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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 847, 8 August 1871, Page 2

Dr Giles will leave Westport ior Keefton, early this morning, holding a Warden's Court there on Wednesday, and at Christy's on Thursday. The steamer Charles Edward arrived from Hokitika on Friday, shortly before midnight, in company with the s.s. Murray. Both vessels left for Nelson the same tide. The s.s. Kennedy sailed from here at the same time for Hokitika. The schooner Mary Van Every proceeded to Greyniouth on Saturday morning with the balance of her cargo of produce, reaching that port the following day. Fears are entertained respecting the safety of the schooner Canterbury, from Lyttelton for Westport with produce. A telegram has been received from the underwriters by Capt. Leach, harbour master, enquiring if she had arrived at her destination. Mr D. M. Isaacs, photographor, of Nelson, will remain in Westport for a fow days. We have been shown a number of portraits, views of Nelson, &c, which evidence groat artistic finish and excellence A visit to the studio will well repay the trouble. The aspect of affairs at Addison's- is daily improving. A drapery establishment has been recently opened, and the proprietor, wu understand, is doing a satisfactory business. Mr Butler, bntcher, formerly of Westport, has also been induced to commence business in that district. The sale of the lease, machinery, water race, and plant of the Enterprise Quartz Mining Company-. Wainiangaroa, was sold by the sheriff's officer under distress warrant, at the Masonic Hall on Saturday.

The land, comprising some sixteen acres, realised £5, and was knocked down to Mr Rasmusson, who, wo bolieVe, has formed a party to cbntinuo operations. The crushing machinery, water race, &c.,' was purchased by Mr Bickurton'Fisher for thVsum of JE6O.

A section at the corner of Bright and Moleworth streets, with two-roomod cottage, was offered at auction on Saturday, and bought in for J246. • The property has since been disposed of privately for £SO, the purchasers being Messrs Powell and Company.

Mr O'Conor returned to town yesterday evening by canoe, bringing down about six hundred weight of coal as a sample. Tho coal was obtained from the right-hand branch of Coal Creek, by putting in a drive of fourteen feet. Three scams of coal were exposed, the first cut through being a mere outcrop ; while tho second was a slaty description of coal, not unlike the Wanganui coal; tho third seam exhibited a splendid block coal, in regular layers of groat thickness. Competent judges pronounce the sample obtained to bo a very superior household and steam fuel, burning with a quick, fierce, and bright flame, leaving no clinker, and but a small quantity of fine white ash. The scam has been found to run continuous for several miles on each side of the river, and is, several miles in width ; and, without doubt, forms a portion of the great Mount Rochfort coalfield. The coal is practically unlimited in quantity, and in quality unsurpassed. It is needless to add that, owing to the inclemency of the Weather, the explorations were attended with uncommon hardship. A track had to be cut, along which the men carried the coal on their "backs to tho river side, being drenched to the skin the whole of the time. About a ton and a half of the mineral has been already raised. We learn that the appeal case, Askew v. Stitt Bros., arising out of a judgment obtained by the plaintiff in the R. M. Court here, for the rent ot a section in Gladstone street, has boea settled without going to a jury, in consideration of the defendants paying £4O, Thu defendants denied liability on the ground that the section was untenable owing to sea encroachments; ind since the matter has been under litigation the ground lias been completely submerged, being visible at low water only. The floods up-country haVo cut off communication between Nelson and the Upper Buller. Dealers have been unable to get through with stock, and the entire district is bare of beef or mutton. Damage, though not to any serious extent, has also been sustained by miners, in the loss of sluice boxes, &c. The diggers generally, however, are busily engaged washing clay and night, in order to take advantage of the temporary abundance of water. ,

Mr Bailie, of Messrs Bailie and Humphrey, proceeded to the Karamea on Saturday last, for the purpose of ascertaining tho correctness of the reported loss of the ketch Rose in that locality. While trusting that tho rumour may bo without foundation, we fear that the little vessel has foundered during the gales experienced in July. During tho past week tho weather has been sufficiently favourable to have admitted of her reaching her destination, or in the event of her undergoing repairs in any inlet, information would have reached Westport of her whereabouts. A miner named Michael Flanagan was admitted into the Charleston Hospital on Thursday last, having met with an accident on that morning at the Four Mile. He was engaged in washing the cloths from the tables of tho machine, and had nearly completed his task, when he slipped and fell, breaking Ins collar bono in the fall.

A man named Fergus Campbell met with a serious accident at Murray Creek, on 22nd July. He was woiking on the roof of a new house, which is being built at Black's Point, for Mr Tapley, the manager of tho Andorson's Reef Gold-Mining Company, and in consequence of the slipping of a plank, ho fell to the ground, and besides receiving other injuries his right arm was fractured above the wrist. Tho sufferer is progressing favorably under the care of Dr Rockstrow.

We learn that Charlie Crowle, has found a portion of the missing cargo of the boat that was upset a few days ago, consisting of a keg of butter, a 10-gallon keg of brandy, a case of porter, as also one of coffee.

A nearly fatal accident by drowning took place at Black's Point, on the Inangahua, on the 25th inst. A boy about seven years of age, named Edward Kirby, a son of Mr E. V. Kirby, of that place, fell off Norman's foot bridge into the Inangahua, in which there was a fresh at the time. A storeman of Mr Norman's, named Nicholas Lund, who witnessed the accident, plunged into the river and rescued the child, after he had been carried some two hundred yards down the stream. The little fellow is said to have struck out manfully, and seemed to think the whole affair was got up for his especial' enjoyment. Messrs , Newton and Co., No. 3 south on Westfield's reef (Kelly's line), at Murray Creek, have had a quantity of stone crushed from their claim at the Murray Creek Cement. Co.'s machine. The tables were cleaned up last week, and it is stated that sixty (60) ounces of amalgam, the produce of twentysix (26) tons of quartz wore obtained. There was scarcely any gold in the ripples or in the stamper-boxes, and various rumours are afloat as to the cause of this. The result of tho crushing was not satisfactory to tho proprietors of the claim, as it was expected the quartz would run three ounces to the ton, and a parcel of ten tons of stone is now going through the mill, which will be considered a fair and final test, of the value of the reef in this claim. The trial crushing of thirty-three (33) tons of quarlz, which was crushed from this claim some months ago yielded thirtyeight (38) ounces of retorted gold. The time for receiving tenders for the conveyance of crushing machinery from Westport to Kirby's store, Inangahua, has been further extended to the 21st inst. The machinery is expected to bo landed at VVestport

before the end of the current month, and by that time the Inauguhun towing track in all likelihood will be in working order. Tho extension will enable parties to reconsider theft* tenders, %id tho increased facilities which will then bo available for navigating the rivor should materially roduco tho cost of transportation.

Mr Fi-ancis Murray, one of the earliest pioneers' of the Murray "Creek, died at tho Gridiron Hotel, Hokitika, on Sunday, the 30th ult. . The deceased had been suffering for some time from disease of tho heart. Ho was a native of County Derry, Ireland, and was widely-known and highly respected in the Inangahua district. Tho funeral took place at Hdkitrka on Thursday. We learn that Mr Trcnnery has purchased the machinery for Child's claim, and had been waiting in Melbourne for twelve 'days, on the 27th Ult., for a vessel to convoy it. *lt is expected that the machinery will arrive at'Westport at the latter end of the present month. The weather in Melbourne is stated to have been so rough that no sailing vessel had arrived there for some days, hence "the fiefay.