MILTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1920, 4 December 1890, Page 19

MILTON.

December I.— Last week the Bruce Rifles held an encampment in one of M' Gill's paddocks near the railway. The company wai rather behind in the number of parades, so to lave the capitation money it was decided to camp for a week, sleeping in the tents, and drilling, &c, for a couple of hours, then proceeding home to their ordinary occupations. All through the encampment there was a good attendance, and the week's work has brought up the number of parades to the requisite score. The camp -was the scene of several amusing incidents, the youthß of the town playing the part of enemy's skirmishers as soon as night fell. One night some of them succeeded in starting a large fire of gorse and rubbish almost under the sentry's nose. The company were turned out to extinguish the flames, and show how alert they could be, if occasion offered. Another evening several young fellows procured rifles and blank cartridge, and attacked the j camp shortly after midnight. The sentries were not successful in capturing them, so the company was ordered to give chase. Anyone in the camp might i have been amused at such exolamations as tha fol- ! lowing :— •' Where's my belt ?" " Havo you seen my helmet?" "Who's took my bayonet?" " Strike a light someone!" and so on. Not very orderly, Volunteers ! On Friday evening, the last of the . encampment, the local brass band turned out, and gave several selections by the light of a large bonfire composed of tar barrels, &o During the evening several rockets were sent up, but as the moon was rather full and bright they did not Bhow to such advantage as they might. A tug of war contest between citizens and vo'unte->rs was also rather a failure. The first rope procured broke three times running, tumbling volunteers and citizens alike pellmell over each other. A new rope was brought, which stood out better, and the volunteer team was getting considerably the best of it when several extra citizens tailed on to the rope and saved their reputation, much to the disgust of the volunteers, who refused t» recognise their defeat. The camp was pitched not far from the flour mill, and the officer in command requested the engineer there to blow his steam whistle at 4.30 a.m. for the purpose of getting the gallant volunteers out of bed. The whistle ordinarily blows at 6 am., and several housewives in the vicinity depend on it for the time in the morniDg. On the first two or three mornings of the encampment several of theie ladies rose from their couches at 4 30 a.m., and prooeeded to cook breakfast, &c, getting pretty far through ■with their duties before discovering their error Their disgust and chagrin may be imagined. M'Gili/s Flour Mill.— Mr P. MGill has added another feature to hio already interesting establishment in the shape of a turntable. The engine shed and ntokehple being some_ distance away from the railway tiding iv connection with the mill, a good deal of time and labour used to be expended in cuting the coal from the trucks to the shed. There was not sufficient room to make a loop line to run the trucks up to the door, so the turntable waa resorted to, and answers the purpose splendidly.