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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1819, 4 June 1874, Page 2

At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, Ann Hogan was lined 10s or 48 hours for kaving been drunk. The inquest on thelateElizabeth Hougliton, who was burned to death at Paroa on Tuesday night, will most probably be held this forenoon. The members of the local Lodge of A.O.P. are requested to join the funeral procession this afternoon. The directors of the Wealth of Nations Gold-mining Company met at Reefton on Tuesday afternoon, and declared a dividend T-the third— of 2s per scrip. The month's crushing showed a result of 4600z of melted gold, which of course is considered highly satisfactory. From the Little Wonder claim at the Lyell we hear that from the block now at work very rich stone is being obtained, I saw, says a correspondent, a piece weighing rather less than two ounces, which was taken haphazard from the truck, crushed, and, as far as I could guess, two grains and a half of gold was obtained. The following is the report from the Excel-ior claim :— A quantity of very fioe-grained blue slate, which closely resembles the hardest bluestone, has now to be contended against in this company's tunnel, which is in 145 ft. The driving is pretty fair. Unless the leader is cut within the next 25ft, a cross drive will be put in to the shaf fc, and the leader will then be fol'owed. i Some months ago a speculator purchased from the Tasmanian Government the right to fish for the first submarine cable laid in Bass's Straits, and long since abandoned. He has chartered a vessel and procured a report from an experienced engineer, and a company is in process of formation to utilise the cable. All right to the cable was aold for L 5, and if it is ever recovered from

the vasty deep, the probabilities of seeming a profit on tbc purchase are good The professional gentleman entrusted with the task of reporting thereon states the total amount recoverable to be about 160 nautical miles, and as to the condition of the ioDg submerged wire, quotes as an illustration the case of the Dover and Calais cable, which, after a submergence of nine years, showed a loss of only two per cent, on the iron covering. He the value of the recovered cable may be reasonably estimated at from L 25 to L3O per mile. It is currently reported that when the General meets, a Bill will be introduced for the purpose of so amending the laws relating to public houses that in it there will be a provision for the abolition of barmaids ! Father Cummins, before leaving Wellington for Reefton, was presented with an address, as a parting gift, from the children attending St. Philomena's School, Willis street, Wellington, who desired to testify their gratification to him as one of the founders of the school. Father Cummins, in return, expressed the pleasure he experienced upon receiving such a testimonial from the youthful members of his faith ; but it is not with them alone (says the Independent) that he has been called upon to exchange expressions of respect and good will, for during the past few days residents from all the country districts have come to Wellington to say farewell to a pastor whom they loved and are sorry to lose. Mr 1. B. Sheath, of the Telegraph dfipart ment, forwards the following remarks upon the explosion of gunpowder to the Christchurch Press:— Sir— The following remarks may be of some service to those now engaged in the explosion of the mine of gunpowder in Lyttplton :— Gunpowder is not so easily exploded as seme imagine j the grains require to be raisbd to a dull red heat, or say to a temperature of about 600deg Fahrenheit before explosion will take place. Ignition depends upon the velocity with which the flame is transmitted to raise the grains of powder to the require heat for explosion. If the temperature be below that explosive point only a few degrees, the powder may be decomposed by the partial inflammation of the sulphur, so that explosion will not then take place. If the heat should be sufficient to ignite the powder, and should be passed with such rapidity through it as not to raise the grains to the required temperature, ignition and explosion will not take place. The passage of electric fluid through gunpowder may be adduced in evidence of the ignition being dependent on the degree of velocity, for if the charge of an electrical battery be transmitted through- good conductors, such as metallic wires, it will not inflame the gunpowder ; but if only a piece of wetted string form part of the circuit, the velocity will be diminished by the inferior conducting power, and the gunpowder will explode, time being required to rains the grains to the proper temperature of about 600deg Fahrenheit before ignition aud explosion can take ( place."