PERSONAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 307, 27 December 1915, Page 6

PERSONAL.

_ Visitors at the Grand Hotel include Sir George Clifford and Mr. T. H. Lowry. Mr. W. T. Young, general secretary of tho Federated Seamen's Union, is at preeent in Auckland, and is 6taying at the Central Hotel. The Hon. W. H. Herri.es (Minister for Railways) ia on a visit to Auckland, and is staying at the Northern Club. The death took place at Ponsonby yesterday of Mr. W. S. Collins, an old i resident of New Zealand, who saw service in the Maori war. He was a well I known commercial traveller and a profmiheut Freemason. The Hon. A. and Mrs. Whittingham, j from Australia, arrived by the mail j 'steamer Niagara this morning. The visitors are staying for a time at the j Grand Hotel. ' i Mr. S. J. Davis, who relieved Mr. ._. j R. Thompson as purser of the R.M.s. j Niagara, has been succeeded by Mr. C. E. Leighton, later purser of the Marama, which is now a hospital ship. Mr. Davis has iollowcd in the footsteps of many other of the Union Co.'s pursers, and has been accepted for service with the New Zealand Reinforcements. In the course of mustering operabioivon Mount Pisa station, in Southern Otago, about 20 sheep found their way ou to a small ledge of rock on the face of the precipitous cliffs bordering the Karawau River. All efforts to dislodge the animrii with the assistance of dogs proved vi f vailing, and a party of Arrowtown residents, equipped with ropes and other tackle, went out to attempt a rescue. They safely reached a point about 40ft. above where the sheep were located, but further progress appeared to be impossible. At length a man was lowered down to the ledge by means of a rope, and after some perilous .work, he captured the sheep. The animal was attached to a rope, and was soon hoisted to terra firma. Fourteen sheep were saved in this way, but the remainder found their way to inaccessible places, and were ultimately shot. The hazardous nature of the rescuer's undertaking may be gauged from the fact! that for upwards of two hours he was working on a ledge of rock about 2ft. in width, above a sheer drop of 400 ft. to the Karawau river.