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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 141, 17 August 1866, Page 2

We have been requested to give the "following version relating to the escape 'of Mr. M'Gee's female servant at the late fire, several mistakes having been published in reference to it. The servants slept in an attic above the room where the fire, originated. On discovering the fire she roused her fellow servaut, who was fast asleep at the time, and told her to follow her down stairs. When she came to the landing where the men slept, she found tbat her fellow servant was not following her. She ran back, pulled her off the bed, aud made her follow. In going to and fro the girl burnt her foot. Having secured her fellow servant, the heroic girl knocked at the door where the five men slept, and told them to follow her. Covering her head with her shawl, she rushed through the passage, which was full of smoke, expectiD"the men were close behind. One man followed, into the smoke, but not seeing the mode of exit became alarmed aud rushed back, and escaped through the window. The other four men on opening the door were so oppressed with the smoke that burst upon them, that they went back and were fortunately enabled to escape through the window, by the ladder which special constable Davis, as he stated in his evidence at the inquest, had by this time most opportunely brought to the assistance of the lodgers. Mr. W. Phillips writes a letter on the subject of the late fire, which is too long for our columns, especially as it treats of matters of pivate rather than of public interest. We extract its salient points. The writer expresses thanks to Mr. Touet for presenting him with an Albert watch chain, as an acknowledgment of his exertions in saving his house on the 7th instant. He takes exception to what has been said about an individual ascending ladders bound with flax, and says the writer got two ladders and a clothes line from Mr. Touet's yard to 'bind the ladders together. The ladders were found to be too short for the roof, and were taken to the back of the chimney. Then Mr. Conway came and asked permission to ascend the roof, and being a carpenter was allowed the preference. The ladders were strong enough to bear three men, and the writer was the first person to pass water up' the ladder. Two or three minutes later and' Mr. Touet's house would have been in flames. We understand the following touching appeal was sent the other day to a Nelson policeman, not particularly, endowed with affection towards the canine race. Report says that the worthy official was visibly, we

hope really, affected, on reading the address to his better feelings: — "Policeman, spare that dog, touch not a. single hair; he worries mauy a hog, from out his muddy lair, Oh, when he was a pup, so frisky and so plump, he lapped his milk from a cup, when hungry at a j ump. And then his funny tricks, so funny iu their place, so full of canine licks upon your hands and face. You will surely let him live ! Oh, do not kill him — dead ; he wags his narrative, and prays for life — not lead. Go, get the muzzle now, and put upon his mouth, and stop that bow, wow, wow ! and tendency to drought. He is your children's pet — companion of their joy; you will not kill him yet, and thus their hopes destroy. No, policeman, spare that pup, touch not a siugle hair ; oh, put your pistol up, and go away from there." A writer in the G. R. Argus ou the future prospects of the district says : — I am not at all desponding as to Westland's future prosperity, but I think the means of its prosperity will have to be sought deeper down iu the earth than it has hitherto been found. Then comes the question — who is to make the experiment ? There are certainly very few parties of diggers who are strong enough to go to the expense necessary for a proper trial of the ground ; who then is to do it ? Would it be just to ask the merchants and tradespeople to help ? If it would be just to ask, would the appeal be responded to ? These questions I must have answered. The expense of a trial would he considerable. It could not be done without an engine or very powerful waterworks ; but I think that difficulties equally great have been overcome on the Kanieri and on the Commissioners Flat, and there is nothing to indicate greater difficulties here than have been surmounted in these two places. An extraordinary case of "smashing" occurred at Hokitika on the 19th July, which has ended so far in the self-conviction of the offender, who deliberately walked into the Police Camp on that day, aud gave himself into custody. It is needless to say that the police were utterly astonished at such a procedure, and at first imagined the man was mad, no charged having been laid against him. He was, however, detained, and in the meantime the affair investigated, when it transpired that within two days he had " smashed " four worthless cheques, amounting in the aggregate to £205 15s. He gave in his name as W. C. Warden, and stated tbat one for £200, drawn on the Bauk of New Zealand, he had passed to Mr. Cairns, proprietor of the Sydney Accommodation House, Teremakau, iu payment for the building and premises, which he had purchased. In Hokitika Mr. Fitzsimmons of the Mechanics Hotel was victimised to the tune of £1, and Mr. Colls of Tattersull's Hotel also accepted a piece of paper to the same amount, whilst an unfortunate blacksmith whose name we have not heard, is a sufferer to the extent of £3 15s. The only reason assigned by Warden for such insaue acts was that he had no employment and was starving. C^ A very important trial (says the Argus) has just been concluded at Hokitika, involving a question of great commercial interest. The action was brought by the firm of Alcorn and Co.. of Hokitika and Greymouth, against Messrs. Lauge and |Thoneman, of Dunedin and Melbourne, to recover £1000 damages for the non-fulfilment of an order for goods given to and accepted by the defendants' traveller. It appears that the defendants, not feeling satisfied with the standiug of the plaintiffs, declined to execute the order on the terms agreed to by . their representative, and the plaintiffs now sued for damages equal to the difference in the market value of the goods when purchased, and the ruling price in Hokitika at the time they ought to have been delivered. The defendants endeavored hy their counsel, Mr. Re'es, to prove that they were not bound by the acts of their traveller, but the jury took a different view, and found a verdict awarding the plaintiffs £500 as damages. The Hokitika correspondent of the Canterbury Press, July 26th has the following : The s.s. Otago left this morning for Nelson. Her captain did a very unwise thing while

the vesselwas lying in the roadstead". "Seeing the bar quiet, he resolved to go ; ashore in his gig ; but on nearing.the beach preferred beaching his boat to crossing the bar. He succeeded in doing so, and in again returning to his vessel, but the result might have been very different. It further creates a precedent which may be the cause of great loss of life. Many have accomplished the same feat, but a large majority of those who attempted it have never lived to get ashore. The W. C. Times gives a full report of the new rush in the Waimea district. The new diggings are situated at a place called Stafford's Hill, about a mile N.E. from Staffordtown, on the Waimea track. The prospectors (Lewis aud party) first discovered gold in a blind gully about three months ago, and have since traced it into the hill by tunnelling, and they have sunk a shaft from the summit and bottomed at 60 feet with a prospect of 1 dwt. to the dish. Another party have bottomed at a depth of 75 feet, with a foot of wash-dirt, yielding from ,4 to 6 grains to the dish. Gold has been struck in another claim at 55 feet. A party have driven a tunnel in the side of the hill 60 or 70 feet below tbe summit, and found wash-dirt that yielded 1 dwt. to the dish. It is believed the gold extends right through the hill, it having been struck on opposite sides. A writer in the G. R. Argus observes : — I believe your theory as to the deposits of gold on the beach terraces, but at the same time these workings are not likely to be so permanent as deep sinking. They . will no doubt extend to the back, of the town, and how much further no ones can say, and they are deep enough to last for years, but if the large tract of country from, the Saltwater to the Little Grey should, be found to pay for deep sinking we may expect to. see some young "Ballarats" springing up, and the works in machinery, &c, will be very good, giving employment to many others than miners. The excitement respecting the New River rush has somewhat abated ; and the diggings themselves are assuming a more business-like aspect. We have heard that several fresh claims have been bottomed with success, and work is being generally commenced along he lead. A schooner which has returned to Hokitika from Jackson's Bay brings tbe report that several parties of miners are at work at Big Bay, getting coarse gold and making good wages.