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Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1888, 11 August 1874, Page 3

■ Mr 0. E. Haughton, Under Secretary for Goldfields, in his annual report to the Government, complains of the great difficulty of obtaining accurate information on the subject of our gold yields, and suggests that a bill should be. passed to compel the owners of quartzcrushing machinery and others to furnish the I Government with authenticated returns of the quantity of stone crushed and its yield from I fr time to time. i A distressing accident, which terminated | fatally, occurred on Saturday afternoon at j about 5 o'clock to a man of the name of Tracey, in the employ of Messrs Whitson and Son, < brewers, It appears that the unfortunate man ] was driving in from Onehunga in a spring cart | with two empty barrels. Another man named William Currie accompanied him. The horse 1 was proceeding at an ordinary pace. While 1 descending Upper Queen-street, Tracey sud- , denly fell forwards out of the cart. Currie ( leaned over to catch him while falling, ' and in this attempt fell himse'f out i of the cart, fortunately without sustaining any hurt. Owing to this he was unable to say whether the wheel of the cart passed over Tracey or not. Tracey was imme- ; diately lifted up, and conveyed to the hospital, but while ou his way there expired. Drs Stockwell and Dawson were both in attendance but the unfortunate man never spoke after he fell, An examination of the bidy showed no outward marks, so that the cartwheel could not have passed over him. It is supposed that he was suddenly attacked with an apoplectic fit, to which he was subject, having had a similar attack about 12 mouths ago, .when he fell out of a cart, though fortunately without resulting in serious injury.—Cross. The following is from the Cleveland Bay Express I .—'" Uptain Mackay, of the cutter ' Albert Edward,' arrived in port on Thursday, from the Herbert River, and reports that after leavng Cardwoll, on his return passage, he was met by head winds, .which occasioned him and his mate, Duncan llenderson, great fatigue and loss of rest, and finding they could make but little vay, ran into Challenger Bay, in the Islands known as the Big "alms, for the night, and when sleeping heavily, they were suddenly awakened by a number of burning brands being thrown down the companion in to the cabin, he himself receiving a spear wound. The mate immediately attempted to. rush on deck, but was knocked backwards insensible, receiving a, spear wound, the point of the spear entering immediately below the cheek-bone, passing completely through, and smashing the lower jaw; the captain meantime with great presence of mind lay perfectly quiet, and rolled a bag of sugar in front of him, into which the savages kept prodding their spears. They then at- ■ tempted to smother those in the cabin, if not already finished by their wounds, by holding a sack over the entrance to the companion. The mate having by this time somewhat recovered his sense, and the blacks being pretty quietdoubtless congratulating themselves on their easy conquests, and concerting measures for the future disposal of their booty—the captain suggested that their only means of escape was to make a ' sudden and simultaneous rally 'by rushing upon deck, which course they pursued successfully, as the brutes immediately fled, dropping in their haste to get away many of their weapons and even- abandoning their canoes by means of ■which they had got on board. Amongst the weapons dropped on the deck of the ' Albert Edward' was a chisel branded WS, which may probably have belonged to old Bill Smith, who was murdered on Green Island some time aince.*' The Wellington Times, the Government organ, loses no opportunity of distorting the action of any member of the opposition. We quote as follows:—" The member for Auckland Uity West (MrT. B. Gillies) is troubled with the worm of oantankerousness: Scarcely a question aries in the House as to which he has not some new view to put forward, for the utter discomfiture of the Ministry, and the decided discomfort of honorable members, who dislike mere wordy war and hypercritical criticism. Last night, in Supply, the worm was vigorous within him, but it unhappily brought himself into some grief. Amongst the other votes proposed was one for a number of Steam launches, about the use of which he was particularly troubled. He was answered by the i Premier that they were intended for postal use, 7 custom house, and police purposes, &c., and would be of great service at times when ordinary ■boats co ( uld not be employed. The hou. member protested that in Auckland there were already numerous steam launches at work, and when they were hired their coit was known. The Premier observed that if the hon. member for Auckland City West was satisfied that a Bteam-launch was not wanted in tint harbour, the Government had no wish to press one upon Auckland; Dunedin, he thought, could very well employ two of them, An hon. member, who is also Secretary and Treasurer of the province of kelson, sujgestei that the lauuch intended for Aucklaud might very well be spared for Nelson, where one was much wanted. The representative of Auckland City West smiled mildly over these suggestions; but did no! quite enjoy the turning of the tables upon himself/' A portion of the Sierra Nevada mine in thi Com3tock is to be worked in a way which wil strike most quartz miners as rather peculiar A drain or cbute tunnel has been commence( just just below the Geiger grade, a little nortl of the mill. This tuunel is intended to pene trate the rim rock of the hill, and will, at : distance of about eighty feet from the mouth, enter the old' upper surface workings, when the hydraulicing was done in 1860, which pal so immensely with only a few inches of water The Gold Hill News states that hydraulic worki of the most improved kind are to be imme diately erected, the company having obtainei the use of two hundred inches of water, fron the Water.Company at a.low cost, which wil enable them to use it without stint in the pro secution of the work. This water will have: fall of about 300 feet, which will give it a fore sufficient to wash down and sluice off the larges boulders on the hill. It is the intention, wit! these immense works, to sluice off the larg deposits of low grade ore lying near the sur face, catching the free gold in the quicksilve and riffles of the sluices, aud concentrating tb coarse pieces of ore at the mouth of the drai tunnel, in close proximity to the mill, read for reduction under the stamps. It is the e; peefcation that, with this new and speed method of working this immense body of gol hearing quartz and cement, the company wi not only be, relieved of the burden of asses ments necessary to erect their new and powerf hoisting works, but the Sierra Nevada m even be made a dividend paying mine. Mr Bradlaugh, in a letter to the Nation Reformer, says" No judgment can formed on the marvellous force of Amaric recuperative energy without seeing Chicaj To think that a visitor might have stood Madison Bridge only a few months ago and st seven miles of charred debris, and to see to-d the almost too magnificent buildings whi greet the eye, seems like re-opening a p£ from 'Aladdin and his Wonderful Lam; The Grand Pacific Hotel, where I stayed, be; anything of the kind I have yet seen in 1 world." A very important measure to the colon clergy has passed its second reading in 1 Lords, with every chance of becoming la Jhis is Lord Blackford's Colonial Clergy B which provides that persons ordained by colonial bishop shall be eligible for employmi in England with the consent of the archbisl of the province or the bishop of the diocese which they might have to officiate. 'J Bishop of London expressed a hope that session would not be allowed to terminate wi out the removal of the disabilities under wb the colonial clergy laboured.