HAPPENINGS IN THE GAPITAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1740, 4 May 1906, Page 3

HAPPENINGS IN THE GAPITAL.

HELP SAN FRANCISCO.

[Bv Pkneloi'e. j

Wellington,

During this past week Wellington has been occupied, apart from, its usual business pursuits, with races and the ’Frisco fund. The gush of sympathy for the sufferers by the earthquake has been checked by tho President’s refusal to accept outsido help, and consequently many of tho proposals to raise money have fallen through. The meeting of' ladio3 convened by Mrs Hislop, our Mayoress, who is both clever and onergetic, consisted of only seven members, and the demonstration on tho Basin Roservo was neither enthusiastic nor lavishly generous. Given a band, a number of uuiforms, and a certain Promier and a possible Governor as orators —though the latter

failed to put in an appearance —a ] crowd is sure to gather, but it was a < disappointed crowd, for it expected ; many cycles and motor-cars—and the . Mayor’s was the only motor, —a pro-1 cession of Friendly Societies with their grotosquo regalia, and bevios of girls in fancy costumos from the Catholic bazaar that wore gathering in shekels at the Town Hall. But none of these attractions were to the foro. Mr Moore, our Seamen’s Hissioner, who is quite a Wellington personality, acted as marshal of the procession, of which really the school cade s were the largest factor, and he talked to the crowd through a megaphone. The Premier was in great form and spoke I vigorously and, is it necessary to add ? , —at length. With such a shifting audience it is not easy to arrest attenj tion, and a dog fight mid-way rather 9 impairedhia eloquence. Subscription^

i f nro-by no means rushing 1 in, for most j aro withholding help till tho situation is strnightonod out. EARTHQUAKE REMINISCENCES

Any details about earthquakes aro at present of absorbing, intores.t. It is as woll perhaps Wellington is bo- I ginuing to romombor that at any timo a shako may como. From tho way groat warohousos and hotels are rising —often liko tho Plus nix from the ashos—ono would think the Seddon I Govornmont had, in addition to its many mothorly schomes, abolished I earthquakes. Groat would bo the I downfall if ono were to occur, for. so I scarco is land hero that a race of cliff- I dwollors is springing up. Those live in houses sot on ledgos scraped out of J hilts, and reach their homes by vortical I ways that insist on tomperance. Tho I very Basin Resorvo was onco intended I

for a dock ono street that bounds it I is called Dock street —'but a friendly I shake raised tho land there six feet, and now tho harbor lios a consider- I ] able distance away. I < Two old ladies yesterday grew I, volublo over the big earthquake of 1 1 I fifty years ago. The first indication 1 1 they got was tho agitation of a parrot. I e Then came tho first crash, and for a J s whole week after the earth rumbled I r and shook. Weird noises wore heard, li|

i like tho sizzling of meat in a pan, or I o tho dragging of heavy chains, and the I v nether regions drew uncomfortably I T I close. Only one death occurred, that I S j of a paralysed German baron who was I ~ being helped to bed by his nurse, for -■ tho first shake came at nine at night, j J The chimney crashed down—as all I did in the town—but did not fall on him ; but it sent a pier-glass .on the mantle-piece flying, and a piece, of Fe glass cut an artery in tho man’s thigh, o£ causing his death. For some timo be« Iha foro he had been dumb, but the shock I caused his speech to come back. I had half an-hour this week in a cellar under MrHogben’s house, looking at the wonderful machine that I registers the earth’s movement and I notes any irregularities. Mr .Hogben, who is Inspector of Schools, is an en- I thusiast on the subject of earthquakes, and explained most clearly, but the feminine mind, as regards machinery, has limitations. The loDg pendulum F ®’ of the instrument, set horizontally, is I

so sensitive that our speaking set it quivering irritably, and quite recently a tiny spidor, too small to be seen, tied it up with its web and prevented its moving. The long strips of sensitised paper are always passing beneath the recorder, and when developed, it is quite easy to see the wriggle in the straight line that indicates an earth tremor. The record of the recent

shake looked like a range of minarets,

so jagged was it. By a system of calculations Mr Hogben can arrive at the position of the earthquake. He had asked us to wait before going into the cellar until he had seen whether

an earthquake was going on, and we thought he was joking, but he was

perfectly in earnest, for earth tremors

aro very frequent.

SOCIAL DOINGS.

The season is just beginning in Wellington, and an epidemic of “at homes ” is setting in as a prelude to other •itertainments. This week there are two largo ones, the first at Mrs Walter Nathan’s, and the second at Mrs Quick’s. Mrs Nathan has just settled down in Mrs Izard’s house in Hobson street, and has re-decorated and enlarged it- There is a large garden and a lawn overlooking the harbor and the hills, and, provided

the weather improves and the gale subsides, this will add much to the afternoon’s pleasure, Mrs Quick’s is another of the few Wellington houses that possess gardens. One of our pretty Wellington girls was married last week, Miss Muriel Finch, daughter of the Inspector of the Bank of New South Wales. Dr

Putnam, the bridegroom, has set up practice in Palmerston North. Miss Finch made a lovely bride, being tall,

slender, and dark-haired, and her pretty wedding-gown was notable for the exquisite lace embroidery on the silk skirt. Her sister and Miss Tol-

hurst were bridesmaids, and wore pale blue silk frocks, with guipure hats and sable crowns. They carried sable muffs instead of bouquets. The engagement of the bride’s aunt, Mrs Morrison, to Mr Dudley Tripe, has just been announced.

An interesting couple, Mr and Mrs Senior, of London, left by the Wimmera last Saturday, most reluctantly, for they had fallen in love with New Zealand. They hope to return and see more, particularly Rotorua, which they bewailed having no time to visit. Mr Senior shoots, and had some deer - stalking on Mr E. J. Riddiford’s land in the Wairarapa, getting three heads. His wife does everything the deerstalker does except actually firing the rifle, and is as well passionately fond of fishing. Mrs Senior’sjirst husband was a connection of the Hon. HillTrevor. Mr and Mrs Sillem were also distinguished visitors who have just' turned their faces homewards. Pe is Dutch, and a noted climber—though one would imagine a Hollander would not take kindly to mountaineering. His climbs on the Himalayas are well known, and in our own Alps he did notable work. Mrs Sillem is splendidly handsome, an Amazon in height and figure, with an exquisite complexion and masses of dark hair. She is an Austrian, and it is said that neither, when they met, could speak each other’s language, and the wooing was all done in French. They, too, re-

turn to New Zealand, probably next year. Mrs Pierce Freoth, from Palmerston North, has been staying with hor sister-in-law, Mrs Robioson, and Mrs Macaudrev, of Dunedin, is a guest of Mrs W. A. Kennedy’s. Dr Grace and his bride have arrived from Honolulu and are with Mrs Grace,

and Mrs Molb'neaux, of Christchurch, is staying with Mrs I. M. Butt. Lately there have been various croquet parties

given, and somo of our Wellington ladies, notably Mrs Arthur Pearce, and Mrs Purdy, of the Hutt, are absolutely brilliant. Mrs Collins, whose husband, Dr Collins, is said to be the new Councillor, gave a croquet party I last week, and divided the players into first, second, and third-class, giving a prize for each section.

AT THE OPERA-HOUdE

The Williamson Opera Company is drawing great houses with Veronicjue | —an absolutely charming play - and Princess Ida, over whose music and staging there is much enthusiasm. Dolly Castles is petite, graceful, and dainty, and in the circle last night—- , she doos not sing in Princess Ida wa3 the centre of admiration, for she is evon prettier off tho stage than on. Her hair is beautiful —a ruddy gold, and her completion perfect, while her Empire gown of cream silk, with frills on the high-waisted bodice suited her admirably. Girls here are rather dubious over accepting these same Empire gowns, and as yet the style has only been seen in coats. Miss Godwin has the best voj'e, and Miss Ghiloni is tho cleverest actress, being irresistibly amusing, but never vulgar, the leading man, Wilson, sings splendidly. A donkey—a real live four-legged donkey—who had his own ideas as to stage effect, caused huge mirth in Veronicjue, Miss Castles,

it who was ridlng'itj was visibly uneasy, a and Mr Wilson’s -voice shook with laughter as ho tried to lug the animal 3 nearer the footlights. By the. way, Howard Vernon, who has lost his ® aristocratic slimness and gained a wife, still makes his audiences merry, j AUTUMN RAGING. ’ Our new racecourse at Trontham is ; looking much more attractive, and at • this, tho second mooting there, tho arrangements woro better, though tho i attendance was not largo. It is a long way to go, though that is counterbalanced by not having to walk ovor those windy bridgos and through pos* sibly wet grass to tho old course. Among the visitors woro Sir Georgo Clifford, and Mr, Mrs, and Miss Stead. As usual a number of Maoris attended, and somo English tourists were highly diverfod at a portly nativolady pvfiiug away at her pipe in the front of tho stand. The victory of Mystification, i Mr Geo. Hunter’s horse, was the sur- ( prise to many of tho first day, and the success of Achilles was very popular. At this meeting there was not the misunderstanding about seats that led to some awkwardnoss at the first racos at Trontham. Tho centre of tho grandI stand —really a splendid erection —is railed off for subscribers, and poor ignorant souls had to be continually oustod from tho sacred enclosure, j which had no label to mark it reserved. The Governor attended the races on Saturday.