The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1886.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1651, 11 January 1886, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MON DAY, JANUARY 11, 1886.

Mr J. E. Wearne, an old Reefton mine manager, who for some considerable time past has tilled the position of manager of the Endeavor Inlet Antimony Company's mine, Queen Charlotte's Sound, is at present on a visit to Reefton. Mr Wearne informs us that there is now great activity going on at the company's works, furnaces being in course of erection there for the complete treatment of the antimony, t which he describes a3 being of excellent f quality. The mine is situated close to tho wharf, but at an altitude of several hundred feet, and an incline tramway is now in course of construction to convey the ore to the water's edge, where it will be treated previous to shipment. Quite a little township is springing up in the vicinity of the works. The company have erected a very handsome villa residence for Mr Napier, the general manager, who has just came out from England, and are about to do the same for VI r Wearne, * whose family will shortly proceed thence. The company's works are only a few hours sail from Picton. g In the Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday last a case of some public interest , was called on. The plaintiff, J. Little, a t former night watchman in connection * with the Reeftou Fire Brigade, suod * Messrs D. M'Beath and C. \< urtin, for an amount of £65, salary alleged to be due | to him for the discharge of his duties. It was urged on the part of defendants that they were only two members of tho brigade, \yhereasthere were some 12 others who should have been joined in the suit. ' Mr Lynch, for plaintiff, pointed out chat plaintiff was not bound to sue every mem her of the brigade. He could select any one, and proceed against him singly. . The reason of this was obvious. If plaintiff had to take out a summons against every member of the brigade he would f have to expend a very large sum. which he mi'-fht not have at his command. The defendants served were the principal 'f officers of the brigade at the time the claim arose, and were therefore the proper persons to sue. For defendants it was urged that they were themselves willing to tiud the money for the summonses against the other members of the brigade. This offer was eventually accepted by Mr ' Lynch, and the case was ace >rdiu;ly adjoivjned till next Court day, conditionally upot-i the two defndants named fin ling the iHoney necessiry to take out twelve additional aummonses. The Poison overland coach reached , Reefton rj. tne usua ] hour yesterday afternoon. Ml Newman reports that the coiJi'tty l)ei ween thelnangahua Junction and parry's Creek is comparatively free of bus'Ji^^u^lie country between the Liift-liaiiHH^Bß^ and Reefton is in flames on abides, rendering travelling , not only very uncomfortable, but not a little dangerous, the dense smoke and noise of falling trees, and roar of the fire t greatly alarming the horses. Friday's overland journey was a ral-hdr eventful * one. The coach left Nelson at the usual hour, but on reaching the Motupiko Valley it was found that an extensive fire was raging to the right of the route. Mr G. Newman, however, continued his course, thinking that he could keep ahead of the flames. But in this he was mistaken, for after proceeding a few miles, and reaching a portion of the road where it was next to impossible to turn the coach, he found that the tire was of greater extent than he had imagined, and began to realise the gravity of the danger which threatened him. The country behind him he knew to be all in flames, and therefore all hope of retreat in that direction was cut off. His only hope then consisted in his chance of heading the tire, and he accordingly put the horses ' at top speed, and then commenced a race. for dear life. The smoke at this time was such as to almost entirely shut out the leading horses from the driver's view, and the heat growing more and more intense as the great column of fire rolled down the hill side towards the road. ThefUmes were now within* whip'slength of the road side, J and the paint on the coach begun to blister, and give out a strong odour, which caused *'r Newman to think that the awning was on tire. But being himself almost suffocated with the heat, and smoke, his only thought was of reaching a point ahead where there was a break in the country, and a small stream into which he might throw himself, for his whiskers and hair had already been badly singed. To make the narrative short, the oach swept on at a terrific pace, until . reaching the point on the route already referred to, where, as expected, the fire had taken another direction and the danger was over. A glance at the coach and foaming horses then revealed how terrible had been the ordeal through which they had just passed for the last mile. The horses were singed fearfully, the paint had peeled off the coach, and the only wonder seemed to be that ths f awning had not ignited. Mr Newman will not forget his experience in a hurry, and few other men probably could have * undergone such a trial withoiit losing j their senses. Had a bnrning tree fallen f across the road to stop traffic, in the i great speed at which it was going, had 1 any accident happened to the coach, there would have been no possible escape from a terrible death both to driver and ' horses. After a sufficient spell the journey was resumed, and completed without further ditti ;u',ty. . Reeft m has been a prey to snch a . variety of humbug* in thu guise of theatrical companies that it is hardly to bo wondered at that the* people should begin to

look askance at the announcement of each frush arrival, aud give their patronasru with some caution. It must bo confessed that they have good mison f-»r this. The cry of " wolf" ha 9 been raised so often that it ceases to be effective. Thoae, hwwuvei', who had the good fortune to be present at the opening conceit of Madame Sutnmurliayes' Company on Saturday evening laat will agree that Reef ton is favored in a high decree in having the opportunity of listening to such artistes, for a more charming little entertainment than that presented by tliu company on Saturday night could liard!y be desired by even Int. most exacting of musical or dramatic critics. The performance opened with a brilliant little coiu«ditta. in one act, entitled "The Happy Pair," the character of '-'r Hoiieyton being s n stain ud by Mr C. K D-iltsoii, and that of Mrs Honwyton by Mi.-»s L. Andurson. The parts were admirably pl.iye .1, and kept the audience from begining to end in a perfoot simmer of merriment. The second part introduced Madame Summerhayes, the gifted pianiste, who opened with a pianoforte solo entitled " Batmoral," This was a really brilliant performance, affording full pay to the artist* extraordinary executive skilld on thi* piano. The piece was rapturously encored, and in response Madame save Tlml>>erg's beautiful Betting of •' Home Sweet Home," the delicious rolling occompanyinunt of which was performed with faultless dexterity. This too was most enthusiastically receive 1. Mr Nieholls then sang "The Midshipmite," in excellent style. He possesses a capital baritone voice, rich in tone aad wide in c<mipas3, and created a mist favourable impression. Madatno Summerhayes next gave Sivrai's '* Souvenir de Versailles," a beautiful composition, which was rendered with illimitable graca and feeling. As an cxecutionist on tho piano, Madame Summerhayes unquestionably ranks superior to Tasca, and n«t inferior even to the great and !;iff(!il Aarhella Goddard. Her cnmuiaitd of t!)« k j v board is simply m-irvellons, and consi lered merely as a matter of manual dexterity probably approaches as closely to perfection as it is possible for the human hand to r.'-ih. Certainly no pjrfornur of nqir-il merit has befo'v hewn heard within tbe Od If- lows' H dl be-e. Mr Ni'holls followed with a sterling song entitled "The Newfoundland Dog," which was loudly applau^'d, and an encore being demanded, gave " An bored," which was no less warndv received. The wh »le concluded with Dickon's f:imiliar c>nrts'tip scone between Mi BiunMe ( ' '■ r Dobson) and Mrs Corney Anderson), which was amusingly given Miss Andergon, besides being a very pleasing actress, is also a most accomplished musician. r Dobson is an exeelltMit c<>m» linn «nd voc-alist, and taken altogether tho <••»•»t - --pany is a very talented one. To ni«ht the company will re-appt'ar in the Odd* fell-iw'a Ha!!, when we tnt-t to gee an overflowing attundi»i'!e. surl to-morrow night they opt-n at Bo.it in •.•./*. It will He seen that the i formation laid against Edward Shaw in t!i;« Magistrate's Court Wellington, has be mi dismissed on the ground that no speci.'ie instructions wore given as to what wa3 to be done with the cheque at. the time it was banded to defendant. It is only necessary to point out that as Mr enfeath did not join rJellieoe, the prosecuting counsel, in partnership till the Ist January last, and the prosecution having lwn instituted long prior to that, the absurdity is at onco shown of the silly statement which has been made as to Air Menteatli's connection with it. The lon'i continuance of dry wpathcr and prevalence of bush fires culminated yesterday in one of the hic/gost scares tbe psople of Reefton have yet experienced. At about 10 a.m. the wind he^an to blow freshly from the N. W,, and although it whs known that thp hmh was on fire on the northern boundary of the town, no alarm w;is felt, the fire b^ing thought to be too far away to endanger tbe town. People accordingly went to church in a feeling of full security. By noon, however, tbe wind had risen astonishingly, and an immense wall of dense smoke was seen to advance from the north, until it fell upon the town like a pall, and ma le it occasionally lmrd to s^o more than a few v:\rdsnw.ty. The temperature, previously high enoii«_»h. increased trempndotnly. an 1 now the sullen roar of the fire, fatitied Viy a gilo of wind, and the hissing of the flames, and crashing of fallim' trees in apparently close contiguity routed a feeling of terror, which found vent in tbe ringing of the fiee-Wll. The lirigad^ mnotered nt onpe and the fire engine nnd r' a el hurried off to the scene of action. Tbe excitement was snvat indeed, for the town was an dry sis tinder, and ;i rain of fleecy ashes fvll ov»r the town in the heat, and smoke, and the chances of a frwsh outbreak of fir» were ?rent indeed. People mounted the roofs of their houses in all narts of the town and stood, bnck-t in ham', wetting the nhingteH, and ready for action. Nor was the precaution nnneeded for very soon (Tunes were s'«>on issuing from th 1 * roof of Mrs Muiteith's residence on the Bnller road. Help was fortunaMy available, and Mr W. William", and others extinguished the fire. Houses were on firn in numerous instances, but owitvr to rh<» strict watch kept on nil hands, no serious danmge resulted. In the meantime the houses nearer the line of fire werv faring badly. Mr Beeches house was four times in flames, but there were hundreds of willing lianas on tbe spot, and in spite of the choking smoke and heat they conqtiored the fire. Orher residences were saved in a similar way, but several small cottages were destroyed and the destruction of fencing mid crops was very great. The fire Brigade under Capt. Collings toiled during the whole afternoon in the very jaws of the fire, nnd deserve the greatest praise for their efforts. The townspeople too worked at the engine manfully. At 5 P.m. the fire had spent i(s fury, and the battle was over. At the R. M. Court, Wellington, Edward Shaw, a well known solicitor and barrister, w«s charged that he did "on November, 1884, at Wellington, having been trusted by one Alexander M'Minn, as an nttorney or other agent with a valuable security, to wit a eh"M.ii.> or order drawn by one Alexander M'Minn on the Union Bank of Australia, PlmerMon North, for the sum of ?83 5* 2d, bearing date the 11th November, 1884. and payable to the bt-arer, for a special purpose, without, any authority to negotiate, tmnsfer or nledge the samo, he did in violence of good faith Rnd contrary to the object or

m purpose f«»r which |Uih valuable security was entrusted him,' unlawfully negotiate, transfer or pledge, and convert to his own use or benefit the valuable security or the proceeds of the same." Only formal evidence was taken, and as the prosecutor . was absent, the case was adjourned until next Friday afternoon. The people of Wellington liavo been greatly alarmed at the recent tire at Lambton Quay, and the Press are. urging that no wooden buildings should be constructed within the business part of the city. Writing of the late tire, the Times I nays : -" Grievous as was the damage ' actually caused, it was nothing to what was narrowly escaped. Had the blosk of large buildings oil the eastern sile of Lambtou Quay once become fairly alight, it ia hard to see where the tire could have j been checked until the whole of the chief I business premises of this city ha 1 been I totally destroyed.? After referring to I the inadequacy of the water supply, it Bays: "The earner efforts of the Fire Brigade exhibited a disastrous series of blunders and tingling*. The men, individually, deserve l>ii,'h praise for their energy and fortifsde, but there was a glaring lack ufjjj^jniiue, judgment, and concentration ofefffirt For along time after the outbreak of Hie all seemed to ' have lost their heart's, anl there appeared no suitable direction at all." As a consequence of the panic from tin? lire, the Minister of Public Works is beinsf orged i to have the new Government. Printing- | office constructed of brick instead of wood. ! The West port A-hertit f says :— " The • New year celebratiim at midnight of ; Thursday passed off most successfully. The rain which came on early in tha evening, and threatened to spoil the fun, passed off in time, and could not have been butter for the pyrotechnic display. At [ eleven o'clock, the torch bearers and the ; lire-engine gaily itecorated, and containing i four graces, bindsomely robed, together I with Old Father Time, lefttho tire brigade station for the Town Hall, where they 1 were joined by the Naval Brigade, and a | '. few Friendly Society members. When , all was in readiness, the procession, mar- | dialled by his Worship the Mayor, on a \ charger, and headed by theGarrisonßaud, ; started on its march down and then ip the town. B'ue aud red fire cast its Weird like glow over the scene at. each ■ halt. The chemists added greatly to the ! ; display by a profuse supply of tl.is indis- ; pcnsable adjunct to a midni^lit fote. The j I procession orer, the fireworks display ' from the belltower was kept up with , unceasing vigor, while the tire-beli addod to the clamor, and signal rockets from the j vessels in harbour shot overhead. The tcene was witnessed by the largest crowd , yet seen in Weatport, which dispersed to ; their homes as soon as the display ended. It is noteworthy, that there was an utter absence of the usual New Years Eve street lamkiuistn. Whether this was due to | the vigilance "f the police, or to the. fact I of having amusement provided, it is a very Balisfrt<flQtfJfcNqger-'&tid~~ will en- j courage the rupeTftiou of the denioustra- ' tion when time resolves another year. To MrStantou js much of the success due, an ho had \voiki>d hard iti fixing the ' chariot,' nn.l arranging, while Mr McLean i>eif.>;'tinji the m->ro arduous work of furbishing, j : ONE BOX OF CLARKE'S B 41 i PILLS ia warranted to cure all discharges '• from the Urinary Organs, in either sex '■ (acquired or constitutional), Gravel, and Pains in the Back. Guaranteed free ; from Mercury. Sold in Boxes, 4s. 6d ; each, by all Chemists and Patent Medicine Vendors : Sole Proprietors, The Lincoln ■ and Midland Counties Drug Co. Lin i coin, England. Wholesale of all the ; Wholesale Houses Old people whose blood has become thin ; and stepft feeble are praising American I H.-.p Bitters for the good they have done i them. «j__. ■■'.; ..■ „..,^!S