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Cromwell Argus, Volume XVII, Issue 836, 21 April 1885, Page 2

Attention is directed to a couple of important auction sales by Mr Fache on Saturday next, at Stuart’s Hotel. 1 The property to be disposed ot will probably induce a good attendance. Mr Chas. Angel, junr., sustained concussion of the brain by being thrown from his horse on Saturday, at Bannockburn. Dr Stacpoole is in attendance, and considers the case somewhat serious.—MrM'Rae, of Tarras, also met with an accident last week in having his hand crushed iu a machine on his farm. The injury necessitated his having two fingers amputated. We hear that a fresh rush on a limited scale set in on Friday about two miles from the Criffel diggings. The direction of the new field is towards Mt. Pisa, and leads to hope that in the spring this range will be thoroughly prospected. No details are to hand as to the inducements offered at the new scene of operations. At Criffel itself the claims are now being protected for the winter season. The Rev, J. Niven is announced to deliver lectures at Cromwell and Bannockburn, this evening and to-morrow respectively. The subject of discourse is the Bible, a theme upon which Mr Niven is spoken of as being remarkably interesting and instructive. We hope to be able to record that the rev. gentleman’s mission has proved a success in this district. The Pembroke school was examined by Mr Gammell on Tuesday last. Forty-two children were presented for examination. Twenty-four were examined in Standards I. to IV. of which twenty-three passed, there being only one failure in the school. One only of those who passed was re-examined in a Standard passed last year. The percentage gained was 94.6. Mr Gammell spoke in high terms of the progress and general tone of the school. The legal manager courteously sends us the following from Queenstown: —“The result of the Invincible Quartz.mining Company for the four weeks ending the 11th instant was 340 tons of quartz crushed during that time, yielding 2280zs of I’etorted gold. The battery was idle for four half shifts during that time, and this accounts for the difference between this and the last cake of gold. The machine level tunnel is now 167 feet into the hill, showing quartz leaders, but the reef has not yet been struck in that level, ” At last sitting of the Warden’s Court in Cromwell the question was raised by Mr M'Cracken as to whether the Dunstan or Wakatipu was the proper district in which claims on the Criffel should be registered. It appears that iu the event of no definite understanding being come to, agents acting on behalf of applicants for claims, etc., would experience great difficulty iu obtaining any desired in formation should a search become necessary, the records being in two different Courts— Arrow and Cromwell. To prevent the occurrence of such a contingency and iu view of there being a resident Mining Registrar in Cromwell while there was no such Government official at Arrow, the Warden thought it expedient to declare Cromwell as the Court for registration of all claims iu the locality of Criffel,

The Timaru Cup of 200 sovs was won by Administrator, Lady Emma Wapiti third. Five started, Sou’-wester being the favorite. The Jockey Club Handicap of 15C sovs fell to Sou’-wester, with Wapiti second. The ceremony of turning the first sod of the North Island Trunk railway was performed on Wednesday afternoon, and witnessed by a large assemblage of Natives and Europeans. Mr Stout was present, and delivered an admirable address. The Otago Education Board, at its meeting last Thursday proceeded to the election of a Chairman. The re-election of Mr Shand was proposed by Mr Begg, seconded by Dr M‘Gregor. Professor Shand said that it would be impossible for him, in consequence of other pressing engagements, to discharge the duties of the "office. Mr M'Kenzie moved that Mr Fraer be elected. This motion was also seconded by Dr M'Gregor. Mr Elder moved as an amendment that Mr Begg be elected. On the motion being put to the meeting, Mr Fraer was elected by four votes to three. Whilst the Hon. W, J. M. Laruach was visiting the works at the Blue Spur, Mr Adams brought under his notice a crushing machine he had invented and patented, but stated that owing to want of means he was unable to complete a thorough model. The hon. the Minister of Mines having inspected Mr Adam’s plans, informed him that the Government would grant him £59, on the condition that he would exhibit the model at the forthcoming Exhibition in Wellington, and afterwards present the model to the Government. Mr Adams thanked the Minister and accepted the conditions. Several mining experts who have seen Mr Adams’s invention express an opinion that it is likely to supersede stampers, at any rate in the smaller mines. Following are the principal items from our Arrow correspondent yesterday : —“There is not much to record I’egardiug matters at Macetown. The Tipperary will most likely have a cleaning up this week and bank its monthly instalment of the precious metal. _ although the Premier Company have a considerable quantity of stone ready they are unable to crush it owing to the want of sufficient water. The All Nations are about to start crushing at the public battery. This company have completed arrangements to have a new battery built, and the work will be proceeded with as soon as possible. —Death has removed two more residents from our midst. Early on Friday morning Mrs George Romans succumbed to a disease from which she suffered for some years. On the same morning Mr Donald Scott, father of Mr John Scott, farmer, Miller’s Fiat, died at his son’s residence. M r Scott was considerably over the allotted span of “ three score and ten,” being upwards of 90 years of age. —News arrived here from Sydney a few days since of the death of Mr Richard Canavan, who had been a storekeeper at the 12 Mile (Macetown), in the early days.” Deer-stalking is a sport not much affected in the Australian colonies, for the very good reason that the game does not abound in this quarter of the world. The sight two royal antlers carefully packed for transit to Dunedin therefore created a good deal of interest inCromwell last week, and considerable curiosity was evinced as to where the trophies had come from. On enquiry we learned that the heads and antlers—one of which carried 14 points, the other 13--wcre ttiose of a couple of stags shot in the vicinity of Timaru River, on Morven Hills station. The fortunate sportsmen were Mr Arthur Blackwood (head of the Melbourne house of Dalgety and Co. and one of the principal owners of the run) and Mr Moore, a gentleman well-known in New Zealand in connection with the same firm. The deer were shot only after great trouble and circumspection, involving no less than three day’s fatiguing journey over rough mountainous country; and but for the experience of Mr Blackwood in this class of sport in the Highlands of Scotland it is questionable whether success would have crowned the expedition, as the deer were extremely shy and keen-scented. As we have said the stag’s heads are very fine specimens, and the antlers wide-spreading and well-formed. After being mounted, the trophies will be taken Home, where no doubt they will grace the hall of the ancestral mansion, calling oft to mind the far-off country whence they came and the arduous work of securing them. We are informed that not many of the red deer were seen, and it is supposed that most of them have made towards the West Coast.