FIRES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1422, 22 February 1879, Page 6

FIRES.

The following fires are reported :— - New Market, January 20th. The lecture and Sunday-school rooms of the First Presbyterian Church were burned this morning. Loss, 20,000 dollars. Boston, January 20th. The Emanuel Congregational Church, Boston Highlands, was burned to-day j loss, 50,000 dollars. Philadelphia, January 20th. The woollen mill of John Brown and Son waa burned this morning j loss, about 15,000 dollars. Several smaller fires have occurred during the last four days. Gensee, Illinois, January 20th. P. L. Kidder's flour-mills were burned tonight ; loss, 37,000 dollars. Omaha, January 20th. The Occidental Hotel was burned this morning. It cost 20,000 dollars. Elizabeth, N. J., January 21. The arcade block at Broad and West Grand street took fire this morning. The Italian Opera House, the National and Savings Bank, Post Office, Masonic Hall, four stores, and a number of offices in the upper part of the building, including the Opera House, were ruined. The money securities were removed from the bank, and the letters and newspapers from the post office. The structure coßt L 250.000. The following are a few special items of news by the mail : — SEVERE WEATHER IN BRITAIN.— FIRST ACCIDENTS ON ICE. There havobeeu heavy snow-storms throughout Britain. The severe weather continued , until Christmas Eve, when it moderated some-

what. On Christmas Day thousands of persona assembled in St. James' Park, and > the lake was soon covered with skatera, sliders, and sightseers. Ringa were formed as usual for the fancy skaters, and the greatest good humour prevailed among the vast crowd until dusk set in. Then the ice was cleared. Over 16,000 persons were reported as having ventured on the ice during the day. The round pond in Kensington Gardens had as many as 6000 skaters and sliders on it during Christmas Day. The ice on the artificial water in Hyde Park had also thousands of skaters. A fatal ice accident occurred at Mongherne, Ennißkillen, by which four young women named Catherine and Maria Galagher (sisters), Katie Frith, and Margaret Johnston lost their lives. Twenty people were on the ice, which covered the river between the Market and the Warehouse, when it suddenly gave way, and the women named were drowned. Their bodies were recovered on Christmas Eve. A young man named Alfred Meiader, formerly of New England, employed by the Great Northern Railway Company, was skating on the river near Peterborough, when the ice broke and he was drowned. His body was recovered on Christmas Day at noon. A companion of his alse fell into the water at the same time, but was recovered. A terrible accident has just taken place in the French Commune of Chappelle Moche, in the Orne. A crowd of children, numbering 52, were sliding on a deep pond near the village, when suddenly the ice broke and 48 were precipitated to the bottom of the pond, from which their bodies were taken out lifeless. The | catastrophe has cast a deep gloom over the district. Two fatal accidents have occurred on the ice at Chard (Somersetshire). Emma Jane Pughly was drowned whilst sliding on a pond at Pusey street mill ; Wilton Redd, aged 16, lost hia life in a similar manner when skating on the canal reservoir at Atheratone. Mr Deivers held an inquest on the bodies of Jane Elizabeth Hunt, aged eight years, and Arthur James Hunt, aged six, the children of W. M. Hunt, of Grindon, Warwickshire. Evidence was given, showing that after the children were missed a search was made for them, and a man named Morgan, probing the ice in a weak part of the canal, he found the bodies after they had been in the water about 16 hours. A verdict of Accidental Death was returned by the Jury. December 25. Snow fell neavily and almost incessantly from an early hour on Sunday morning till midday all over the north of Scotland, and a pretty strong wind caused drifting of an unprecedented character — in some districts to the depth of 10 feet. On the Caithness railway a passenger train from Inverness was snowed up from Satuiday till Monday, and the, mail, drawn by three engines, were embedded on the Wick and Thurso railway. The traffic was entirely suspended on the Great North of Scotland Railway. The afternoon train from Aberdeen to Keith on Saturday was stopped at Inch by a high wreath. A train on the M'Duff section was buried in snow to the top of the engine funnel, and the inside extension lines were closed. No fewer than 13 trains were snowed up on the Caledonian and Great Northern Railways. No trains left Aberdeen for the North. The London mail, which should have reached Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon, only arrived on Monday afternoon by the aid of fine powerful engines. The passengers were subjected to much discomfort, having in several places to remain in the train all night. There was a further fall of snow on Wednesday, and traffic remained suspended. The weather in France is reported to have been severe. Numbers of wolves have penetrated as far as the gates of Metz, and there is more snow in the Vosges than the oldest inhabitants remember. In Valence numerous wolves were prowling around the houses. In the department of laere, two young men (brothers) perished in the Bnow while on their way home at night. In other localities deaths occurred on the road from cold. At Jersey the weather has been in striking contrast with that of England. No snow has fallen for 14 days, with the exception of a light shower from the north-west corner on Saturday last. There have been several heavy showers of hail and much rain, relieved, however, by a good deal of sunshine and warmth. The severity of the weather is illustrated by the fact that the river Trent, near Nottingham, was frozen over, and on Christmas Day numbers of people were skating and sliding on the ice. This event has not occurred since Christmas, 1870. The river is about 120 yards wide, and has a rapid stream. The Post reproduces the statement of the Gazette, that according to the naw law adopted by Prussia, the Duke of Cumberland must renounce his hereditary claim to the throne of Brunswick, as well as of Hanover, to obtain a restoration of the sequestrated property.