Wanganui in Wisps

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 920, 1 March 1918, Page 7

Wanganui in Wisps

Dsab Cheistabel, — "13 ACE week, with its anticipated as well as unexpected excitements, is over. The first visitor of the week was an unusually long earthquake, •early on Monday morning, lasting— some said 20 minutes—but really only about as many seconds. It was just a nice rocky one without any jerks, which' started the prohibited chimes, stopped most of the common garden ■clocks, but did no other damage'/" ; . . • * * * ■ The town filled and re-filled with a big crowd of happy, well-dressed folk, :but Thursday, Cup Day, broke weeping slightly. It was only a passing mood which cleared up into sunshine, and while the swimmers went to swim their first championship heats, the other •crowd motored, trammed, or walked to the racecourse. Very soon the lawns, stand, shelter nooks, and sacred precincts of the totalisator were a moving mass of colour and tweed. Every shade and taste was represented and some wonderful toilettes were in evidence. Ninon, almost a la naturelle, disported itself next to fur coats arid pelerines of marabout; wonderful floral and striped effects intermingled with plain and exquisitely tailored frocks ;and costumes, and even, the pantaloon :stirt seemingly tucked into the tops of trim fitting, knee-high boots was there. * • * . # •» Perhaps because it is the colour of "the heaven above us, blue, in spite of •every kind of wire-pulling in favour of any other colour, is always a universal "favourite, and every possible nuance of -it was worn. It seemed impossible to pick who was losing and who was winning, as everybody looked about the same. When Mr. "W. Duncan's Client oame galloping in first in the Cup the whole place cheered and cheered again, :and Mr. Duncan bowed his acknowledgements very sweetly. # * » * After a delightful peopJe hurried liome sunburnt and dusty, ready for ~fche dinner they were enjoying, when :an unexpected and dreadful fire occurred. In the twinkling of an eye everyone was racing down to Taupo«juay, for everyone knew that Foster's

Hotel was packed with guests from the third storey to the ground floor. The hotel is, or I should say was, an extremely popular and well-conducted one, and Mr. Foster had to resort to all sorts of devices to make room for some of the people who insisted on staying at his house ; consequently there were beds and shakedowns everywhere. There were about 100 guests resident for the week,, and something like 250 had dined there on the night of the fire, the last relay being at the table when the alarm was given. It is thought the first originated in an upstairs bedroom and it spread with such amazing' rapidity that no one was able to make any successful attempt to save any belongings. People simply had to fly as they were as the smoke was intense and the flames were appearing everywhere. ■n • O * The fire raged away for more than an hour, and although the firemen put up a brave fight they were powerless to save the hotel. It spread into Ross and Glendinning's warehouse and did all the damage it could there. Meantime the rear of Gibson and Paterson's, O'Hara's, Willis's, and other places were threatened, and at times it looked as if the flames were going to cross the road. However, there was no wind, so at last the fire died down a little. Gibson and Paterson's wall collapsed in one place, caused breakages and other damage to the extent of a. couple of hundred pounds, but" Willis's suffered heavily, as their printing department caught alight early on Friday morning and the whole of their machinery has been put out of commission if not entirely destroyed. Even the krect cards for next day's races were burnt up. * # » e Everyone is sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Foster, but we know that when they have recovered from the dreadful shock they will come up again smiling, and the Foster reputation will cover another and even better place. Temporary accommodation had to> be found lor the guests, the other hotels and jDrivate people coming to the rescue immediately, and the next morning ready-to-wear every things were rushed by folk wlio co\ildn"'t very well go> to the trots hatless and in dinner gowns or dinner coats. •* •* * * The New "Zealand Swimming Championship were held at Victoria-avenue

A British Tommy, with his newly-found mascot, rescued by him in " No, Man's Land."

Baths on Thursday and Friday, and an enthusiastic crowd greeted the various competitors. Most of the laurels went to the visitors, Miss Edeiiborough (Auckland) winning the Girls' Intermediate Championship', while our own little champion, Miss Dolly Perrett, came second, and Miss' Batch elor (Christt-hurch) was third. The same contest for the boys was won by D. J. Murrell (Wellington), whose wonderful performances in Ehe water were a feature of the sports. The' Schools' Championship was carried ,off by Miss Walrond (Auckland), and for the boys, N. Batchelor (Christchurch), Von Sturmer (Auckland) being second, and Johnston (Queen's , Park School) third. Batchelor's peculiarly graceful swimming was specially admired. * * * » Dtiring the evening Mr. Bowler, President of the N.Z.A.S.A.. presented the challenge shield to the Queen's Park School team (Johnston, Wakeling, Wilkinson, and Wakarua). He then presented a gold medal to Johnston (Queen's Park School) and a silver one to Quirke (Marist Brothers' School) as first and second winners of the West Coast Championships. «•■»«■» Ser.ot. Montague Gilbert, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Ellery Gilbert, of Wanganui, has been awarded the Military Medal. Sergt. Gilbert went out as a member of the 4th Waikato- Regiment of the Main Body, and has been hard at it since the beginning of the war. He was badly wounded at Gallipoli but recovered and went forward to France, where he has now got his medal. Yours sincerely, WHIKIiWIND.