TAIERI BEACH. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1651, 14 July 1883, Page 13

TAIERI BEACH. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

July 6. vßATnni<ii Aooidbnt— A very serious accident occurred at the pawmill here on the 25th ult. Andrew Campbell, one of tbe men working at tbe mil], while carrying a heavy piece of timber, fell upou a lug face downward. The weight of the piece of wood, which came down upon the back of his head, drove his forehead with such force upon the log below, that his ■kull was Berioußly fractured right across the frontalbone, almost' from temple to temple. Besides this, his nose was broken, and the right frontal sinus (the airs pace above the eye) completely smashed in. Ihe wonder is that he lived one hour, but strange to say he' never completely lost consciousness, aud isn jw apparently- on the fair way to recovery. Three doctors attended him on the night or the accident, and Dr Reid, of Milton, though the case was placed in the hands of Dr Fletcher, of Green Island, stayed beside the sufferer during the fl«t night. I iwust pay a slight tribute of, praise to Dr Fletcher for his attention in hlo case; taking into consideration the difficulties of travel in coming here and getting a«ay again, and thedooter will, 1 feel sure, he gratified to know that, go far, what appeared to be almost a hopeless cose has terminated favourably. ' 8001AI1.-A Band ot Hope and Total Abstinence Society has been successfully set agoing, and meets regularly once a month.' Already the roll cumber is about 60, which is very good for a small district like ours. Tho ringing class and night school still continue to get a fair measure of support. ' Gharitabi/b.— Old John Bull, an Otago celebrity for the last 40 years back, has lived at 1 aieri Mouth for a good many jean, earning his livelihood by fishing and wood-cutting, and upending faster than he earned on rum and bad whisky, hut age is telling upon him now, jtfnd his earnings ar« things of the post ; so that, like .wKeil r Gow, he has eaid farewell to whisky. The man who ia reputed to have carried a sack of flour from Dunedin to the Cluttaa is now a decrepit old fellow, ljving upon charity. The t>um of 6s a week is allowed h-m bythe Commt.tee of the Benevolo tliibtitution The young men <.f this district got up v concerc, and placed .the proceeds in the hands of tbe Committee, who added another half-crown to John's allowance. Almost all his days he has lived in a den more Hue the lair of a wild beast than a human dwelling. Pitying him in his aga and weakness, a subscription was got up recently *nd a comfortable hut built for him, and he is better off no.v than ever before in the way of a house. . John' has a holy horror of the Institution, so that he is far happier in a hut of his own.