DRURY.

New Zealand Herald, Issue 87, 23 February 1864, Page 4

DRURY.

; I'UO.'iL Ol'K OWN COHItESrOXDENT.J February '2'J. flu"" Saturday afternoon about I o'clock, the men engaged on the t-"vernment work of repairing the load from here to the front, were blasting mid cracking stone near Martyn's farm. Two ot the men were ill the act of tamping down the powder previous to inserting the fuse, u.-ing an iron, instead of a copper tamper. In driving" down the iron tamper it must, in grazing the sides of the stone, have struck a spark of lire, which communicating with the powder exploded, severelv injuring the two men one : has had the tops of two lingers blown olf, the under side of one hand laid open, and severely cut in other parts of the body ; the other from the wounds about the oyesand fare, :i was feared would 10.-,e his eye-sight. Although about thirty nun were close around, providentially no more than the above two were injured, beyond a few slight cuts

and bruises. The two men were taken in a dray to the military hospital of Oil- corp.-. A speeiiil t*tMirl was held at Drury brfure C. M.ei-K.-M., in a case of slabbing with intent to do bodilv harm, the prosecutor bemir Kobert Ijrown, and the ih fciidant Thomas Lee, both of tlie Ist elass AVaikato M ilitia. The ea>e was partially heard and adjournal from Friday until Saturday, when the defendant was tinrd .Co mid rusts or three months' impri>oninent. From tin: evidence before the Court it appeared that it was one ofa scries of drunken rowa occurring; that. evening at tin? hotel. Had the man used his fUts instead of his knife nothing would liave bei n thought of it. "What a plen*:mt time thi« last fortnight mu>t have been at the earnps j:er.* c :i of this, now that all cuuttvils higher up than Drurv are el".-ed. lam told that at those .stations That wen-to-d 1 * priscners a day now avi -t in the same length of lime. If it acts so v.iii liii»lt«T op the road, why im»L try it at Drury? j r.-.iinted o~ eaiis tliis nti»niiiiu: as convoy ; on ( iiiid that for a few da v> oj.lv a small eonvov is Or (irM.ati-li.-d. Tin- I).;rt f i ii/.:.i'.', and Kdward Moore, ;ire unloading at the wharf.