The Evening Star. DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, NOV. 9, 1865.

Evening Star, Volume III, Issue 784, 9 November 1865, Page 2

The Evening Star. DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, NOV. 9, 1865.

At about half-past five o'clock yesterday afternoon an alarm of fire was raised in the office of the Evening Star, originating from a strong smell of burning and smoke proceeding from one of the offices oVer the building. It was speedily discovered that the cause of alarm was in the office of Mr W. O. Ball, which, on being broken open, was found densely filled with smoke, and a stench of burning matter proceeded from it which gave rise to an almost certain conviction that the building was somewhere on fire. A messenger was at once despatched to the Fire Brigade, and also to the Provincial Hotel for the use of some of the hundreds of buckets which are constantly kept in that establishment. In a few minutes two of the members of the Brigade arrived, bringing with them a small hand pump -and. a quantity of hose. Under the inspection of the police, the premises up stairs were thoroughly examined, and although every portion of the walls, flooring, and chimneys was investigated, no trace of the origin of the thick smoke could be detected. The smoke passed off in about an hour afterwards, but it was deemed advisable that a watch should be kept on the premises all night in case any lurking fire should burst out. But before midnight the source of all this alarm was found out, and, happily, its nature was sudh as to altogether disperse any further fears. It appears that Mr W. O. Ball had during the afternoon instructed his boy to •clean his rifle, and the lad now says that the rag which he used "caught fire," and that he left it burning in the grate. It is far more probable that the boy, impelled by the curiosity inherent in most of his kind, had lighted the irag, which being impregnated with saltpetre, would burn rapidly away, and leave only a dense •gmoke and strong smell behind. We are happy to say that this is the worst, and also that had a fire broken out, we had organised means for saving the whole of our plant, and effects, be-

sides'arranging for the supply of all the available water in the vicinity of our office.

A typographical mistake was made in the advertisement of the Assembly Ball in our paper of last evening. The Ball takes place to-morrow •evening in St George's Hall, and tickets will be issued at the Hall between the hours of 4 and 6 o'clock to-morrow. This is the last Ball of the series, and will doubtless be one of the most successful.

The sweep on the Melbourne Cup ■will be drawn about eight o'clock this evening at the Empire Hotel. As there are only 39 members for the 39 horses engaged in this crack event of the Victorian turf, and the three animals placed get each a prize, the odds are very small against each ticket-holder, and the investment is a good one. We are informed that only two or three .chances are left open.