Telegraphic.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3220, 3 June 1889, Page 2

Telegraphic.

Railway Accident- . jjDunedin, June 1. James Millar, a guard on the South train, fell out in the Caversbam tunnel, but escaped unhurt, H.M. txunboat Dart Auckland, June 2. ■ The. repairs to H,M, gunboat Dart having been completed, that vessel sailed for Sydney this morning, Mining". Uheymouth, June 2. The coal export for the week was 3731 tons.', ' v Keef ton gold returns for the week: Keep-it-Dark, f>42oss of amalgam from 185 tons, including boxes;, Globe, 2310z of amalgam from 175 tons. . ; v Hokitika, June 2. The Kelly's Terrace tributers for six days' work of twelve men washed 430z0f goid, valued at £165, giving £l3 78 per man, The dirt was richer than last week, but owing to the bottom rising, not so much was taken out,

Colonial Exhibition

CmusTcmjßUH, June 2.

A trial of'Whitney's'arid Eley's ammunition took place at Bromley range today in the presence of Colonel Lean and several Volunteer officers. The result wa9 satisfactory the general opinion being that'there is no difference between the two kinds. At the 200 yds the average for five shots was 191-16 points for Eley; 178*4 points*for Whitney. At 600 yds the average was—Eley, 142*8 points; Whitney, 181*8 points,

Supposed Suicide atMasterton,

At 11.80 p.m. on Saturday the nightwatchman, Mr Braggins, reported to tlio police that a man named Henry Crocker .was very ill iu the depot at Keester and Harding's, carriers, Queen street. Constable Oullmane went with the/watchman and found Crocker lying on afow old clothes in an insensible condition. He immediately fetehed Dr Milne who ordered the sufferer's removal (o the Hospital. As no conveyance could he hired at that late hour Dr Milne placed his buggy at'tho disposal of the patient and Croker was taken in that to the Hospital, accompanied by the doctor and Constable Cullinaue, who remained with the man till nearly 2 o'clock. Dr Milne tried all remedies to recover Crocker to conscious: noss, but failed, and lie did not como.to until, a late hour on Sunday morning, He then admitted to Dr Milne that he had purchased a shilling's worth of car bolic acid and drank it., Crocker lingered on in great agony till -8 o'clock on Sunday afternoon at which hour he died. Deceased, who was about fifty years of ago when he (tied had been'in Masterton for many years, and was well-kuown on the road as a waggoner. He was, generally speaking, a quiet, harmless man, and a trustworthy teamster. Of lato ho had suffered a good deal from rheumatism, which is not to be wondered at, considering he was out at all hours, and exposed to all eortj of weather,

■ The Inquest.' An inquest was held at the Hospital at 11. a.m. today (Monday) before Mr W. H, Beetham, Acting Coroner, Mr J, Nicol was chosen foreman of the jury. Dr A. 0. Milno deposed that he was called on Saturday night about twelve o'clock to see deceased. Ho had him removed to the hospital and came with him, There was a strong odor of carbolic acid in the room. Deceased was in a comatose state. Saw him at eleven o'clock a.m. the next day, when he was oousoious and told witness that ho had swallowed a shilling's worth of carbolic acid, whioh he had obtained at Mr Ma?cn'B chemist shop. He treated him for carbolic" poisoning. He was in a collapsed condition, though conscious, at ono p.m., when witness left him There was nothing more that could be done for him, and he did not expect him to recover, Carbolic acid was a very dangerous poison. It destroys the tissues of every part with which it comes in contact. To the ■i'oreman; He had asked deceased why he took the poison, and he said he had been drinking previously and did not know why he aid it. J ,

Constable Culliuane deposed that he knew the deceased, andwasoalled to see him at 11.80 p.m. on Saturday. Ho was lying on sonje old olothes, and seemed to bo very unwell. He wasunconsoious. Witness went for Dr Milne, who ordered his removal to the Hospital. The doctor and witness stayed with him till 1.40 a.m. From informatipn received witness went to .Mason's ohemist shop and saw Mr Gant, who informed him that he had no recolleotion of selling carbolic aoid to anyone on Saturday. He subsequently 6aw Mr Mason, who made a similar statement. Carbolic acid ia not in thoechodule of persons requiring, the siguaturo of tho person buying it. ' Sergt, Price deposed that he had known deceased for many years, The man had been a very heavy drinker, and for three or four days last week had been, drinking heavily. He looked upon him as being an ecceutrio character, and as one who would do what lie had done without hesitation. He was about fifty years of age, and had been about twenty-six years in the Colony; chiefly' in Hie Wairarapa. Hehad no doubt io hie own mind that deceased .took the poison while, in a • state of mental , derangement. ■' ' '•'. To ihe Coroner i He, had ho relatives;that he knew of, but about two years ago sonie female relatives jri the w£St of England made enquiries for liiib, Ibiit be wpuld- not identify jjimsell' as being the- rigjitman. He, however, oame b'ack afterward?, aiijf wished to have himself recognised.

This was all the evidence.

The jury returned a verdict that the deceased came by, his death through drinking c'arbolio aoid, while in a Jtaf* oitpnoraryisaanitv,

||; ;Board.;.;^ lSTiie:^dihary; ; the Board was /Haiti on Saturday, .Jfliie/lst. ■ Present-Messrs \W7 H; Bbethuin (chairman), B.'D. Dag», and T.Brown. /.;■'. .;;:! The minutes of tho previous: meet-' ing were read and .confirmed., / j '■;■;■■■. CORRESPONDENCE.- ': ■'-:: /': From the clerk to the Alfredton Road Board re special rate! From Mr R. W. Tale, solicitor, on behalf of | Mr"B,.'Bright, stating that if the! Board would, take the land" required by his client for road purposes under the Public Works; Act, Mr Bright would defray the cost provided : the amount paid was credited as agonist i future rates, From McD. McLueblan offering to fell bush on the road line 'opposite sections £2 and 23Ko|iuarangi for 30s per acre,. From Colonial Secretary re gazetting, election of wardons. ■ , '■,- BESOLUTIONS. ... In reply to Sir Tate, the Olei'k was instructed-to state that the Board coiild do nothing in the matter, arid the. Board advised Mr Bright to borrow money under the Act for the work required. ;,\ ■■ '

Tho Clerk was instructed to" give the Alfredton Bpad Board the information they required. '■ _ The Board agreed to accppti-tlie offer of Mr D. McLachlan"to'falFthe bush along the line of road referred to, -' \',.^:.r.^ ; -- ; '*:

The Clerk was instructed to again to write : to Mr H. 8, Wardell and request a i reply tp .the; letter sent him several .weeks :ago-re road .through bis 'property; ;■„*•■' '.■'•": . Also, writo' to the Chief Surveyor and ascertain if t ! ie Crown grant of Mr Pall oou's property had expired,' ' Itwas resolved that the opinion of the Board's solicitor as to the Board's power to rate native land that bus boen leased to a. tenant bo tiiken. Messrs Da™' and Bniok wero balloted out as the retiring members next year. ..

That notice be given of (lie Board's intention at the next meeting to strike a generiil rate of seven-sixteenths of a penny in the pound on the property within the district for tho year ending 31st March 1890.' ;

A deputation consisting of Mcasrß Harris >ind Cotter, asked that the road leading to their properties on the Upper Opaki should be improved. The Boaid voted £l2 for the work. overseer's report.

Sir.—l have the honor to report for the information of the Board as follows: ■■■■■'■■'■■.

Upper Opaki Road.—The contract let to Gardiner & Co. for drains and formation has been completed in a satisfactory manner, tho repairs on the satuo line by Mr R. Campbell have not been quite finished, a cheque for the amount can, howerer, be made out and held over as tho work will be finished in a few -days. The repairs authorised by the Board on the line of road leading to the properties of Messrs Martin and J. Blatchford, including metalling k have heen attended to by Mr Martin, and the work is satisfactory.

! Rangitumau Te Ore Ore Road.— The two chains of metalling applied for by Mr Stuckey have been done. Drains, Manaia Road,—Winter & Go's Contract for cleaning and deepening drains at Lower Mauaia has not been qui'e finished, but will be in two or three days. The amount of balance due can be passed at to-day's meeting, and the cheque held over pending [completion of the work. On this line there are several very bad ruts which render traffic in some portions almost impassable and I would recommend that a few day's workywilh horse and cart be undertaken, and the material from the drain used- in fillling up the ruts referred to, TeWbitifordafcMr WardeU's:The Chairman of the Hoard with myself visited this crossing on the Ruamaliunga river, and failed to see that anything can be done to improve the ford for traffic with the exception of removing a "stump below the rapid, which will be attended to. on dynamite being obtained for the i purpose. I

Opaki to Rungifcurtiau road.— Portions of this road bate been cut up with heavy traffic, and I tliink it advisable that three .or four pounds fihould be expended in repairs which would include tilling up ruts, metalI am Ac M. McKenzie. The report was adopted. • Accounts amounting to £73 wore passed for payment, and tho meeting adjourned,

The totes of fenzanoe,

This opera, which is one of the happiest conceptions .of Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan, will be produced by the Masterton- Philharmonic Society on Thursday and Friday next. It is now eight years since the opera made its first appearanco in New Zealand, at Wellington, and ever since it has never failed to draw crowded houses wherever it lias been performed, By a singular coinci dence, the Euth that appeared in tho producticn eight years ago will now appear before a Masterton audience in tho same character. It will, no doubt, bo of interest to pur readers if we givo a brief description of the plot, The curtain rises on an elective seaside picture, racks and foliage in the foreground, and in the distance a calm sea with the pirate schooner lying at .anchor. Group's of pirates in picturesque costume sing the openiug chorus, "Pour, 0 King, the pirate sherry," in whioh they tell how Frederick, the pirate 'prentice, "risos' from indentures freed," and fit to fly alone. The consumption of pirate sherry is momentarily ohecked by the Pirate King (Mr Bray), who hails Frederick (Mr Coleman) as. -'.the keenest hand at scuttling a Cunarder or cutting out a White Star liner that ever shipped a handspike," Euth, a piratical maid of all work (Mr Cecil Eiverton), whose mind "has long been gnawed by the cankering tooth of mystery," chinks she had better have it out at once, and tells, a la Little Buttercup, how a dreadful mistake has been made The pirate King titngs a rollicking bravura, and the middle-aged Kuth makes desperate love to Frederick, but her cup of bliBS is dashed to pieces at the sound of, melodious women's voices heard in tho distance, and complications ensue. Some effective business is here introduced, and a vecy Minp cborus, " climbing over rocky mountains," is j sung. Frederick has a good, song, j J'! Oh! Is there not a maiden; here ?" j to whioh' all General Stanley's daughters sing the-refrajri. Mabel i (Miss Lowes) hgw. enters, and after a , short recitative 'gives words of const). | lation to the perplexed■ youth. Then < c6mes:an;amusing chattering' chorus i which serves as a pianissimfrace6h> , paniment to tho solos' sung by: the principals. : The pirates ; seize -the , girls, and all :agroa •' to ?: be quickly , parsonified' and conjugally; matri. j nwnifiod by & doctor of divinity vih

ia.-v located --/ in" Jtbe/; ; ;Viciriit/i*V r; /j^l»"6fi;^fe^^ Malfol \yanis;tbem;tliat, ;it parinpt be "¥|p|; Ohancory, andvtheir fiither is a Major r Geueral,; 'Hie General now^appears on the/scene, to J,he : - pirates"in■ a-.patter-aon^ whioli he makes rhymingi, He oTbjeotß to sdns-iu-laiy, audjescapes: geanoe by : telling .tbem-thatv lie - is ; >* 0 ,ari orphan,.' ■;' ; ■■(. ,; )'■:' "Zyi-J; '-'ffyM '..•;. the second act discloses a ruined ■■'■: %s chapel by, moohliglit, ,aiM-' business of ;tbe piece : js; surprises; dents. of .conscience; dishonor onthefamily^?cutpJiMtt'by;. ■ telling Itho. pirateß an: imtfatL .■ i -;;' C: humbles bitbself tlie ' bisauoestora. ■Fredeh'ok.reminfe tbat'lieoniy bpuglit ■' tlie W;.;|V;»>year ago. The General: thonariswerable argumenttiiatwiii the estate' be bought its 'contents, ;and :altbougktheNoesf * not.kuow whose they ; i«rei' beCertainly. knows; whose; and shudders to ,think;,thatitbeir-.'■ descendant'(bypurchase), should have, \ ; ; >: brought disgrace upon what: wasjiip; ,; doubt an' unstained..yescutohebn,,;';--/ After this follows a chorus y: bobbies, wherein ,tbe,Sergeant; [MtMi:'■■)■ W. Moore) sings ;a battle' which the foroe ) give j Tarantara',-; , taranlara refrain -which is excessively, • .; ; ; funny. A burlesque on Eerie lis opera ;■:;.,; : is, given in a scerio where the pirates.- J.:. are bidderiin.one,aisleof the;obapel,;'\v;v' the police iri aiioihei\ andvGen'eiai.'l' 4 . Stanley- and his daughters an .the, : ' nave. An. elaborate cet ted ironr-/..': >., her is Bung here, the .various;'parts... being supposod'tq M unaware of oneanother's presence, and deaf .to. .pee ;V": another's liirnioriy.'vTheeliriiax of. ' ' thejjpera is, in a sense, an unexpeoied • oneT TJie General declares that no ; one can bear unmoved the statement (bat nearly nil the pirates are noblemen, "because with all our faults we . love our House of Peers;" and he further remarks ; "Peers will k peers, and youth willhavo M its filing, £- Besuuio your runts and legislative duties, And take ray daughters, all of whom are beauties," A complete set of new scenery has been specially prepared by Mr Bradbury, and the costumes" will bo of ft similar character to those woraonk the production of the opera at tksJF Opera Coraique, Loudon.