Holiday Mishaps.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1829, 28 December 1875, Page 3

Holiday Mishaps.

DEATH FROM DPJJNKENNESS,

The rainy, cloudy morning had the effect of damping the spirit of hundreds, whose minds were made up for a day's enjoyment by land or water. A considerable number of persons preferred the train to Ellerslie to being exposed to the weather on a steamer. The city was generally quiet throughout the day, but, as the evening put on her sober vestments, the principal street was thronged with persons seeking one or other of the proffered amusements, and fortunately for the speculators, the City Hall, the Theatre, and the Lome-street Hall were completely filled with pleasure-seekers. We have not heard of any serious accident beyond that of the poor boy Patrick Moore, who fell from the Devonport steamer, and got jammed between the wharf piles and the steamer's sponson, and sosadly crushed wastheboy'sarm, that broken in three places, it was deemed expedient by Dr Philson to amputate the arm to prevent fatal consequences. It is remarkable how reckless boys generally are. We noticed especially a group of boys climbing the rocks at the end o f Cobley's Beach_, when a false step would have precipitated them either into the sea, or head-foremost among the locks. Several cases of excessive drunkenness have occurred during Christmas, where men have literally gone mad. One poor fellow was so drunk when brought.into the station on Friday, that he could not be got into the station, he raved and foamed at month, as he was sprawling op the drunkard's stony pillow, and at length, as reason did not return to perform its natural function, it was considered necessary to take him to the hospital. Although every attention was there paid to him by those in authority, he never rallied, but died yesterday the victim of drunkenness. An-inquest was held on his body this afternoon before Dr Goldsbro', and the usual verdict returned. Another case of violent drunkenness will be read in our police report of to-day, and several others have been perpetrated which have been kept from the public eye. The children's treat, in most eases, was unavoidably postponed until New Year's Day which will not be too late for the popular* frnit of the season, and the sports and associations of childhood tinder the merry green trees alive with the voices of birds.