FRIGHTFUL WORRYING SCENE

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 442, 18 March 1875, Page 2

FRIGHTFUL WORRYING SCENE

A frightful scene took place in a special mail train 'which arrived in York at 10.24 p k m. The occupants of a compartment of a third-class carriage, on the train leaving Northallerton, were two seaman named John Courtney, an Irishman, and George Draper, of Newport, both of whom were on their way from Newcastle to the latter place, a man named Jacks, and two others. About twenty minutes before reaching York, Courtney, without provocation, commenced to fight with Draper. Both were drunk, and the straggle was of-a most savage character. Jacks and the two other passengers were were glad to escape into the next compartment, and thence they witnessed what Jacks described as being like a dog fight, the two men rolling about the floor, and Courtney biting and worrying his companion in a most shocking, unmanly, and disgusting manner. The " worrying " continued for fully a quarter of an hour. As the train entered the York Station Jacks created an alarm, and Courtney was shouting for his cap, and Draper crouching in a far corner of the compartment, his face and head covered with blood, the left side of the former having apparently been frightfully bitten, and a portion of his left ear being completely severed. The mouth and face of Courtney was also besmeared with blood. The pair were taken into custody and brought before the York magistrates on Saturday. Both were at first charged with being chunk, bnt ultimately that charge, so far as Draper wna concerned, was withdrawn, and Courtney was likewise charged with annoying railway passengers. Draper's head waa wrapped up in a handkerchief, the removal of which displayed the fearful worrying to which he had been subjected, Courtney, when asked what reply he had to the charge, sai4 he and Draper had .been at sea together since August last, and had never had a wrong word ; that he was drunk "vhen travelling towards York ; aud that he knew nothing of the affair charged against him. The Bench fined him 5s ai^d costs for being drunk, and JOs and costs for annoying railway passengers, or imprisonment in default of payment. The money was paid. ' The charges were' brought by the North Eastern llailway Cor pany, through .Police-superintendent Campbell, ' t

Knowing ,tHi> great intereSt attached to the carrying on of the Railway Extension to our district, we are suf\» our readers will be glad to learn something of the progress of the various works being prosecuted at present. Between Tuakau and Mercer the plate-laying and ballasting is being carried on rapidly ; all the bridges but one are now finished, and that, too, will soon be in readiness to receive the rails, so that in the course ©f six or eight weeks the engines may be expected to arrive at Mercer, and when this takes place we have no doubt but that the Government will lose as little time as possible in opening the line for traffic, thus conferring a great boon on the whole of the district. Messrs Briton and Martin are pushing ahead well with their works between Mercer and Rangiriri, and the bank begins to show out well into the various swamps on the line of route. Ihe temporary bridge over the Whangamarino creek which was used to run the waggons across to fill up the large swamp there, has served the purpose for which it was erected and is now dismantled, a start having been made on the permanent .structure in order to get all the piles down before the wet season and floods set in. At Rangiriri, a party of No. 2 E.V.M., under Lieut Eyre, are at work in the heavy cuttings and ; are carrying a heavy embankment through the swamp towards the Rangiriri creek, Waggons and ! rails being used. In this swamp, too, the piles for the large flood-opening have been driven by the contractors, Messrs Briton and Martin. These gentlemen are now busy getting the piles driven in the Onetea creek, which takes a heavy bridge to cross it ; and close to this again is another long flood-opening, the piles for which are all in position, and exertions are being made to get all the driving done before the wet season commences. From this point to Tole's^ Hill swamp, a distance of nearly nVe miles, the formation \s flH s complete, and the h4av£ Gutting through the^ljSl is being worked from both ends by a party ors No. 2 Company E.V.M. From Toles Hill on to^ the ,Coal Mines, and up to the Gorge, the formation is complete, and only a few small bridges have to be built, which will not take much time to do. The outtings through the Taupiri Gorge are rapidly approaching completion, and a few months more work m ill leave very little to be done here. These works are being carried out by No. 1 Company E. V.M., under the supervision of Capt Rowe, a portion of the same company being, at work in and about the bush between Taupiri and Newcastle, where the line is rapidly approaching completion, all the bridges being finished — at least as far as the pile driving is concerned. Mr Taylor, the contractor for the bridge across the Waikato at Newcastle, is pushing ahead rapidly, although he has been delayed for piles for the temporary bridge. A start has been made at the abutment on the town side of the river, which is to be built of concrete on a foundation of heavy piles which have beenVriven some distance below the water level. The time for the bridge contract to be completed is eighte&n^nonths from last October, so that b^ the^ time it is finished the remaining portion of line w^ill be ready, and railway communication with the 'Delta will be un fait accompli. In the Delta, Capt Schofield's company, No. 3 E.V.M. , have been at work since October last, and the formation is complete as far as the Pukete swamp, a distance of very nearly five miles from Newcastle. At present, this company is employed making the Station ground at Newcastle, and also in carrying on extensive draining operations in the Pukete swamp, and in the swamp towards the Hamilton gully, where a large outfall drain has been completed for a length of about If miles, the line having been cleared as far as the Hamilto' gully, a distance of 9£ miles from Newcastle. Exertions are being made to push the large drain right up to Careys bush before the winter sets in, as that will enable operations in the swamp to be earned on during the wet weather without cessation, a thing which would otherwise be quite out of the question as an immense quantity of water lies here during the rainy season. Three bridges only are required between Newcastle and Hamilton, „of which only one, that over the Hamilton gully, is of any magnitude, so that we are of opinion that the line ought to be finished to Hamilton, and indeed beyond it, by the time the bridge over the Waikato is completed. From the above remarks, it will be seen that since our soldier navvies started to work in January, 1874, they have formed some 24 miles of the line, and we understand that their work has generally given great satisfaction to the Government engineers. Tw» contractors, too, Messrs Briton and Martin, haxp made good progress, and altogether the works have been carried on as expeditiously as could be desired. ' "We will give our readers further particulars as the works approach completion.