ABOUT CHRISTENING.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 14206, 3 September 1919, Page 2

ABOUT CHRISTENING.

THE CUSTOM ON" THE WEST COAST. In tho course of some reminiscences, Superintendent Kioly, who is retiring from charge of tho 'Auckland police district, gave some particulars of the custom in the early days of the West Ooast goldfields -of celebrating everything with a christening —“a new culvert on a road, a bit of flaming in a water race, a bridge, a new claim — anything at all, had to bo christened, and a “christening" was tho colonial for a big drunk, which in many cases lasted for a week. I shall never forgot," ho said, “this absurdity being carried out once in Hokitika. In my early days there they got a lire engine from Wellington, and tho usual preparation was made for the christening of this fire engine. They had a good up-to-date fire station with a belfry and a watch-tower, which commanded a view of the whole town, which in those days was really a largo town. There was to be a torchlight procession and a banquet, and tho town uas to be decorated in all its glory. A Mrs Mulligan was chosen to do the honours L-y breaking a bottle of champagne on tho lire engine. Late in the afternoon, away to tho west’ard, a blue cloud began to rise, and as evening came it grew blacker, flashes of lightning appeared darting from tho cloud, and approached the town, nearer and nearer. About 7 in tho evening the town was enveloped in a tremendous thunderstorm. I remember one terrific crash, and I said to my mate. ‘Come on and see whore that thunderbolt struck.’ Wo found on" the belfry of the watch-tower had been struck by lightning, which had blasted the belfry, travelled down a signal wire to the fire station, and ignited the piles of fireworks and torches that had been accumulated for tho evening’s celebration. It fired the building, and the flames spread with wonderful rapidity. So this now fire engine, which was going to bo christened the ‘Surprise,’ got a surprise christening. It was Just rescued in time from tho flames, with tho foro-carriago burnt a bit, and I can assure you that engine had a very busy night’s work before it. The town hall, where the banquet was spread for tho ,night’s entertainment, and. I think, two banks and a few private houses were burned before the lire was arrested. This, to my mind, at tho time seemed a sort of Judgment on their christening absurdity."