NEW PLYMOUTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10901, 4 November 1898, Page 7

NEW PLYMOUTH

GREAT preparations are being made for the floral display to be held on November 9. A very strong and influential committee of ladles have the matter in hand, and they seem untiring in their efforts to make it a success. Ono more "white elephant" is removed from the town in the shape of the Colonial Bank Bdilding, which has been taken almost to pieces, and is now turned into, three spacious shops, which tiike a. prominent position ill Central Devon-street. A few months ago Mr. K. Cock purchased the old building, and went to the expense of the alterations, and as far as looks go it will repay him for the trouble, and he has the shops, which are handsomely fitted up, all let. In the past month there has been a marked " change of address" with somo of tljo oldest business people of the town, most of them moving into larger and moro convenient stops, as the former shops could not meet the demands for room made upon them. I understand the Post Office mail closing hours for Auckland and tho North are not to be altered from 7 p.m. till 9 p.m. as was expected a short time back. A thunderstorm of exceptional severity was experienced hero between seven and eight p.m. on Saturday last. The thunder was very heavy, accompanied by very vivid flashes of lightning, and followed by torrents of rain. At half-past eoven, after ono of the heavy peals of thunder, came an earthquake, which made things more brisk, and disconnected telephones, which caused a little inconvenience. On Sunday night thero was a repetition of thunder and lightning about halfpast eight, and, 1 am sorry to say, Mr. Riley, of Carrington Road, had one of his cows struck by lightning, apparently on the hindouarter the current then passing along the body, taking the jaw and tongue away. The ground close by was torn tip for about 10ft °'on Saturday night a meteorite was observed to fall into the sea opposite the railway station, just about the time'when the storm was raging most fiercely.-[Own Correspondent.] _