SEARCH FOR HEIRS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11453, 2 March 1931, Page 5

SEARCH FOR HEIRS

VALUABLE OIL. PROPERTIES DESCENDANTS. IN NEW ZEALAND CU.P.A. by Elec, 'fob OopyWght) (Received March 1, 5.5 p.m.). LONDON, Feb. 28. Dozens of parish registers in Devon have been searched by Monmouth Alfred Williams, of Newport, as attorney for the heirs of Thomas Duckham, who died at Kentucky in 1851. Ho was the owner of vast acreages, from some of which oil is .noiv being pumped. The title reserved the mineral rights for Duckham, whose estate is reputedly worth millions, ’ ' - The, attorney, discovered that Duckham’s sister Sally had a daughter, Hester, - who married Louis Lee, whose son, Louis Thomas, died in 1916 at St. Aubyn's, Tarua Bay, near Auckland. Mr Williams says that the searches rank Louis Thomas’s brothers and sisters as descendants among the claimants.

HAWKE’S BAY ‘QUAKE ASSISTANCE TO LEGAL PROFESSION. (Tress Association.l AUCKLAND, Fob. 28. The Auckland District Law Society yesterday voted up £IOOO for the. - purposes of general earthquake relief in Hawke’s Bay' and to assist members of the legal profession in 1 lie stricken area.

The president, Air. R. P. Towle, said many members'of the profession in Napier and Hastings suffered, considerable losses and the society could help them to carry the heavy burden.

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF. WAIROA’S NEEDS. MAYOR’S SPECIAL FUND. Further donations to the A favor’s special fund for earthquake relief in Wn iron are as under : £ s. d. Previously acknowledged 109 11 '6 ,T, L. MacGregor ..: ... 10 9 Motu dance (per T. Aforgnn) ' 15 0 0 Total to date £125 1 6 TIMES LIST. Saturday’s : contributions to the Times earthquake relief fund wore as follows: J. TT. Afonticth 6th list : £ s. d. Pntutnhi Tennis Club ... 22 0 ‘-.Widow’s..Mite 2 6 HOSPITAL REPORT. ETRST DEATH AT PALMERSTON NORTH. (Tress Association.* PALAJERSTON N.. Fob. 28. The first death among the earthquake patients in hospital here occurred to-dnv when Airs. Alary Watson, of Hastings, succumbed to her injuries.

The following new cases have been admitted: Airs. Winifred Hassell, Napier: Alary Grant, Napier, AVilliam Afundy, Napier; Alfred Alansfield, Napier, and Austin Alitcholl, Havelock North. Cases discharged are: Airs Gardiner Napier Mrs. Phyllis 1 foherloy. Napier.

’QUAKE NEWS. BODIES ALREADY BURIED TWO MORE IDENTIFIED MARRIED WOMAN AND WELLKNOWN MUSICIAN Two more identifications of bodies were recorded by Sub-Inspector C. W. Lopdell at Napier last week. In each case the body was buried unidentified, 'but relatives have now come forward to establish identifica. tion beyond doubt. The body of a married woman who died in tho Nelson Park dressing station on February 5 and was buried unidentified has been identifed by means of a wristlet watch and opal ring which the deceased was wearing at the time of her. death ag that of Mrs. Emily Elizabeth, Wells, wife of Mr. G. R. Wells, of Napier. A further body, that of a man tak. on to the Napier Hospital immediately after the disaster, with fatal injuries to which he succumbed later in the day, and also buried unidentified, has now been identified ag that of Mr. Walter George Lunn, a married man, aged 25, well known in Napier musical circles, as a former member oil the . Majestic . Theatre Orchestra.

At an hour on Tuesday morning when the greater part of the population was -enjoying slumber undisturbed by earth tremors, the employees of the Hastings Gasworks were carrying out a'test of the' mains. lit-various parts of the town men were stationed to .investigate any defects for it was anticipated there would be several breaks in mains and leakages in the connections. “It was an anxious time for us all,” stated Mr. Baker to a reporter. “We were prepared to allow consumers to use the gas after today provided there was not more than 20 per cent leakage.. In \our pessimistic moments, we feared { there would he extensive breaks. Actually tho leakage was not up' to 20 per cent, so that consumers may now use the gas.” .. .. . . “After reading the account of tho earthquake*, affecting your district and leaving so many homeless 1 decided to write to you and ask whether you could let me know if it would bo possible for' me to take a child left nn orphan,” says Mrs. R. Wasloy, of st) Ellesmere street, Mount Hawthorne, Perth. Australia, in a letter to the Mayor of Napier - “If youcannot do anything,” the writer adds, “would you kindly pass this letter on to someone who could ?’ ’

Owing to the fact that the Parkvale School“ is a specially-designed steel reinforced building it Jias withstood the earthquake ’shocks excellently. The only damage was the cracking of a temporary wall’ at the ‘end -or the building, but this has been pulled down and will be replaced at an early date with a permanent reinforced structure, -.Great credit is duo to' the architect and builder for tho spledid mannner in which 1 the school has stood the tost.- Tribune.

’ • AAf freakish’ effect '’’.which the - earth, quake produced at Kahuranaki, on the Hastings-Elsthorpe road, lis reported by Mr. Royston Campbell. He says that, on his property several vest's from which sulphurous' gas issues were opened up, and that one of them; besides being, very large, makes such- a loud noise, of hissing, that it cah be heardf frbm. a considerable dis. tance. He’set a lighted match to ono of - ,tbe smaller, vents,: and the. gas burned- with euch Intensity- that; he thought it unsafe to light the largest of them, v