WESTPORT NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 870, 2 November 1888, Page 15

WESTPORT NEWS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Westport, October 26. It Is rumoured that the Government are about to call tenders for extending the West-port-Ngakawau line to Ngakawan river. There is not much stirring in mining news this week. The Nile will partially clean up within a few days. The Republic battery is at work on a blocu of stone from No. 5 level, and sluicing is proceeding at the Fairdown. Mr Charles McLean has been appointed mine manager at Denniston. The contractors expect to have their driving contract finished by Christmas. Westport, October 27. The City Hotel at Charlestown narrowly escaped destruction by fire last evening. A man named Jos. Sykes died in the Hospital late last night. He had been injured on Friday week. He was stepping on to the locomotive when his foot slipped and ho sustained a nasty injury to the ankle. He was taken to the Hospital, and at first progressed favourably, but erysipelas set in and death ensued. Deceased leaves a widow and family. Dr Schleidaland Mr Pratt, mining experts of Auckland, are on a visit to this district. They are interested in machinery for treating tailings, etc., by the chlorination process. A man named James Hamilton, who was engaged bringing three draught horses overland from Greymouth to Westport by the southern route, had an adventurous journey. He left Barry town on Sunday, and when crossing thePararo River the manand horses were swept down.' Hamilton had two of his ribs broken; his riding hack disappeared altogether, and the draught horses were carried a quarter of a mile down the stream. Hamilton had to return to Barrytown to obtain Mr D. Ryall’s assistance to rescue the horses from a ravine, which was a very diffionlt job. 1 Hamilton came through to town on Friday. Westport, October 29. The steamers Manawatu and Moa, both cattle-laden, bound for.Greymouth, put iu hero through streaa of weather. The former boat is from Wanganui and the dal ter from Foxton. The Manawatu had bad luck on the voyage, six bullocks having succumbed, whilo eight others are shaky. The bad weather did not have any ilt effect on tlie Moa’s stock. In fact, during the three years that tho boat has boen in the cattle trade she has only lost three head of cattle. The week’s coal export was 4111 tons. Westport, Ootober 30. During the hearing of a civil case in the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day, Mary Kane, defendant, denied that certaiu letters bearing her signature, and exactly similar in handwritting to one she admitted, were not written by her, nor did she know anything about them. His Worship said he believed she swore falsely, and impounded both letters with a view to further proceedings. At the same sitting a man named Carpenter was fined for disturbing the Salvation Army. At an extraordinary meeting of shareholders in the Beaconsfield Company, proposals for the purchase of the property were laid before the meeting, and tho Directors were empowered to sell for £1S,000; half cash and half paid up shares to be accepted or otherwise within a fortnight, The halfyearly general meeting was then held. The report and balance-sheet were read and adopted. The following gentlemen were elected Directors :—Messrs Lempfere (chairman), 11. Bush, G. Boalden, Martinons, and J. Burns. The Welcome and Silver Stream leases at the Owen now have a lode several feet thick. Five tons of stone are to be forwarded to Adelaide to be smelted. A successful tunnel blast was fired at the

Limestone quarry on Saturday evening last, bringing down several thousand tons of firstclass stone. Iu tho granite quarry a number of similar blasts are being prepared. The Victor Emanuel Quartz Mining Company at the Lyell are placing a crushing plant uppn their ground, and a trial crushing is expeoted by the end of the year. A large parcel of gold-bearing quartz has been stacked in the Company’s paddocks for several years, having been taken from several levels which were driven upon the reef at different points. The stene shows gold very freely, and a favourable return is anticipated. The County, having recently constructed a track to tho locality, has enabled ,the Company to introduce machinery into an hitherto inaccessible country, and, should they bo rewarded with a payable return, no doubt other companies will be stimulated to activity.