The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, FEBRUARY 18, 1901. A GREAT RELAY RACE.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 41, 18 February 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, FEBRUARY 18, 1901. A GREAT RELAY RACE.

The ocean race that has taken place to Sydney was superseded in importance by a great relay race from Auckland to London. Information which came to hand yesterday by the Frisco mail, states that the Campania took part in a relay case covering one-half of the earth’s circumference by steamer, locomotive and wagon, a total distance of 13,712 miles, and a distance from New Zealand of 12,4.25 miles. The Campania helped to break all mail records from Sydney, N.S.W. to Auckland, N.Z.; from Auckland to Honolulu, and on to London. The Campania was scheduled to sail from the foot of Jane street, North River, at 11 a.m,, but was held back until 11.40 a.m. to allow the Australian and New Zealand mails to be placed on board. Supt. Maze, of the Foreign Mail Service, had been requested by Stevenson Smith, representative in San Francisco of the Australian colonies, to make sure that the colonial mail, be loaded on the Cunarder. It consisted of 256 sacks. It held important documents from the New Zealand Government for the Home Office in England, To have missed the connection would have meant annoyance and financial loss. The mail must reach London by January sth, Mr Smith said. So arrangements were made to hold back the Campania. A bad connection was made at Chicago. It was not until 10 a.m. on the Friday that a New York Central train with the precious documents started from that city. It pulled into'the Grand Central Station at 9.59 a.m. next day. One hundred and forty-five mail sacks were from New Zealand and 111 from Australia. Ninety-seven sacks were thrown into the first wagon. The driver left'the station at 10.34 -. o’clock and- was twenty-four minutes in covering |tlie three miles to the pier. It was two minutes after the regular sailing time as the wagon rumbled down the pier. A line of ’longshoremen was waiting. Each man grabbed his burden an.d‘ carried it into the interior of the ship. Wagon No. 2, with sixty-two sacks, got away from the station at 10.49 o’clock. It was nearly twice as long on the road as the other. It was 11.02 o’clock when the wagon reached the pier. Supt. Haft, of the Foreign Branch Post-Office, at Morton and West streets, reported the driver because he was slow. The third wagon left the station yard at 10.59 and arrived at 11.36. Every bag was put aboard before the Campania sailed, and it was unnecessary to use the tug which had been kept waiting by the Post-Office people in case it was necessary to chase the liner down the bay. From Liverpool a mail flyer over the Great Northern rushed the mails to London at the rate of forty-five or fifty miles'an hour. The following figures show how the New Zealand “ rush” mails covered a distance of 12,428 miles By steamship Alameda from Sydney to Auckland 1,248 miles, left Dec. 3. Ev. steamship Alameda from Auckland to Honolulu 3,850 miles, left Dec. 6. By steamship Alameda from Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 mflsS; left Dec. 19. By train from San Francisco to Chioago 2,350 miles, left Dec. 24. By train from Chicago to New York, 900 miles, left Dec, 28,

By waggon from Grand Central to Cunard pier 3 miles, left Dec. 29. By steamship Campania from New York to Liverpool 3,035 miles, left December 29.

By train from Liverpool to London 190 miles, left Jan. 5. Total distance within thirty-four days 13,712 miles, left Jan. 5. Less distance from Sydney to Auckland 1,284 miles. Distance from Auckland to London 12,428 miles.

It would be interesting to know what the important documents w T ere that required to be rushed along at such a speed. Mr Carroll might be able to inform us.

Some letters from correspondents are held over. Mr T. B. Bax, well known as the champion club-swinger of Australasia, is now established in Wairoa as a hairdresser and tobacconist.

At the Victoria Domain on Saturday there was good cricket practice. Practice is to be continued every afternoon this week. The representative team is to play Tologa Bay next Saturday. A Saturday’s Napier telegram states Joseph Davies, single, aged about fifty years, supposed to have relatives in Auckland, was killed by the overturning of a cart which he was driving at West Clive.

: Mr Ivil, of Auckland, has charge of Mr Sam Earle’s hairdressing saloon and tobacconist shop during the illness of the i proprietor. We are pleased to learn that Mr Earle is making good progress towards recovery.

During the past month over 1,000,000 bushels of wheat were delivered at Darling Harbour, Sydney. In order to meet the traffic the construction of 500. new trucks has been authorised.

Fruit seems valueless in some parts of Australia this season. In Victoria the crop of raspberries would not pay for picking. The growers accordingly asked the Government for a bonus on raspberry pulp manufactured into jam, and obtained it.

Mr H. Boggis, who is a joiner by trade, and has had thirteen years’ experience in bush country, has recently returned from a visit to the Motu. He fully bears out what has been said by Mr Whinray and others as to the value of the timber in the Motu. He says there is a splendid lot of rirnu there for milling purposes. To-morrow will be the Chinese New Year, and will be celebrated by our residents of that nation in their usual fashion. Whether they have learned the tricks and dodges of the Europeans, it is hard to say ; but there was a custom existant at one time: “If your debt is not paid by the end of the year, you are dishonest; I shall notask for it, but you will never again receive credit.”

A Wanganui telegram states: —An extensive robbery is reported from the Commercial Hotel, Ohingatai, the premises being broken into. An entrance was effected by breaking a window over the bar, near where the safe was kept. The safe was first broken into, and then bodily taken away with the contents, estimated at £2OO, in cash and cheques. There is no trace so far of safe or robbers.

The death of Mrs Bridget Theresa Taylor, wife of John Taylor, residing at the Caledonian Hotel, King street, Sydney, has been reported to the coroner. On January 17th Mrs Taylor was retiring to bed, when she stooped to pick up her slippers, and the flame of a candle came in contact with her nightdress. Her cries brought her husband to her ; assistance, and ho extinguished the flames, but she had been fatally burned.

At the Presbyterian Church last evening the Rev. Mr Paterson referred, in pleasing' terms, to the fact that the basis of union between the Otago and Northern Presbyterian Churches had been agreed upon, and that the union of the two Churches would soon be an accomplished fact. For this they should return thanks to God, and tho congregation, at the pastor’s request, rose and sang the Doxology. A sailor named William Griffiths met with a terrible death on January Ist, during the voyage of the barque Buckingham from Table Bay to Geelong, Victoria. He was engaged in a task on the mamyard, when he lost his hold, and fell head foremost on to the deck. His chest was smashed to a pulp, and the force of the fall drove, his teeth firmly into the deck. Death was instantaneous. Deceased was buried at sea.

The Poverty Bay Turf Club have re, ceived excellent acceptances and nornim ations for their summer meetiug, which takes place on Thursday and Friday next, and there is every promise of this being the most successful meeting yet held by the Club. All the outside horses have already arrived, so that large fields will be the order of the day; and as the handicapper appears to have pretty well concealed the winner in each event, a few good dividends may be expected.

: Mr George Schmidt, as one of the Comlpitte of the Patutahi sports and picnic, desires to acknowledge the very liberal donations he has received from tradesmen and residents of the town. The following is a list of names in addition to tkose published by us on - Saturday : —H. Martin, W. Eure, F. Stevenson, S. Dolman, H. Bruce, Allan Taylor, D. Hepburn, H. Cooper, E. Roberts, W. L. Rees, A. Bond, T. J. Danston, W. Bailey, R. Gordon, T. Cahill, Mr and Mrs Mossman, S. Tarr, R. Crail, M. A. Dover, A. Pritchard, M. Monish, A. Monish, Suler, F. Allen, W. Knights, W. Law, J. White, Wong King, 11 J. .Clark. Other donations were made by those signing as “ Friends.”