Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1326, 29 October 1872, Page 2

While the public have been congratulating themselves upon the speedy opening up of direct communication between this port and Reefton, the fact has been overlooked that one part of the road— from Brunnerton to the junction of the Arnold road— is unfit for ordinary traffic. The road is so narrow where it passes round a very high bluff that a dray of the ordinary dimensions cannot pass. At present goods destined for the Arnold have to be carted to Brunnerfcon, then unloaded and put iuto a narrow dray, made for the purpose of passing this dangetous spot, and even then several accidents have occurred, and one horse was recently killed there. This is a very serious matter, when it is remembered that the contract has been taken by Messrs Ashton and Cassidy to run their coaches through to Reefton on the Ist January, and when it was expected that dray-traffic on a very large scale between Greymouth and up-country would immediately .commence. This fact was made known to the County Chairman, the District Engineer, and Messrs Fox and Dungan during the late meeting of the County Council, and no notice was taken of it Some steps must be taken at ouce to have this portion of the road widened, otherwise we are as far as ever from seeing the commencement of our long-expected upcountry coach and dray traffic. Willie Steel gives another of his amusing entertainments at the Town Hall to-night. A tea meeting is to be held in the Wesleyan Church to-night, at half-past six, after which a public meeting will take place, which will be adcJ-essed by several clergymen and others. It is announced that a Calcutta Sweep on the Melbourne Cup is to be drawn at the Albion Hotel, on Wednesday, the 6th pror The receipts from the Branner coal mine during the quarter ending September 30, amounted to L225G, while the expenditure was L 1941. Orders have been given by the Nelson Government for the survey of sites for the pier head at the Ngahawhau river ; to be built in accordance with the recommendations ot Dr Hector and tae Provincial Engineer. Mr Percy Wakefield has resigned his clerkship to the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts, at Reefton, for the purpose of going into partnership with Mr Thorpe as sharebrokers and mining agents. Mr White, M.H.R., was a passenger from Wellington to Hokitika by the steamer Alhambra. The first sitting of the District Court, at Reefton, will take place on the sth proximo. Mr Justice Harvey will proceed there from Westporb, accompanied by MrWarden Broad. The sitting will bo of a formal character, as there ia no business, the bankruptcy and other cases having been disposed of at Westpott. Mr R. H. Bayliss, the Reefton mailman, had a narrow escape from drowning in the Ahaura River, on Friday, 25th iiist. Mr Bayliss was travelling up country on that day in company with Mr Wilckins, the Ahaura and Half-Ounce mailman. Bayliss entered the river first at the ford below dow the'ltrJaK^^ tXS. J™ ti legs and both were , carried away with the current. He was taken through the rapids below the ford, and with great difficulty and almost providentcilly, he managed to struggle ashore at the lowermost point of the sandspit between both branches of the river. Had the horse not made the spit both horse and rider must have been carried into the Grey, and then the chances of escape would be very small indeed. In the House of Representatives, on October 16, Mr Harrison called the attention of the House and the Government to a motion, of which ho had giveu notice some weeks ago, for the appropriation of a certain sum of money from the portion of the railway fund of the Middle Island set apart for the Province of Nelson, for the construction of a road from the Amuri district acros3 the Saddle iuto the Grey Valley. The Hon. the Minister for Public Works informed him that provision had been made in the Immigration and Public Works Bill, which gave power for the carrying out of such works. The disputed sections at the Lyell, respecting which extensive litigation was expected, wore settled by Mr Warden Broad out of Comt, who acted as arbitrator for all parties. Nothing has yet been learnt at Reef ton of the fate of the missing Thomas Costello, and his disappearance becomes a greater mystery than ever. The following tenders for mail serviceshave been accepted :— Hokitika and Ross, daily, James Rea ; Hokitika, Kanieri, and Hau-hau, daily, Robert Wright ; Ross and Gillespie's, weekly. J. Downing ; Hokitika and Greenstone, via Stafford and Waimea, once daily, James Rugg. The local paper says that at Anderson's the crushing is proceeding satisfactorily, and the supply of water is plentiful. The batteries on Friday were running at the rate of sixty-live beats a minute, and the plates, we are happy to add, looked remarkably well, considering the short time that has elapsed since crushing operations were commenced. The following persons were the fortunate winners of four of the most valuable prizes drawn for at St Mary's Convent SchooiS, Nelson :— Miss E. Kegan, Westport, the harmouium, value Ll5 15s ; Mr Isaac Baigent. Wakefield, the horse, saddle, and bridle, value LI 5; Mr Patrick Scanlan, Charleston, the violincello, value L 8 8 ; Mrs Watkins, Nelson, the silver-mounted flute, value L 3 3s. We ("Herald") are glad to learn that the stone being got out in the Victoria, Kelly's line, continues of exellent quality. Yesterday that got out is exceptionally rich. Quite an excitement was occasioned in Reefton on Friday by the receipt of fa /orable accounts from Anderson's. Very good stone is now being raised from the north tunnel, and scares, advanced in consequence. At the Warden's Court, at Ahaura, on Saturday, 26th inst., before Warden Whitefoord, tlio caso O'Keefe v. O'Keefe was brought to a conclusion. The ! litigants are brothers, and they held an agricultural lease in the Little Grey district. In consequence of continual disagreements they came to the Court praying for an order of dissolution of partnership and an equitable settlement of accounts. The case was called and partly heard on Friday, aiH at the suggestion of the Court; and by consent of counsel on either side, the dispute was referred to arbitration. Mr Bunter Clapcott, auctioneer, at the request of all parties consented to act between the disputants. The arbitrator's report was read to the Court. A statement of accounts was also prepared. The report aiid statement were received anil confirmed

by the Warden. By the award Michael O'Keefc is to retain the land auA stock, and to liquidate the outstanding liabilities as far as they were submitted to the arbitrator. Patrick O'Koefeis to have authority to collect the debts owing to the late firm, and to retain all moneys he may receive. The costs of the Court and of the arbitration were to be divided equally between the parties. Mr Staite appeared for M. O'Keefe, and Mr Guinness for Patrick O'Keefe. An under- warder has been appoinbed for the Westporfc gaol in the person of Mr Franklyn, some time since Inspector of Police. The individual referred to was recently engaged in obtaining signatures for the .Nelson Government to .the anti-separa-tion petition, and this is his reward. In consequence of there being no branch bank at Iveefton, the cheque nuisance is becoming so intolerable that a discount office for the purchase of gold and negotiation of cheques is to be established in the course of a few days. One of the local firms has made arrangements with that object. The charge for cashing cheques -will be at the rate of 2^ per cent. The " New Zealand Herald" acknowledges that the report of the debate upon Webb's steamers, which purported to be a reprint from the " Congressional Globe," was a gross fraud, of which it, in common with a large and important section of the New Zealand and Australian Press, has been made the victim. At Westpoit a few days since, we learn from the local paper, an individual gave an entertainment in a disused skittle-alley, one of the promised attractions at which was a "dancing-duck," The quacking bird was duly produced, and the exhibitor was produced, and the exhibitor was proceeding to make it dance by placing it on a heated sheet of iron, when a constable who had been watching the proceedings interfered and prevented the torture, but it does not appear that anything was done to the man. The "Westport Times" of the 19 th ins t. says that a party of three or four men have lately been prospecting the country between the Lyell and Inangahua districts and have succeeded m striking payable alluvial ground at the head of Larry's Creek. They found rough nuggetty gold, weighing to 4dwt, but siDkHg was very wet, and as the men ran short of pro\ Isions they were unable to do much, but they were at tbe Lyell a few days since for tucker, and have gone out again. An ingenious correspondent of the "Eoss News," who signs himself "Mealey," makes the following brilliant suggestion for the benefit of " duffered-out diggers :"— " All those men who are not profitably employed should take possession of a plot of land ; they need go but a very little distance to find it, throw the brush and branches in shape to keep out the cows and horses, roughly huck it with an old adze or grubber, and plant with potatoes, then— mark my words — it will give a return equal to, and may be better than many golden claims. Potatoes are now from Ll6 to LlB per ton— they never have been cheap in Uoss ; yet I have seen lGlb of potatoes taken from a single stalk grown here. Let the unemployed or duffered-out miners take the hint ; there is plenty of ground to be got free of rent — not too swampy— the bigger the more profit — and shortly after Christmas tliey will have cause to say, " This is no duffer rush, anyhow !" Referring, to Mr Fox's description of incideuts of his West Coast visit, given at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, the correspondent of a contemporary says:— "Mr Fox exhibited about forty water-color drawings, taken by himself, of views, principally on the West Coast, bat also including some in Otago and Switzerland. These, although mere sketches, give a very good idea of the scenery ; a few of them, representing glaciers, are really cm^ ul vo. uv , ~u,~ fi ,v— a ..UincLof sketchy description of glaciers, their formation fiud peculiarities. The account was interesting, and delivered in his own pleasant style." A very satisfactory change has been met with in the tunnel of the Enterprise Company, No 1 south, Adam Smith's. The "Inangahua Horald," says that a goldbearing leader a foot thick has been passed, and the solidity of the rock, together with the copious flow of water, betokens that the main reef is being approached. According to the dip of the stone on the surface, 40ft or 50ft of driving should bring them to the reef. The present rate of progress, with only two men engaged in the tunnel, does not exceed sfl weekly, so that some time will elapse before the reef is touched. The tunnel enters fully 100 ft below that of the prospecting claim, and will, therefore, be the means of further testing the extent of this line of reef. This tunnel had the effect of draining the upper tunnel of No 2 which was formerly very wet, but is now perfectly dry. In the latter a good body of stone has been disclosed.