AUSTRALIAN NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1523, 28 February 1901, Page 49

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Recently a few gentlemen at Young, it is reported, were amusing themselves killing rabbits with sticks, at the rate of 500 an hour. A bush fire surrounded the township of Jindera, in the Riverina, on February 7th. A young man named Smith, who went out to remove stock, is missing, and it is feared that he has perished. A farmer named Singer was severely burnt while trying to save his house. A destructive bush fire broke out at Stony Park, near Albury, on February 7th, travelling towards the township, and doing great damage. Mr J. M. Thompson, an old Queensland colonist, died on February 6th, at South Brisbane, aged eighty-seven. He arrived in Queensland in 1849February 6th was the hottest day of the summer season in Adelaide, the thermometer registering 110 degrees in the shade, and 160 degrees in the sun. at 3 p.m. The township of MountfPleasant, S.A., has narrowly escaped being swept away by the immense bush fires which have been raging in the vicinity. The damage is estimated at over £IO,OOO. The loss by the fire at Queenstown (Tasmania) on February 7t-h is estimated at about £2500. The total insurances only amount to £9lO. A relief fund for the sufferers there and in other parts of the district has been opened. At a public meeting field in the Council Chamber of the Melbourne Town Hall'on February 7th, it was decided to erect a statue in memory of the late Queen Victoria. The amount subscribed in the room was £667. Mr Arthur C. D. Tyson of the firm of Messrs A. and A. Tyson, of Pevensey and Corrong Stations, in the Hay district-, died at Armadale, Melbourne, recently from typhoid fever. He was a nephew of the late millionaire. Mrs Ivers, aged seventy years, died at Heifer Station, about eight miles from Sydney. The body was laid out and surrounded with candles by deceased’s daughters, who then went into another room. While they were absent a fire broke out in the room where the corpse lay. The fire is supposed to have originated through a gust of wind blowing seme curtains, on to the lighted candles. The flames made rapid progress, and before the body could be removed the house was one mass of flames, and was quickly demolished. The remains were charred to cinders. A son of the deceased was in Orange at the tune making the funeral arrangements. Airs Uurgess, who died fit Picton on February sth, and whose age was given as ninety years, was a servant to Governor King. It is now stated that her proper age was 115 years. Sixty houses were burned. --down through bush fires round Queenstown, Gormanston and th.© Linda v alleys las.;, on February 7. There were also bush fires round Strahan and Zeeban. lne Lyeli sawmills and coke stacks were saved. John Fallon, employed at Taragcv sawmills, at Neerim, in Gippsland (vie.), was killed by a log falling on him. He was bringing it down a steep hill called Spion Hop, when it slipped, knocked hi.n off his seat, fell on him, and broke neck* : The Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria has received the following telegram from Lord Hopetoun : —“I am shocked to read the terrible bush fires in Victoria. Pray believe how much I sympathise with all those who have suffered in person and pocket. 5 ' The manager of Glenormiston Station (Q.) found the body of a man, Thomas Peterson, on the 21st. ultimo, two miles from the homestead on Boulia road. It is surmised that deceased walked from Herbert Downs,, 35 miles, without water. He had opened a vein in his arm_ with a pocket-knife - There was £l3 in his pockets. A man named Wm. Northfield, a woodcutter, was burned to death in a bush fire at Arakies, near Geelong (Vic.), on February 7fch. An old man named Charles Anderson also perished in a. bush fire in the Hamilton district, making the second fatality in that locality? The Hamilton district is reported to be a blackened wilderness.

Sir Alex. Onslow, Chief Justice and Administrator of the in West Australia, has applied for and been granted leave of absence for twelve months on the ground of ill-health. His intention is to leave West Australia for Europe in the Arcadia on March 4th, after the arrival of the new Governor. Mr Justice Stone will be asked to accept the position of act’ng-Chief Justice. Three boys were burned to death in the bush fires, near Birregurra, in the Cola© district (Vic.), where great destruction was wrought. Two were sons of Mr J. McCallum, aged 10 and 12, and the third 1 boy was a son of Mr J. McDonald, aged 12, Fifteen horses perished in th© flames, and several men engaged in flghtirig the fires were so severely burnt that they had to be taken to the Colao Hospital. One, named Kingswell, has since died. An unusual incident happened at St. Mark's Church (Rosedale, Vic.) on February 3rd. A member of the sixth contingent was amefng the congregation, and did not remove his cap. The preacher (Rev H. T. Langley) requested him to uncover, but the young soldier refused to do so, as, he stated, he was under dis-

not go on with the service until the trooper either removed his hat or left the church. He chose the latter course. During the rebent bush fires near Portland (Vic.), a party of teamsters had a sensational experience. They were in charge of three waggons heavily laden with timber, and when they had gone eight miles through th© forest, the fir© was upon them. They could not turn back, as a great wall - of fire hemmed them in They went forward as fast as they could amici smoke and falling trees, managed to reach Portland, parched :an4. blackened, but unhurt. A big bush nre occurred between Longwood and Euroa, in the north-eastern district of Victoria. An extraordinary spectacle was witnessed on February 6. A mighty whirlwind started amongst the flames in the racecourse paddock, a quarter of a, mile from Longwood. The deafening roar created by the whirlwind caused people to rush from their houses in alarm, and they -were panic-stricksn as the vast column of smoke and flam© threatened to sweep right through the township. Trees were snapped and uprooted, and the air was filled with charred and burning "material as the whirlv, ind cleared the burning area, and sweeping tier ought the township, stripped the roofs from the houses, levelled fencing and chimneys, and did other dam-

age. . The bush five at Yerong Greek, near Wagga, again broke out’ on February 5, and travelled from The Rook to Mangoplah, oyer 30.000 acres of grass and crops being consumed , A peculiar case of snake-bite is reported from. Gcorangoola, a settlement thirty miles from Singleton. A young lady residing at- that place was on February 6 getting through a fence about 500 yards from where shejjived, v when a, black nake rose and bit her on the hand. With commendable promptitude- and great presence of mind—for she recognised that she was thirty miles away from a surgeon-—she ripped up the wound with her teeth, and, sucking the part, she walked to her home, where she rubbed salt into the wound. She has now fully recovered. In Melbourne recently a man complained at the Detective Office that be had been robbed of a valuable 'gold watch in the city while “.showing round” some members of the Imperial Contingent. He gave a minute description of the watch, and .was .positive that it had been stolen from him. After a long search at various pawnbrokers’ shops, Detective Dalton-at last found the watch at a place in Russel street, where it had been pawned for £l. As usual, the detective obtained from the pawnbroker a; description of ' the supposed thief who had .pledged the article. The “thief's”, appearance tallied so strangely with that of the complainant that the latter; by request, accompanied Detective Dalton _to the pawn.- office, where the proprietor at once identified him as the man who had pawned the watch. Complainant was hugely j perplexed and perturbed at the alarming possibility, of being tried and convicted of stealing his own watch. His property was handed back to him, and after he had attended at the Detective Office and heard a temperance lecture, he returned to his home. The Commissioner of Police, at Brisbane has received the' following report from Inspector Brannelly, of Rockhampton, dated. 7th instant:—“About midnight last night a report was made to the police that a man had been found in a critical condition Under the railway bridge near Yeppoon Crossing, three miles from here. Constable Wilson was despatched to inquire, and found the man unconscious, and removed him to the hospital, where he died- this morning. Deceased’s name is said to be ‘Stock,’ but ‘E. Fist ack’ is tabooed on his left arm. The deceased and ano- ‘ ther man were supplied with free passes at Brisbane to Clermont ,on the 4th instant, and on arrival at the railway station on the 7th deceased’s mate was boh-* sidered too drunk to be allowed to pro* " ceed to Clermont/ and soon after thd _ train left here deceased and another: naan had ah Altercation on the platform :t>f the carriage, and 'it is; not known whether the deceased fell off the platform or was thrown off on to the railway liner ' The other man resides at Wallaroo, and ’got off the train at Duaringa. v