AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 65, 16 March 1908, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

FISHEKUAVS SAD FATE.

; A sad drowning fatality occurred at • Kiama shortly after 11 o'clock on Sunj day morning, about a mile south of Xii ama, when Mr. Charles Blackhall, guard ion the train running between Kiama and j Bomaderry, was washed off the rocks and J drowned. With two others. Cortis and i Larnaeh, he wpnt for a morning's fishing, ;and was in the act of throwing his line I when a heavy sea washed him off the rocks. Cortis threw him a fishing line, which he caught, and made efforts to reach the rocks with its assistance. When within a few yards of the shore the line broke, and the backwash from the heavy sea and current washed him out again. He disappeared, although a strong swimmer. Pilot Fraser went to the scene in the lifeboat, and with careful manoeuvring managed to get close enough to the rocks to secure deceased's hat and pipe. Owing to the heavy break it was found impossible to use the grappling irons, either from the boat or shore. Largo numbers visited the scene in the afternoon. Deceased, who was very popular, was a prominent member of the Kiama Oddfellows' Lodge, and leaves a widow and one young son. TWO MEN DROWNED. A Newcastle telegram, dated Sunday last, reported that a distressing: fatality j occurred at the entrance to Lake Jlacquarie through the capsizing of a launch. Two men, .Richard Xaape. a miner, residing with las wife and family fat i Swansea, on Lake Macquarie, and William I Burkitt, an engineer, living at Sydney, ! but who was on a visit to Belm'ont, a, ; hamlet on the shores of the lake, went iout in a launch to fish for schnapper oil ! the coast. They were returning at about I four o'clock in the afternoon, when a I very heavy sea was rolling in against the ebb-tide, and they had just reached the narrowest part of the entrance, known as the •• rip," at Reid's Mistake, when a huge roller swamped the launch and caused it to turn turtle. The occupants were thrown into the sea, and after struggling for some time in the rough J water, disappeared from view. The mishap was observed from the signal station, and assistance was sent, but when the i rescue party reached the scene of the mishap nothing could be seen of the men. A search was afterwards made for the bodies, but neither were recovered. SubInspector Goulder is sending a detachment of water police to the locality tomorrow morning to commence dra™i nw operations. co ° BRAVE BOY DROWNED. A sad bathing fatality i≤ reported from Talbot (Victoria). Henry Clarence Bolan aged 9, and .Milton Gale, 8, were bathino in a dam, when Gale got out of his depth, and Bolan went to the rescue He reached his companion, but was unable to pull him out. Gale, however, strun-trled to a place of safety, and Bolan appeared to slip into deep water. His two companions being powerless to render assistance, he was drowned. Young Whittaker went for assistance, and a short distance away met a man and woman in a buggy. The man went to the dam and after looking at the water, remarked ■" He is gone,"' and left without makin<* any effort to recover the body. CYCLONE IX VICTORIA. | A cyclone occurred at Beulah, Victoria at 4 p.m. on Monday last. "Huge volumes of dust were followed by heavy rain, and an intensely strong wind. Considerable damage was done. Four dwel- I hng-houses were completely wrecked The Coffee Palace had six bedrooms at the rear demolished, and many houses ' had their verandahs, chimneys, and fences blown down. All the windows facing the west were smashed, and the roofs of the Presbyterian and Anglican Churches were damaged. A new shed at the show grounds, erected last year, was smashed to atoms. At Shantlin's Hotel the new stables were wrecked. Messrs. May and Miller's foundry and I O'Donnell's foundry were razed to the gTound. The Beulah Record Office had the front torn clean out.

The rainfall registered was 162 points, but it is believed that 2J inches fell in some parts.

A severe thunderstorm swept over the Charlton district, and the Methodist Church at Dooboobetic was unroofed. Mr. Merrylee's haystack, barn, and outbuildings were destroyed, aid se\(eral farmhouses were damaged.