ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1693, 12 May 1883, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Tnii drowning of Professor Walker is one of the, paddesj; .things that lias occurred hero for a very long time. Though quite a- young man he had made, his, mark ia England, anifl jcame out 'here wftli'a moat brilliant career apparently before him, to lose his life by a' 1 provSfitible, accident. It has caused much comment that the coroner's juryfwhi'cli " sat on the body " did not add to its verdict of " accidental difowning(7 a rider,;<sen"6uring MrTßydder for allowi,i^gi Professors Tucller and Walker' to go out on & squally /lay in a 1 boafcwithoirft'b'ailast^ ihod I ' centre-board boat w^hdut-yvrcentjee-board. Had the boat been ballasted, the accident which resulted in jthe death of Professor Walker, would, • in- alP 'probability, not have occui red, while if the centre-board had L'beeri f use' 3 it* certainly would" not have happened. Why the coroner's jury did not append a vldeCj'oehsnrlng Mr Bydder ia ,what people, wapjf tp y What makes him seem the more deserving of blaai^ is the fact thaj;, Ire wlMU>rmerly hi the "British ,&a\;y, and*£ho|^t], therefore, be ovpectcd to know move about the danger run more landsman. Tho only satisfactory Ihing'ih connection with ,tl}e sad affair is the ( plucky,condhct of the 'threes little' bbys,' nohe'hi6re than thirteen years old, wlio> went, dtf fin a cockleshell of a dingy to the assistance of Professor Tuckor* and succeeded in saving him from a wutery grave. ' ' Talkinc? about the drowhidg of Pro* fessor Walker, a' gentleman >gave an account' of what, I belieVe, was the most serious drowning accident in our harbour, the most serious as far as the v number of Jives lost is concerned. Oiie fine Sunday, upwards of twenty years, ago, five young men staited from the Tamaki to come to Auckland in a small boat. All went well until they were off Kohjmarama, when a sudden squall struck tho.bwat and, the bheot'bevhg tied,' |s)ie 'capsized, and the occupants were thrown into the water. Three of them immediately" started to swim to the shore, but before, they had gone very far' two sank to rise v no more " till the sea gives up her, dead." Of the two who remained 1 clinging to the boat, out 1 , named Ducrot, was a splendid swimmer, who had saved a number of people from drowning. The other, whose name was Milner, was a tolerably good swimmer, but timid ( in the, water. Ducr6t urged him to strike outJor the shore, and promised to swim beside him and give him assistance if he required it. Unfortunately he clung to the boat until his own strength and that of Ducr6b were nearly exhausted. Then they started to swim, but, before half of their weary task was done, they both sank. Only one of the party reached 'the , shove. His strength was almost gone when he felt his feet touch the reef. That gave him fresh hope, and he struggled on, walking on the leef where he could, and swimming where he could, not walk. At length he reached the beach, and fell down in a dead , faint. Fortunately for him, the natives from the adjoining settlement found him, canied him up to one of their whares, and nursed him back to life, the sole survivor of that ill-fated excursion. . I went down on board the " Mataura" and spent a few minuted in 'her freezing chamber. There' were a large number of carcases of sheep hanging up, .while thousands, which had been' frozen, wcie fastened up in bags and stowed away. Some pheasants, which were hanging up, inspired me with a happy thought— ip send a brace ot those beautiful birds home to xny rich old uncle. Just when Iw as calculating what a splendid legacy I would receive in consequence , of my present another thought — not a happy one—occurred to irie — that I had not a lich uncle ,to whomi I, could "/Send the pheasants. I therefore abandoned the idea, and contended myself with admiring the beautiful white frost with which the roof anil every other part of the freezing chamber visible were eh6rusted. I admired it tho more as we never ace snow and seldom see frost in Auckland. The chief officer, who kindly dcited as cicerone, (that's a good word to write, but not to pronounce, as it sounds tdb' much like two sneezes and oh! knee) 1 briefly explained the freezing processes to the iriend who accompanied me and myself. He Rjaid that the ship would take away the carcases of 8000 sheep,! and he had no doubt but that they would deliver them in London in prime condition, as they did .with the cargo which they took away 'from Dunedin a year ago. It is to be hoped that they will flo so, and realise good prices. - i . Two of the "Heathen Chinees" residing in or hear the city were brought up at the Police Court on Wednesday, and fined 10s each, under the Gaming and Lotteries ' Act, for playing an unlawful game called " Fan tan." As they pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them, the police <-did npt press for heavy penalties, so they got off with a small fine. One of the ■ saddest and mdst humilating sights I remember to haye seen, I saw in, Melbourne one fine afternoon some years ago, when I was living ( there. The police had' made a laid on one of the " gambling hells" in Little Bourke-street, . M'hich is the Chinese quarter of Melbourne. , They iotind upwards of a dozen (I think there were sixteen) people there, handcuffed, them together in pairs, and took them to the police station, I saw the melancholy procession, and , "wtja surprised to notice',shat, though somM^pi the gomblers were natives' of tb^* flowery hind,'' the "majoiity. were respectableslooking Europeans, 'who' looked like merchants' or ; bank clqrks. ( Gambling is the prominent yioe of the Melbourne people, aud j believe that many of them. .were in the ( habit of going t<?[ indulge in fha't' vice t in the dicty, . evil-smelling gambling den 3 of Little Bourke-street. Now 'that our Auckland .police -^have begun their raid against ,gam biers, it is to be hoped that they will not content themselves with having .punished *' that Heathen, Chinee,'? bnt-wiU continiie/their labours' until they have put down ." sweeps;" ," consultations" ;and book* makers. St. Mukgo.

I /■■ ' ' ' ;" ■ ■ Mr A. Heany, gives notice that he intends to apply for an accommodation license for premises situate at Lifhfield, Pato.tere. Mr J. S. Btickland will hold his next Ohaupo live stock sale on Tuesday, 22nd inst. A commodious shop and dwellinghdfise in Cambridge >are 'to 1 letJ' 1/ , r \ Messrs Clark and Gane will sell by .auction on Monday n«.t,at the roomsadjoining the roWn Board, office, Cambridge, .without ■rfesen'e, a quantity of blanket*, hats, shawls, etc. The /abstract balance-sheet of" the "VYtiipa Countyt , Conncil; -for 'the six 'ironths end)jig,March, 3lst, and for; thQ y?ar endirtg on the same date," are published in out; , business columns. ' "' ' ' "' ' The special attention of "housekeepers and the general public 6f 'Hamilton is 'directed to the new advertisement of Meisra Sgotk an 4 Cw, U another par^ of this 455^,