the first one of the kind manufactured in the North Island. In fact, there is only one like it in the colony, that being in Dunedin. A trial of our local smasher's capabilities was made on Saturday last, which proved highly satisfactory. During the week a Mr Hagland has been giving exhibitions at the drillshed of his wonderful power of taming horses, he having, at some of his entertainments, had brought to him some very refractory animals, all of which ho succeeded in making quiet and dooile in a very short time. On Tuesday evening he brought his enter : tainments to a close. They have been patronised by a large number of tho public. An important judgment to farmers generally was given last week in the 1 R.M. Court by Mr Wardell. Mr ' Campbell sought to recover from Mr ' Murray £ls, value of two dogs ' destroyed through eating poisoned ' meat laid on defendants land. From ( the evidence it appeared that as Mr Campbell was going over some land ' close to Mr Murray's his dogs passed '• through the boundary fence and eat ' some poisoned meat which had been 4 placed by the defendant on his land, f The defendant admitted having placed '

poisoned meat on liis Jand, and con- < tended that he had a perfect light to. < do so in order to protect his sheep froin t neighbor's dogs. His Worship; held that as there was'no proof that Mr. Campbell's dogs were running at large, : and that the poisoned meat had been i laid so close to the boundary fence as i to attract plaintiff's dogs the defendant i was liable for the loss of the dogs, and gave judgment for £lO and costs, Mr i Wardell said he hoped his ruling i would be subjected to review in a I higher Court as the poini at issue was I of considerable importance, and notice of appeal was given. About noon last Saturday a very i old and much respected settler went to his last resting-place. Mr Terry, who was on a visit from the Wairarapa to this city with his wife, was staying in Mr Freeman's ..house in Mlolesworthstreet, and after being out on business in the city returned home shortly before noon, when he complained of pains in the regions of the heart. Dr Diver was sent for, but Mr Terry expired just as that gentleman arrived. The deceased was over 65 years of age, and, I hear, helped to cut the first tiack over the Rimutaka. The Rev. Mr Baumber, on Sunday last gave a very impressive sermon on 1 ' the death of the late David Trinniburgh, a member of- the WesleyanChurch, taking for his text the latter , part of the 21st verse oftthe chapter of ■ St. Paul's Epistle to the Phillipians. The pulpit was draped in black, and appropriate hymns were sung during the service, The late Mr Trinniburgh was a very old;resident of this city, i and during the last twelve years had i been confined to his bed through a i paralytic stroke, caused by a blow ; on the back of the neck received while out, boating. He leaves a numerous but grown-up family, together with a large circle of friends, to • regret his death, . On Thursday morning a rather setir ous railway accident happened near the : Lower Hutt, As the train which left town at 10.15 a,m. was approaching , the Lower Hutt station, the signal was , given that all was right, and the train i was ran on to the points of a siding; but the engine, instead of going on to the branch line, left the rails and ploughed up the permanent way in a frightful manner, dragging the tender i and five or six trucks after it, which i were completely smashed up, though,: i fortunately, the engine was not much : damaged. The passengers were in car- | riages in the hinder part of the train, • and as these were not dragged off the , rails, the occupants escaped with a few slight bruises and a severe shaking. , The accident was at once telegiaphed , to Wellington, whence a train was at . once sent, and the down train from Wairarapa was instructed not to wait at Haywards, but to come on. The Wairarapa passengers on arriving at the Lower Hutt were put into the . train from town and taken on to Wellington, reaching their destination only twenty minutes late. By the afternoon the debris was sufficiently cleared away and the line made safe enough for the trains to pass. The cause of the mishap appears to have been that the points were not locked, and it is believed that an enquiry will be held by the authorities into the cause of the accident. Dr Hector, Government geologist, gave a lecture at the Athenaium on Thursday evening on " Modern Meteorology," in the course of which he stated that experiments had proved that fogs like those so common to London could be reduced to rain by being electrified. For this purpose use had been made of powerful electric machines and lightning rods, which discharged a shower of electric sparks into the fog. By a similar plan it has been proposed to bring down in the shape of rain the immense clouds that pass over Australia without shedding any of their contents.