AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

SACE . WITH A SNAKS. IMELBOUEX£, July S. John Hogan, a Melbourne man, .-visiting Lake Charm, is one of tlie few living men ■wno can 'boast of having rua a dead heat with -a sualce after a brisk pedestrian sprint of 12 feet. Ilogan was ia bed counting imaginary sheep jumping a fence in order to Induce sieep, wl>en lie felt what lie believed to be a rat moving over his counterpane. He shook Uie creature off, and, jumping out of bed, lighted 'his candle, discovering the iutrnder to be a snake. Hogun and the snake, wnich seemed to lave an intimate knowledge of the premises, both made for the door, and reached It at the samu moment. The snake turned on the man, and stuck its fangs into his leg. The leg -was ligatured, the bite scarified, and ■permanganate of potash, rubbed in, and after medical treatment Hogan fully recovered. LIONS AT LARGE. iroEKTOfDI, July 9. Great excitement was caused in Wlrtn's Circus last night through, on:; ii O u, two lionesses, and two wolves escaping, while going Ummgh their act ou tile programme. The animais were being put through their performances by the lion tamer, who opened the door of the iron arena and let the woives out into the cages. He slammed the iron door, which, however, flew open agaiu, and the .lions rushed through the cages. As the .attendants were unable to close the «loor of the cages in time the animals escaped. Mr Wirth, the lion tamer, aad a number of attendants, immediately procured lights, irons, and other implements, and rushed alter the animals to capture them. The two wolves were captured before they were out ox the circus grounds. One lioness prowled about among the circus horses, and was beaten off a pony which it had attacked, and was captured before it had done much damage. The lion, which, rushed through several residents' yards, scaring a number of people, was found in a -fowlhouse. As soon as he was located, the cage, was despatched from the circus, drawn by an elephant, .and the wandering animal caged -without doing any harm. Within one hour the two wolves, the lion, and one lioness had been captured, and. only one lioness remained at large. The circus attendants were to be seen rushing in all directions with lights, followed by .1 large number of townspeople. After 90 minutes' search, the lioness was found in one of the principal streets quiet■ly resting.

Again the elephant was despatched with the cage to the scene. When she discovered the tamer and several others circled around her, mflMng fitrMgfl UOISOS, fiUOUt-

i mi- •»if«o« iioraoiDOi] onltO COO]' clrcos. Tfae- andlcnce reniainiid OUlte COOL calves; otheis, who knew, made althougH the latter passed, within a. Tew feet of tlie people In tie street, they made -Tills moniJng seveaal iiorst-t: -were fomd scratcuefl and torn about. One horse, belonging to iir G. grocer, near the spot where "the second lioness was captured, was found badly torn and cut about. It is feared it will have to be destroyed. BOUBiE KEENING FATALITY. NEWCASTLE, July 7. The TTallsend colliery was io-day the scene of two fatalities which, although eutircly distinct from one another, occurred in exactly similar circumstances and almost simultaneously. Shortly after noon Thomas Pratten (31) was working in the portion of the mine known as C pit, with his mate, John Thompson. They were engaged in what is known as filling little tops, when, without the slightest warning, a mass of coal came away over Pratten's head, crushing him to the floor of. the tunnel. His mate, after considerable labour, managed to remove the fallen coal, bnt Pratten never moved. Death had apparently been instantaneous. A doctor was enminoned and the body was removed to the morgue. Every employee in the colliery was talking of fhe sad accident when word was sent to the surface of another fatal occurrence in the No. 1 tunnel. Sydney Stewart, a miner (23), living at Lambtou, was workmg at the face with, his brother. He was engaged in holing, an occupation which, In this instance, necessitated a stooping position, -when a. portion of the roof came away and fell full upon his head. The unfortunate man was almost buried beneath a heap of .coal, and, when the debris was cleared away, it was seen that his head had been badly crushed. In this case, too, death liad evidently been instantaneous. As may be imagined, the two accidents, constituting as they did such an extraordinary coincidence, have createa a very sad impression throughout the district.