The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEKKLY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1886.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1653, 15 January 1886, Page 2

The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEKKLY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1886.

Owing to the total failure of the water supply at Boatman's all hands in the Welcome mine were knocked off on Wednesday last. This suspension of operations throws a large number of men out of employment at Boatman's. Mr P. Brennan will sell by auction at 2 p.m.. to-morrow, on tho premises of MrJ. Lynch, household furniture and effects. Connington and Co. are the successful tenderers for the construction of the Maruia -Anviri horse track, not Soawright and Co. as stated iv a former issue. The work is to lie commenced forthwith. Mr J. Montgomery, District Surveyor, and staft returned to Reefton on Wednesday last, having completed the survey of the whole of the wining leases at Moonlight and the Blackball. The party expevifiiced Hne weather throughout, and were able to get through the work very expe liti.U3ly considering the very rugged character of the country. s An inspection parade of the Inangahua Rifles will be held on Monday next, when Major Webb will be present and review the company. Reefton is to be well surved ih the way of public amusements during the next few days. To-night the Colorado Minstrels, a troupe of 12 performers will open in the Oddfellows Hall, for a season of two nights, and in the early part of next week we are to have a visit front the Royal Pakce Circus, which opens at Lyell on Monday. The Colorado Minstrels come with an excellent reputation, being exceptionally strong in solo vocalists, both ladies ami gentlemen, while the niggerisms of Messra Dcvi renx and W. and J. Norton are simply paralysing in their grotesque comicality. The farce of "Thompson's Dead " is perhaps, one of the most humorous pieces of minstrelay ever produced. Although the bush fires have ceased to be a source of danger to the town, they are still burning away round Reefton, and will no doubt continue to do so until a heavy fall of rain takfs place. The tires have this year been very destructive to the bush. Thousands— probably hundreds of thousands of growing trees have been killed, and left a pray to fires in future yeai-s. A great clearing has also been made in the bush undergrowth in all directions, baring tho rugged surface of the country, and showing the hills in all their unaftractiveness. The bush fire on the northern boundary of the town on Smiday last afforded a good illustration of the rapidity with which the fire spreads. The tops of the standing trees were ignited long before the surface fire had reached their trunks, and from these shower* of sparks and bnniing brands were blown ahead for hnndreds of yards, setting in flames other trees in advance, and so on Of course as soon as the wind changed and carried the sparks hack over the area burnt, 'the fire became manageable, the burning scrub being easily controlled. Until the y»ung"ferns spring np to again clothe the hills, they will present a very unsightly appearance. * ndame Summerhayes gave her farewell concert on Wednesday evening last, when, in spite of the fact that the prices of admission had been raised, there was a good attendance, the front seats particularly l»eing well filled. The concert opened with a grand duet for two pianos— Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," the performers being Madame Summerhayes and Miss Andewon. This was given with grand eflVct, and loudly applauded, Mlrs Anderson proving herself a most accomplished a«id facile performer, inheriting largely the executive talent of her gifted mother, Mdme. Sutnmerhayea. The following pieces were played during the evening V>y Madame Suiumerhayes : — "Erin." a rhapsody upon Irish airs; "Last Hope," a gem, by GottschaJk ; "Langhing Water," a delicious, rippling composition; " Home, Sweet Home," (Thai berg) ; the two first movements of a sonata, by Beethoven, and "Balmoral." It is needless to add that eaoh piece was j given with the exquisite brilliancy and finish of a true artiste, and received with enthusiasm. Miss Anderson sang the "Bailiff's daughter" very prettily, and regret was felt that through the fatigue of the journey to and from Boatman's she was unable to take part in the second instrumental duet which appeared on the programme. Mr Fitz-Nigel Nicholls was in excellent voice, and sang " Kathleen Mavonrneen " ; " Vieni la mia Vendetta " ♦* I Arise from Dreams of Thee " ; and the "Heart Bowed Down." He was twice encored during the evening, and undoubtedly scored a big success. Mr Dobson gave a very amusing recitation, iv imitation of a poetical lover who was suffering from a bad cold in the head. The performance on the violin by Mr J. Lynch was a pleasing addition to the programme. His first solo was "La Desir," and the second Gounod's delightful Meditation, the accompaniment to each being played by Madame Summerhayos. Mr Lynch, besides being a well-grounded and enthusiastic musician, has attained to a mastery on the violin such as is rarely' reached by amateurs, and still more rnrely excelled by professional players. The evening was altogether a most delightful one, and will be long remembered. We regret to l^arn that some young rascals are in the haMt of exploding dynamite iv the Left-hnud Branch, as a means I of cap'uriug the grayling, which are just now tipei their annual migration up the river. It may, however, be pointed cut the use of dynamite f<>r siii-h a purpose is expiOMsly prohibited by statute, auU the

punishment provide I for offences of the kind is a very severe one. Let us hope this hint will be sufficient to put an end to tho reprehensible practice. It ia reported that the plant and mining leastg i.f the Golden Fleece United Company have been sold, the purchaser beini{ Mr Frank Hamilton, of Nelson. The price mentioned is L 1,400., 400. Information whb received from the Reform mine, Boatman's, yesterday, to the effect that the reef on the low level has now widened out to 3ft and carries good gold. This news caused quite a stir in the shares yesterday. Reefton is now in a nit her critical plight, owing to the scarcity of water for domestic use. The tanks are empty, the deepest of the wells in the higher parts of the town have given out, and as the rirer water is with for use owing to its pollution by the batteries crushing, the only source available is a small spring at the head of Broadway, which is also on the decline. The Nelson Mail says :— Quite a heavy shower fell on the other sHe of Spooner's Rau<re yesterday evening, and put an end to all fear of the further spread of the fires that hare been raging for the last three or four days in the valleys of the Motupiko, Clark, Tadmor, and Hope. The West Coast coach arrived about 12 o'clock last night, and Mr Newman reported that the fire had considerably abated, but a very large amount of diinw«e has heun done by the destruction of timber and grass, indeed the settlers sire completely at a loss to know how to tind feed for their stock. Mr Ribet's stables, which, it was said, hud been burnt, fortunately escaped, but wen: only saved by means of much hard work and careful watching. A traveller who rode through the burning country by niglit describes the scene as truly magnificent. On either side of him tho hills rose to some height, which cast a bright but lurid light over the whole valley, rendering every stone on the road as visible as if it were mid-day. The heat was inteusn, while the smoke laden air at times made breathing both difficult and painful. A medical man, Mr G. G. 1 evieu, a chemist, has settled at Lyell. Greymotith is feeling the offsets of the dullness in the coal trade. Thirty men have been thrown out of employment at the B ru nner mine. The Havelock correspondent of the Marlborough Pres» tells the following story of the heroic conduct of two Maoris : I am very sorry to record that during the uhristmas festival a fatal accideut happened near the French Pass. It appeal's that two Maories named Mathew and Tamati, accompanied by a girl about 15 years old, were returning in their boat, I loaded with nikau from Catherines'** Cave, I when a sudden squall capsized them. Both the men, with cnmnuMulable pluck, placed the girl on the ho! torn of the boat and kept diving under it until they had rem-tved all the nikau, ami then managed to right hur, but to their dismay found tho boat would not float high enough in the water to bale her. So, with heroic spirit, j they put the girl in the middle, and although much exhausted by their exertions, clung on to the boat, one at the stem the other at the stern, hoping some one from the Island, or a friendly sail might sco them ; alas !it was not to he, and aftersuno hours exposure, Mathew died, clinging to his post, and the girl being afraid that his body would be washed away, managed I to draw it into the boat, and Tamati, seeing the boat did not float so well with the additional burden, like one of our heroes of old, delil»erately tied a thin Hue round hU neck, and in spite of the frantic cries and urgent entreaties of the poor girl, he dived below and drowned himself being quite dead before the girl could pull him into the boat, where she, in spite of tho frail vessel sinking deeper and deeper, reverently kept them side by sidu —and thus the living and the dead floated about for 26 hours in utter helplessness, i the girl half submerged in water, until i Mrs M.iUiew, who had been very anxious climbed on top of the hill, and far away in the distance, towards Clay Point, could just, discern something rising and falling with the wafer. She took a small dingy, and went and rescued t'^e girl from her perilous and awful posUi'm. It is seldom | such a tale, born out by facts, has to bo told of native men passing away to their happy hunting grounds in a spirit, if equalled, never surpassed by Briton's noblest Bona. ONE BOX OF 'CLARKE'S B 41 PI L 8 is warranted to cure all discharges from the Urinary Organs, in either sex (acquired or constitutional). Gravel, and Pains in the Back. Guaranteed free from ■ ercury. Sold in Poxes, 4s 6:1 each, bj all Chemists and Patent : edicine Vendors : Sole Proprietors, The Lincoln and Midland Counties Drfo Co., Lincoln, England. Wholesale of all tho Wholesale Houses. Old people whose blood has become thin and steps feeble aro praising American Hop Bitters for the good they have done them.