TE AWAMUTU GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1983, 24 March 1885, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU GOSSIP.

(X S. Vatiick's Day tlio train fioni Auckl.ind safely deliveie'd a lot of " s'-ekeis ''— some seeking foi pleasure, some for hoilth, some f<u wealth, in uliort, all of tlicm on the "gieedy drub " for tlmt which their heaits most longed for. The town woke hji, and its inlialntaiitH, rejoicing at tho oppoitunity, went out among tho strangers seeking to take them in, charitably mi i ! hospitably inclined of course, for bo it known (into yon, () ! tender, Te Awamutu is good, exceedingly good, nftor a fusion. I proHume the majority of tho excursionists woio teetotallers, for tho comineicial commodities mostly disposed of during their visit weio Kno's fruit salt nnd apples. Talking of applet, 1 noticed a great fuv< niiulo over ft big one the othor day. Any oiio can prow a big npplo or tut nip, and "gas" about it, but I know a man who silently prides himself on possessing the most gloriowi blight-covered apple tieo 1 oversaw. The apples on it arc wonderful to behold. They are beautifully enamelled with emerald mildow, and when fully grown are, as largo as the, inarblo in a patent lutnonndo bottle. Their flavour is ho delicately fine that one tree does not produce tmmcieut bulk of thorn to transmit it to the. taster. Thnt is tho sort of apple to talk about, and jam in among tho traditions of a district. Its horticultural }M)inaceouH name i« " Roughus diainondiifi poinum." On Wednesday morning last, between one and two o'clock, a fiio broke out horo that dodtroyod tho nucleus of buildings that granted to To Awamutu its right to tho name of " town." A wholo street, conmutiny of ton buildings, was en tiioly rubbed out. Two persons, an old and young man were sleeping in different parts of a place of business used a» a mercer and tailor h shop. The bhop was well stocked with silks and tweeds, arranged on shelve^ on that Hide of it, behind tho counter, contiguous to an niiiptv sho|), formerly used as a general storo. Tho builrlings touched each other, for tho studs of one wer« foHtened to the weather boards of the othor. Tho younger man wan awakened by tho criei of tho older, and ho sprang out of bed, rushed into the old man's room, and opening a door giving entrance for it into the shop, saw through tho smoke u maun of fire spreading among the twoedn, about on a levol with the counter, and not very far b.vck from that part of the front of tho Hhop adjacent to thu empty one next door, therefore tho fire must have started either in the tailor's shop, or in tho empty one next door, or in tho space butweon tho weatherboard* of one building, and tho lining of the othor. After a hasty glimpse, ho closed the dwor, and hurriedly assisted the feeble old man to eKcape. By this time a general alarm was given, and noblo and partially successful efforts wow made to save property. All tho people present heartily nelped, "even the ladies there worked in mich a manner an to gain the unHpokou applauso of everybody. I tender them my noinago in approval, of their humanity. Tho tiro first began in buildings of one Btoroy, erected on ground gradually declining from Lewis' hotel, which in & largo building of two ntoroyi. Tho direction of the wind was fropa the

burning houses t> th > hotel, n Hmill Hpac nt giouud consistmgof ac tbb igo garden ,uul horse- yard intervening. Iho fUming Mink* and tongues of the file assaulted too hotel, which for some time rodi«ted their attacks. At list, hunnn efforts to chock their fury being unavailing, their lepeated Hallie*, with a roar of conquest, succeeded in firing tho roof in uncial places. These •mon gathered together in one vast flamo of fire, that ma red up to the heavens with .1 cannon ide of cracking sparks, and illiuki n ited with savage joy the scone of its raging destruction, until the horrified night, awakened from peaceful slumber, piled with terror at the surging conflagntion. From the hotel it rushed with gloating fury .Lcross tho road, and grasped in its fiery in iw four othor building)), and soon left the ground u|K>n which they Htood a blackened space of smoking des->Htion. Hero it expended its fury in spasmodic yells of anger, throwing up spark* with demoniac glee w lien its fiery embr.ico received portions of tho buildings. As tho morning advanced, the tall nuked chimney, «een in the decrejuiing ein'tko of thn dying 6re, seemed like hugu ringers uphold in solemn protcHt nt the ruth])*-" ihmtriictinn, and the pair blue ntnoko th it curled around them seemed as if it w.h circling thorn for paidon. Much property was dentroypd, and great loss incuned. Local sympathy w.is ,md still is Rtninj» ; gubst.mtiiil assistance dutifully stronger. Ido not consider it within tho pro* mco of niy letter to deal in hgurea, or suggest methods for extinguishing firen. Let others tell of inmir.inccs, and uriro the people to adopt monmirph to more succpfwfully cope with disasters of a like nature. I'll go on with mv " Gossip." The farmers are busily engaged threshing their stacks. Some extraordinary yields aiu spoken of, and a general satisfaction is expressed at tho numerous sacks, pregnant with golden gram, th.it arc rewarding their agi 1 cultural industry. Short's procession, as it in called, moving from one farm to another is an imposing spectacle, consisting, as it does, of steam engins, threshing mill, i»traw elevator, water-carts, and a fourwheeled waggon, on which i« erected sort of house that does duty as kitchen and eatingroom. The iiipii engaged to perform the manual part of the thrashing woik sevin, in thuir different pi ic»>h and employment, bko " gnomt's" .ittend uit on the " giant steam," whoso puning limn hduikK like .in .ircnmpaniment to the vwirdluss song of their ever eh mging Activity. UILI-Y.