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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 804, 25 April 1871, Page 2

A terrible and fatal accident occurred at Irishman's Creek, Lyell, on Thursday, the 14th inst, resulting in the death of a Greek, named Vasila Mftri, while engaged mining in a tunnel. It appears that on the day mentioned, the deceased and his mate, William Anglesey, while mining, heard a loud rumbling as if the hill were giving way. Anglesey rushed from the tunnel and cried to deceased that " the whole country was caving in." The deceased was not so expeditious as he might have been, and was anxious to secure a lon""handled shovel. In consequence of the delay, on reaching the mouth of the tunnel he was intercepted by enormous masses of earth and completely buried. Anglesey himself had a singularly narrow escape. A number of men collected at the claim and commenced to remove the debris for the purpose of exticating the deceased. After 60 hours' unintermitted toil the body was discovered, and at that moment the entire slip which was of a very exti n nve character, commenced to give way further. The body was seized and dragged away with the falling boulders and earth. On examination it was found that Mitri had not received serious external injuries. The face of the body was black and the head much swollen, showing that death had ensued from suffocation. The above particulars have been furnished us by Mr T< m perloy who has also handed us the subjoined document for publication:—Lyell Junction, April 16th, 1870. We, the undersigned twelve mi-n, do hereby certify that the deceased Vasila Mitri, a Greek by birth, met his death accidentally in a tunnel at Irishman's Creek. The cause of said accident was the hill coming down. We are also

of opiuion that the ground was properly timbered, and that no blamo attaches to any person." Then follow the signatures of William Anglesey and others working in tho vicinity. The remains were interred tho following Sunday. No injury whatever was caused to tho tunnel, and there is every probability that had the deceased been a few moments later in his attempt to emerge he would have been safely rescued from the tunnel.

It will be in tho recollection of our readers that on the recent occasion of a Warden's Court being held at Fern Flat, the turbulence of some of the miners assembled necessitated its adjournment to the Inangahua Junction. Several summonses were issued against persons known to have participated in the disturbance, and at the last sitting of the Court in that locality, T, Williams, charged with permitting disorderly conduct in his licensed house, was fined £5 and costs; Thomas Cooney, charged with druakennesp, was fined 20s, a second charge of having used threatening language being withdrawn; and John By an, for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, was fined 20s. In the Warden's Court, a number of mining applications were disposed of, none of which were of public interest. The Nevada, with the outgoing European mail via San Francisco, will leave Lyttelton on the 14th of May, and Wellington on the 15th.

Edith Palmerston concluded a very successful series of entertainments at the Masonic Hall, Westport, yesterday evening. There was a fair attendance, which, but for the dampness of tho night, would undoubtedly have been much larger. The comedy of "Wild Oats" was reproduced with excellent effect, and Miss Palmerston personated, with extraordinary humour and vivacity, other characters from her " household sketches." The audience testified throughout the performance, then- appreciation" of the genius of this' versatile and clever actress. Mr and Mrs Alexander, and Mr Pownall purpose leaving for South by the steamer Charles Edward to-day, and will give a series of entertainments at H >kitika, Greymouth, and Eosstown. The just conception of the characters delineated, and her incomparable personations stamp Miss Palmerston as an artiste of exceptional merit.

Fortune not content with persecuting the French on land, has also been hostile to them at sea. Wo learn from the home papers that about the 20th December two small French gun-boats were sunk in tho Pacific, not far from the South American Coast, by the Prussian frigate Medusa. The frigate "was armed with guns of very heavy calibre, while the gun-boats carried, one four 12-pounders, and the other two 1 2-pounders and one 24-pounder. Tho result of the action is not, therefore, astonishing.