The Inagahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 18 March 1881, Page 2

The Inagahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881.

Tjie weather yesterday morning caused much disappointment and uneasiness. The win '00111100601 with little intermission throughout the preceding night, and the. morning broke anything but hopefully for the races and sports. At a \ m# a mes'sen- ; get arrived in town announcing the postponement of Ibe Boatman's races until today. ' ' /'■,'■■'■■ ■ - ' The Inangahua river was strongly flooded on Wednesday evening, and a large amount of damage was done to the river bank below ■ the suspension bridge, and also at Crushing* ton. A correspondent at the latter place communicates to us the following particu* lars of an accident which came near ending fatally. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday Mr Lynch dairyman, left Ct-ushington for bia farm up the Inangahua. On reaching the river it was found to be in strong flood, and a number of persons who had gathered at the crossing endeavored to dissuade Lynch from talcing the ford, but he eaid be had crossed it at a higher level and would face it. He accordingly 'entered the stream, but bad not pro* ceefled many yards when both horse and rider were swept off the ford into deep water and disappeared from view for several sec- , bnds. When next seen they were out in the main current and separated. They were oarried down npidly, but though encumbered by a heavy overcoat, and unable to swim, Lynch managed to get hold of the horse's tail, and the. animal shortly afterwards struck footing tra a bar in the si ream, but as the water was four fret deep, and running at Srifiorate, Lynch lost his hold and was 1 swept under. At this all hope of the was _ given op by the bystanders,- who, however, ran down to the beach below, and to their surprise the man appeared close to the shore, when he was fished out in a half insensible condition, and soon recovered. His j escape was a most miiaculons one. ! Yesterday Ecefton wore a very melancholy appearance, and had the very opposite of a holiday aspect. The drenching rain which | fel! during the afternoon kept everybody in doors, and effectually frightened away the few visitors who might otherwise have remained in town, Mr Martin, Resident Engineer, Grey- j mouth, left Eeefton on Tuesday last, for Maruia, for the purpose of inspecting the proposed railway line. He will be joined at the Cannibal Gorge by Messrs O'Connor and Browne, who proceed from Christchurch via Lake Guy on. We learn that Messrs Martin and O'Connor's report upon the practicability or otherwise of the route for railway purposes will be accepted as conclu* sive by the Government, and will be the measure of the support to be accorded to the projected railway company. It is to be regretted that the weal her should chance to be so unfavorable for the inspection, for it is passible that a fall of snow may interfere with the observation. The Welcome Company have placed upon the battery-house and mine notices that "No admittance except on bnsiness " will be permitted for the future. *-»*_ Since the striking down of the tree in Smith's paddock the other day, many people have grown terribly frightened at the appearance of lightning. Fire-irons, and all other binds of polished family hardware have been rolled up in flannel and planted in fowlhouses; and domestic ingenuity is on the rack to ward off the enemy,! Requisitions for family lightning rods now have precedence of all other domands, and if Mark Twain'a famous vender of these articles would only come along just , now. the orders he would receive from terrified materfamtlia would bankrupt the community. All the young ladies in Reefton are fearfully frightened, and want conductors about five feet eight long, with light hair and mustaches to match, and wish they'd come like lightning. Snow fill yesterday on the ranges to the southowest of Reefton, a fact which seems to augur an early winter. In consequence of the heavy rains in the Grey Valley yesterday there was no. mail communication last night, and judging from the reading of the barometer there does not appear to be any very encouraging prospect of a break is the weather lor some days. The promoters of the petition against the imposition of a firegrate by the Council are hunting up signatures industriously, and have already secured a largo number of names, including the bulk of the residents in lower Broadway. A practical experiment with an air engine at Woolwich was so successful as to afford hopes that before long atmospheric power

will be substituted for ntoatn on railways. In Bncklaud churchyard near Dover is a yew tree said to be 1000 years old j the church is about to be enlarged, and an attempt to transplant this grand old tree Vill be made ; every caution will be taken not. to endanger its vitality. At Miss Peacocke'a wedding in London Mrs Coruwallis West, one of the reigning pro* feesional "beauties, wore a dress of white vel» vet, trimmed with peacock's feathers. An American farmer's. wife -"-was out in her front yard watering her thirsty flowers when a young man, walking bastly along the road, came up to the gate and inquired* if she bad Been a man pass on a bioycle. She dropped her watering pot, and said ehe had not, adding, " But I'll tell you what I did see. I don't know as you'll believe it—l'am sure I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. It was one wheel of, a waggon running away with a man, and I never was so frightened in my. life ! " A Wellington correspondent states that there is a very general impression among those likely to be well informed that the ten per cent will not be deducted from Civil Servants salaries again next year. We hardly think this will prove the fact. , It if understood (says the Poet) that a j Stable telegraph station shows tbat'the tax of sixpence extra, imposed on the non-pay « ing stations, has proved so far productive that the Government would now feel justified, under the present circumstances of the colony in abolishing the extra charge. This is what the Nelson Colonist says in reference to the prosposal to establish inpendent morning newspaper at Greymouth : - " These so-called ' independent ' papers are generally the. most servile journals in existence, being principally employed in bolstering up a clique of the principal share* holders, and advocating their pet and thoroughly Belfish schemes."