WELLINGTON.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6057, 20 May 1886, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

May 19. The ta? htrtte t< - lay heavily fined two young men who hr.i created a disturbance »b the Salvation Army Barracki. Bo ; -jterous weather hn aga'n «efc in, thi% t'me from a N.W. direction. In the Apfsl Court the cp o of Ell v. H--f3r, and tho National Bank r. Mcc, have t-en pr'tly argued and adjourncl. > A Maori, n~nei Pa »ra Matarawha, fell into the fire dr _ng a fit at Papawr'a, and w-i seriously burnt, snd Ft . rc e is deaps'red of. Inther^e agHoat fhe owne.j of the sto?mor Mtnrl, brought by a seaman, the magistrate allowed the wages due, tnd disallowed the amount claim 1 3 for work done undtr aMeged compulsion. The ketch Th- mea is c 'hore in Jsokson'e Bay, Tor/ Channe' Sha dragged lies anchord on Monday night, and went ashore on S.-idy Beach. Tha eteamei Napiar attempted (o iow her off yeste'day, but failed. The renel w t to be lightened to- lay, and is expected to get off Tue Thames was bound from Pdlorm Sourd to Lyttelton with timber. Sh( is not expected to receive any damage. Five barque* and a three-mrstec schooner were seen in the Strait? ye^ter dty. The Bteamer Tainui Bailed for Lytteltor and Port Chalmers to day. Information has just leaked out tha the Parliament Buildings had a narrow escape from destruction by fire on SatUL day night. A few minutes before sevoi o'clock on that evening the messenger 01 duty at the Speaker's private apartment had occasion to enter Sir Mamlci O'Rorke's netting-room, when ho dio covered the wooden mantelpiece to be 01 fire. He immedla'aly called for r ist anoe, and had one of the hole reels kep on the promises run out, and the fire wr extinguished before :ny «9rious amouu of damage was done. Had the fire no been discovered at the moment It was the probability ii that the wholi building would have been destroyoc including tha valuable library a within five minutes after tha time it is usnal on Sa'urday night for the Speaker's apartment! to be locket up. Considering the caverlty of the gal( that waa blowing, terrible reaulta wouh have followed had the fire not been dis covered in ita incipient Btage, as flame: could easily have paesed ap the adjoining ataircase, and spread through the wholi building. An examination has since beei made, which shows that the fire origi nated through defeotive workmanship, ai only half an inch of plaster divided tin woodwork from the flame passing up th< chimney. The boarding that the flirnei had not touched showed signs of having been charred by fira on a previoui occasion.