CAPTIVES IN BRAZIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1925, Page 7

CAPTIVES IN BRAZIL

LQST WOMAN’S TRACE. .. ’ Colonel Fawcett’s expedition into ,un- 1 known Brazil may solve other mysteries besides that of a lost civilisa- ; tion. It may,,, for instance, solve the ,mys_ . tery of, Maria Dolores,, . concerning ; which some particulars are forthcoming from a traveller /who has done much exploration work in South America for the- Royal Geographical Society. A few years ,ago a party of Portuguese travelling dowi] the Tapajos River landed on an island with the intention of passing the night there. On the sand one of the party saw, traced possibly with a stick, an appeal from a woman who named herself Maria 1 Dolores. In the brief message the woman conveyed the information that her family ’ had been wiped out by Indians, and that she was being taken a day’s liiarch away from the island to an Indian village. Two years or so later there was evidence that the woman was still living. A similar message, freshly traced, was seen by another party of It was reported to the authorities at Para, but no attempt at rescue was made, and probably Maria Dolores still lives a prisoner in the hands of the Indians. ’ Another mystery concerns a young Frenchman of good .family who disappeared into the interior of this same “never, never- land.” He was sought and found by a brother in extraordin. ary circumstances. The brother bad himself lost his way in the forest, One day he saw three, or -lour Indians in a glade and hid himself to watch them. When he bad looked at them some minutes he noticed that one of the party was much paler than the others. He worked liis way nearer, waited until the pale-skin-ned one turned his face, and then saw that he was looking into the face of bis brother. ... The recognition was mutual, but no amount of.persuasion would-induce the other to leave the [natives, with.whnm ha had thrown in his lot-. Why should lie. lie argued, return to q. conn try; in which he had to nay .taxes, wear elotqes and do other disagreeable things, when lie'could live with the Indians naturally without labour of any kind? Pie-' sumably he is living with them still.—“Daily New’s.”

1 a'?' REEFTON, April ® ' The ordinary . monthly . ’ meeting 0 ' the Reeffop Progress . League w'as a held in the CoiincjJ Chambers last e evening. Present: Messrs I. Patterr son (chairman), A. M? Carroll, J, o Dick, R, Wills, J. Noble, Q. Mori, Jas. Patterson. . . . ( ,\ f J i i< The District Traffic .Manager, Greymouth, wrote .stating that asphalting 3 of the Reefton Railway Station would , be put in -hand as early, as possible; r also that the weighbridge at Reef ton Railway Station had been tested, and found to be correct. . j Mr. R. P. Hudson M.P., wrote re Brown’s Creek Road and feridge at P Inangahua Junction, Regretting the Minister; was unable to accede to the League’s requests to make Brown’s Creek Road a permanent road. Inangahua County Council wrote re soldfers’ memorial, .stating -that the Engineer had.-.been instructed to give effect to' the League's proposal to erect the fence around the soldiers’ memorial. Mr. R. Hudson -M.P. wrote erfclosreply received from. Minister of Pub; lie Works’, re Ip-MileJ. Creek bridge on Reeftoh-Maruia' Road and Cliff creek and Lock creejt bridges and stating that the County Council had /not yet made application for’ authorisation of the money required for these works. E. A. Lemon wrote re bridge at Snowy Creek and asking the League to assist to get the bridge constructed. .

Mr. R. P. Hudson M.P., wrote re Burke’s Creek Bridge and stating he was prepared to grant ’ the sum of £4OO for same when authority was applied for; also Minister’s’ reply to have , the. Maruia and Murchison ' districts made the, subject of. a geological survey, but regretting .that such could not at present .be . The following’' resolutidnsi were approved : That the .Minister f,or .Public Works be again written, to urging him to make a straight-out grant for the maintenance of. .the.. Reef tonMaruia Road and pointing out that the revenue at present derived from that riding was already earmarked for local work. That the District Traffic Manager Christchurch, be written to pointing out the delay. in the forwarding of goods from Christchurch to Reefton, it being put down to alleged shortage of trucks. ”, That the President and Secretary meet the agent of the Tourist Department on his arrival at Reefton. That the County Council be written to asking tliem to make application for a grant for a bridge to give access to E. A. Lemon's property at Snowy River. That the Postmaster be written to asking if it is possible to have the post office lit up until eleven p.m. and that; the clock be illuminated on both faces, and a deputation be appointed to interview the Postmaster regarding the mater. That in the interests .of piiblic safety it is desirable that the regrading and surfacing of Broadway be put in hand and that tfle kerbing of the footpath be put in hand. In the interests of public safety that by-laws be trained by the Inangahua County Council regulating the speed of motor vehicles through the town of Reefton.

' to say, however, that nothing is being p done to cover up the ugly scars which 1 the era ,of revolution has left upon the . face.of-the city. The Goverriment f is i cleaning up and, repairing where that ■ is possible, and therefore finds employ- . ment for a large .number of, ex-soldiers , of the National Army who would otherwise be in, sad case. ..: ■ • • ; . Thus,, at the Four' Courts,. the Cus- , tom House, and the cld G.P.0., clear-, ’ mice work is being done, but this up-, ’ fortunately, does nut involve immediate ■. re-building. Only comparatively little ■ is contemplated in the way of restoring the Four Courts at present. .The great dome, which was sadly affected by the attack of .June, 1923,. had to be . completely pulled down.. It is how being replaced by', a dome of/concrete. . This, I understand, is. something novel in constructional engineering. The. wings of the building will be rebuilt and used for the housing of the. various Government, Departments, but it is not thought that for. many years, the Law Courts, now installed at Dublin Castle, will .return to their old home...:-; The Customs House, is similarly like., ly to remain- in its present unroofed state for a time. The shell is intact and dangerous projections have been removed. The early new work at present being’done -is the laying.of a concrete flopr,. which will be all to the good ’when a general rebuilding of Gordon’s masterpiece is decided on. Tl)e old General Post Office .will shortly be the centre of much activity. The Postmaster-General has promised that by next Christmas 'Ke will have gathered, together in-their old quarters the- telegraph byanch, -which has been onr> Arniana cinP/v'+hA 1 QI A

e rebellion and the general postal branch e now in Abbey Street. This will be a f big advance and an immense improves ment to Sackville Street. 0 By that time also a great deal of the _ destroyed area ip Upper Sackville Street will be rebuilt. ■ Six buildings incltiding a couple of hotels,’ ,are‘‘already in process of reconstruction.’ One of the plans for a greater Dub. 0 lin favours the idea of a new post office; “ near the Custom House, where also = would-be a central railway station r and the cgttle market,- all in close - proximity to-the shipping at the North t Wall. The plan, hpwever, seems to. i have receded from the public View . 1 since .the-£rbyprnment definitely decided against converting the Royal Hospital f at Kilmainham into a Parliament House. The Parliament is now ap- ’ parently fixed at Leinster House for a t longer stay than was ever contemplat- ’ ed. 1 ! • ' 3 Another proposed plan contemplates extensive dock construction at the r North Wall, as well as 'graving docks - and extensive, reclamation of slcblands. None of these projects, however, is - likely to advance much until the . Greater Dublin Commission makes, its > report. t IaMIimWBMmiMMIUMIBWMMBM 1