Awfully Sudden Death

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1626, 3 May 1875, Page 2

Awfully Sudden Death

An occurrence illustrating the fearful uncertainty of life happened at the Whau yesterday morning. Two fishermen, named Arthur Johnson and John Smith have for some years lived in whares built on the beach, in a little bay, about 100 yards from the Whau blockhouse. They were deserters from the ship Percy, twelve years ago, and have continued mates ever since, amid many changing fortunes, sometimes working as bushmen, and sometimes gum-digging, but for the last five years, following the life of fishermen, with their little smack, on the waters of the Manukau. On Saturday, Johnson came into town. He was apparently in excellent health, and had nerer compTained of illness. He returned in the evening, and was perfectly sober, in fact, he was a man who seldom touched intoxicating liquor. The two mates occupied their separate whares that night, and in the morning both got up quite well, and breakfasted together. After breakfast, Smith went out to feed the horse and left Johnson in the whare. The latter commenced Bweepimg it out with a broom, and shortly afterw»r« Smith heard him cry oat "Oh! my leg I" He ran immediately to see what was t&* natter, and wai jtist im time to catch the poor fellow in his arms aa he was falling. Johnson expired a few minutes afterwards. His mate, who was very much distressed by this sudden dissolution of the bond of friendship that had existed for so many years, sent word to Newton, and Constable Clark went out with an express and brought- the body in to the dead-house at Freeman's Bay to await an inquest. The deceased waß about 29 years of age

THE INQUEST was held thig afternoon at the Freeman's Bay hotel, when the above facts were deposed to by Smith, the mate of the deceased, who was the only one near when the unfortunate died. The inquest was proceeding when we went to press, but there is no doubt the verdict will be death from natural causes : disease of the heart.

RAILWAYS AND THEIR MANottp AGEMENT.—A CONTRAST.

(To the Editor of the Evening Star.) g IB) lam glad you have on behalf of the public undertaken to expose the blunders of our railway management, but I fear you will have a long struggle before you can accomplish much, and perhaps a few thoughts from a correspondent may help to promote your object. The question, Will the railways repay the interest upon the money borrowed to construct them ? or will they repay the working expenses ? or will they pay for the fat required for the carriage-wheels ? is so often asked with a slialce of the head, and a serious look, that you are led to suppose that the existence of the colony depends upon the answer. Well, I confess the future success of the colony does in a great measure depend upon the future success of the railways—and yet paradoxical as it may appear, I think the present profits of the railway _ traffic should in a great measure be lost sight of. for the purpose of securing the one grand idea of universal prosperity to the people. _ We are nearly in the same position with our colonial railways as the Post-office authorities were when Rowland Hill assailed them. The charges were high, but the entire revenue was required, and no scheme could be entertained that would entail any loss. Reduce the charges, said Rowland Hill, and increase your accommodation to the rmblic, and eventually your returns will be increased. But his Grace the Duke of Manchester and' another nobleman have a life interest in the Post-office revenue, and you endanger their pensions. Never mind the Duke of Manchester, said the advocates for reduction, reduce the charges, increase the accommodation to the public, and the Duke's pension shall be paid. After years of struggling a concession was at last made, and the old shilling charge gave way to four pence, but half-measures generally fail, and the fourpenny charge failed entirely. The contest became hotter, still abusive language was bandied about pretty^ freely even in the public press. Ruin, nothing but ruin would be the result of the penny postage. If the shilling was required the 'penny could, not, would not meet the Government requirements. Happily the penny was tried. The results are known, and the Post-office revenue is now larger than even in its shilling days,, but what is far more interesting to your readers, every village, every hamlet, and almost every house hears the postman's " rap, tap, tap" every day in the week. It will require a wiser head than mine to tell how intellectual culture, social intercourse, and domestic enjoyment are promoted by these penny letters, and it would require a long array of figures to tell how much the general revenue of old England has been augmented by the increase of commerce brought about by the increased means of communication. This is rather a long introduction to my subject, but I just want to show that the old arguments are reproduced. "It won't pay, " " it won't pay," so the opponents of railways have said from the beginning. Nothing so cheap as water traffic —so says the shipowner, so the advocates for the old Gravesend sixpenny steam boats contended, and with a good show of reason on their side, when the boats were loaded ten times a day,_ and often endangered by over-loading, but where are theynow? Why, the railway on each side of the Thames takes the passengers, and leaves the boats nearly empty. But say the ship-owner's |heavy cargoes such as coal and grain will require to reach their market by shipping, thus abandoning the passenger traffic and admitting the superiority of the rail for travelling. Tho advocates for shipping contend that produce and coal must go by water ; but returns show that nearly all the vast increased consumption of coal in London finds its way to the city by trains, while fche quantity conveyed by ships remains nearly the same as it did five years since. This result is brought about by providing increased accomodation to the conen mer—by extending railways to the West End of the city—and underground ones for the centre. N'-arly every one finds a railway coal depot within half a mile of his coal shed, and the consumer is not slow to avail himself of the advantage ; and yet, with such facts before us, our railway managers appear unable to compete with the Onehunga bus. lam almost tempted to cry fhame on the railway, bat the matter is too serious to jest about, I rather prefer to urge forward some changes. Let the proposed tension of the line be carried out at once, and Gx the terminus at the wharf; let tramways bo laid to the end of the pier, and along the street if necessary and let our railway managers be impressed with the fact that the ordinary rules of commerce cannot b9 set aside without injury to the community and loss to the Government; and however well qualified the present managers may be in some departments, they shew themselves to be entirely regardless of the requirements of the people who use the line. Time-tables and rates of charges should be made known as widely as possible ; (this rule of trade is almost ignored at present). Then increased accommodation must be provided and charges lowered; so as to make the rail the cheapest and the best for the public. Some engineers advocate a train every hour to Onehunga and Drury, and contend that, as the fires have to ba kept burning all day, and the men engaged by the week, it would add very little to the cost of working ; and running frequently would enable the manager to run fewer carriages, and thus increase the speed. If this course were adopted, the Onehunga 'busses would soon become an event of the past : like the Gravesend steam-boat. The fact of these 'busses running is proof positive of some mismanagement somewhere. Then the farmers and country people living along the line will require inducements beyond what are at present offered.

Sidings should be provided for every producer to enable him to load his hay or grain or potatoes without carting to the station, perhaps two miles distant; and when tramways are laid along our wharves and streets the truck-load of prodnce will be conveyed to the store or ship without reloading. If the cost of the siding is too great for the Government, let the need of this auxiliary bs tested by the farmer being required to contribute a fixed portion of the cost. There will be many other methods suggested to the managers, let them be wisely tested, and whatever tends to increase the prosperity of the people by all means adopt it. Present returns may to some extent be left in abeyance, only give the people the power to get wealth and the Government need not fear. The success of the people being secured, the railway of necessity will succeed also, but lower charges and increased accommodation to the public must be their motto.—l remain, yours truly,

Joseph Newman.