The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 447, 3 October 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1877.

We have to apologise to our readers for the small amount of reading matter, which, owing to a crush of advertisements, we are able to find room for in this issue. As we stated a few days since we shall endeavour to obviate the difficulty in the course of a week or so by permanent'y enl irging tne Mail to the size of the Dunedin evening papers. "While we regret being unable to give our subscribers a larger amount of reading matter, it is gratifying to us to find that the Mail has become so popular an advertising medium, and we trust our readers will bear with us for a few days until the enlargement of our sheet can be effected. The Waitaki Jockey Club's race meeting will take place to-morrow and the following day, and should attract a large number of visitors to Duntroon. In another column we publi-h a complete list of the entries and acceptances for the various events. We had made arrangements for doing so in our last issue, but, owing to the non-arrival of the mail from Duntroon yesterday morning, we were prevented from so doing. Mr. Dan O'Brien's two "youngsters." Xautippe and Mufti, arrived in Oamaru by the 5 15 p.m. yesterday, and proceedt-d to Duntroon today. As both of them are engaged in th • Christchu;-ch race*, their performances at the Waitaki Club's races will be watched with considerable interest. The whole of the horses are now on the ground, and some good racing may be expected. It would be excessively difficult to "'spot " the winners of the different events, so mauy of the horses engaged being unknown to fame, and we shrill not therefore a tempt to do so. Danebury should, however, win both the big events —the Waitaki Cup and Jockey Club Handicap—if he maintains his reputation as a bit of a fly jr. Between half-past ten and eleven last night a fire broke out in the bick part of the premises known as Mr. .Roderick Mackenz'e's hotel, Huntroon. The fire had soarcety got a hold, when a number of helpers arrived. it was a fortunate circumstance that just at this time ihere happened to be a larger number of persons present than usual at. the t■•wnship. and when the alarm was givf-n, about twenty-five ab'e-bodied men volunteered to extinguish the flames. Mr. Hairy Mooney was at once elected captain of the mushroom fire brigade, and Messrs. Haynes and M'Kay, and several oi her gentleman rendered valuable assistance as directors of the brigade, which under such able management proved itself an excellent one. Mr. Mooney ranged his men in a line from the river to the burning building, without loss of time, and buckets of water were parsed from one to the other from the river close by so dexterously as to keep a continual stream on the building. By this means the fire was extinguished in half-an-hour from the time it was discovered, the amount lost by damage being only about 1.25. Considerable praise is due to the persons who so ably saved the property from being entirely destroyed. The only case down for hearing at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before W. J. Steward, E q., J.P., was a charge of drunkenness against John Bain, who was discharged with a caution. Many of our i eaders will regret to learn that Mr. Stephenson's colt Satirist, who was entered for several events to be run at the Duntroon races, has broken down. While doing a galop, in company with Rob Roy, and after going about a mile and threequarters, Watty, his rider, noticed that something had yone wrong with the horse, and at once pulled up. On an examination being held, it was found that he had sprung the sheath of a tendon. Satirist has been scratched for all his engagements at Duntroon ; but it is thought he will be got all right in time for the Christchurch races. The breaking down of Satirist is a misfortune for Mr. Stephenson, as competent judces believe that the colt would have had a very good chance of carrying his owner's colours to the front in more than one of the events.

The usual monthly meeting of the Committee of the Mechanics' Institute will be heM at 8 o'clock t i-morrow evening. The members of the Loyal Alfred Lodge, I. 0.0.F , are iuformed by advertisement in another column that in future the meetings of the Lodge will be held in the Waituki Hall. A meeting of members will be held this evening, at S o'clock. The first annual conversazione of the St. Paul's Young Men's Association will take place to-morrow evening in the Volunteer Hall. A very excelleut programme has been arranged and every effort used to make the affair a great success. A rehearsal took place last evening in the hall over the late shop of Mr. Milligan, and from the manner in which the various items were gone through, we anticipate a treat of no mean order.