CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6096, 1 June 1881, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

A BANK SAVED BY " FIRE."—A TRUE VERSION.. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Your short paragraph under this heading in to-day's Herald, is so nearly authentic in its main features that it may be well to tell the tale as it originally occurred.The hero of the story was Mr. Samuel Brooks, well known in Lancashire, the father of the present member of Parliament for East Cheshire. Mr. Brooks, in giving to a friend of mine some reminiscences of his early life in Blackburn, recounted how he commenced, his successful banking career, as a moneychanger, principally changing local notes for cash, on Blackburn market days, and howbusiness grew until the firm of Cunliffes, Brooks, and Co. was established, which for many years was confined to the town of Blackburn. Once, lie said, I had a ran Oα the bank, and I was driven almost to my wit send. I knew we were all right if I could keep on till three o'clock, but it was scarcely two, and the cash was fast going. So I told the clerk to make some sovereigns hot, the newest he could find, and bring them up when I called. By-and-by I called out, "Bring up some more sovereitins; aren't they ready ?" The clerk brought them up in a tray. I picked some up with the shovel and threw them across the counter; whilst I did so saying to the clerk, "Make haste with the next.lot; there are dozens of customers waiting." You should have seen the face of the man I had paid. He was trying to take up his sovereigns, but they burnt his fingers, and he began to dance likea donkey among geese. '' Take utn' up, mon," says I, '' take 'urn up, dunna you see how many folks are waiting ? We cauna have business stopped aw the day." The next customer I served in nearly the same way, and then I heard a murmuring from the back of the crowd, and someone said, " They're making 'em as fast as they can ; they're, aw reet." The crowd soon lessened, and I got through till 3 o'clock ; but it was a near touch.—l am, &c, Auckland, May 2S. John Milve.