TAIERI FERRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 13

TAIERI FERRY.

(FROM OUR OWN OOIIRBSrONDBNT ) HhsiißY, July 31st.

One Monday nis;ht, about xix weeks ago, a U-bur-m*n from Dunedin, namod Kl>kne«s, borrowed a boat from Mr Harrison, storekeeper. Taien Ferry, with the obiect of t ying for mullet in tho Waiholi Lake. Ou the Wednesday following the boat was picked up near theTitri railway bridge by a Mr Home, and handed over to him. Kirkness' nets and some clothing beloninncr to him were found in the boat, but both the oars wire missing. The police were coramunicaiod with, and as a result of the information received a constable was sent to Waihola to make inquiries. Ni further steps were taken, and the nerious fact that * fellow man was either at the bottom of the Taieri Kiver or floating about on its surface was almost for,gotten. On Friday last, however, the body of the poor fellow was seen floating in the river, near the Titri railway bridge, by Mr Campbell, of Taieri Beach: He made it fa»t to tho bank, and sent information to the police, by whom it was subsequently convoyed to Waihola whore I believe an inquoat was held and the body interrod, How the accident happened no one knows i The week before last the aneroid fe,ll to 28.66, anr) this fall ended in six dayb' hoavy rain, Walpori being flooded for the second time this winter. Last week the weather was, until Friday, beautifully fine, though the barometer was asrain falling, On Saturday niorm ing the glass read 25.63, the weather being iquallyj with heavy showers. After noon on that date until 1 o'clock on Sunday morning It rained in torrents 1 have never seen such a downpour in New Zealand before. I have seen similar occurrences in Victoria; Tasmania, and New South Wales, but not in New Zealand, though out of the 24 years I have Jived in the Colonies 16 of them have been Bpent in thi? country. The Taieri River was flooded considerably yesterday, but is somewhat lower to-day. The excessive rainfall this winter in very trying t' young stock, making the death rate among them Waihola muat be a favourite place with the railway authorities The station, which has now a reallj good grav-lled platform, is to be ornamented with » new one, built of Oamaru stone. Strange, but true, cindeis— nice things for ladles' dresses are cnsidorerl a suffloient metal for the platform at Titri. However, I suppose the good people of Waihola are more— what, shall I say— well, aristocratic than the poor folks of Pitri, consequently more care must be exercised to prevent them gutting dirty boots, wet feet, &c. A little bird whispeied to mo that tho amount o( dues, of the Titri station and siding exceed thoso of Waihola. If this be the case, are not the settlers using the Titri station ontitled to expert a decently-gra-velled platform in lieu of one metalled with cinders ? : The guard of the 4 20 p.m. train from Dunedin on Saturday, the 22nd insfc., threw a saddle out; of his van [as the train was passing the Titri station. A lady was a« the station, waiting for one of her children whom she expected by tho train. The saddle unfortunately struck her and knocked her down, cutting and bruising her hand severely. Had it structher on the head the effect would havo been sorioug I have mentioned this trusting it may act as a caution to railway guards to make sure that the platform i» clear before throwing articles out of their vans at stations where the train does not atop.

I havo just been informed that Waipori is again flooded.