LAKE COUNTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2165, 22 August 1895, Page 22

LAKE COUNTY.

August 17.— Although the days are fine and clear and the sun is making itself felt more and more every day, there are still very keen frosts at night. The degree of keenness still experienced may be judged from the following :— At Skippers and Upper Shotover the cordials (?) were frozen solid ; buckets of water were converted into ice inside the houses, and in one instance not only was the tea in a teapot standing on a stove frozen into a lump, but the very teapot itself was frozen to the stove— presumably the fire was also frozen up. Talk about Antarctic expeditions after that 1 Many similar stories could be told, but as the moral of all is the sarae— namely, that the cold is very cold here — they may be omitted. Tally-ho !— Once more an experiment is being made in liberating a pair of fallow deer to stock our fojesti and mountain Bides with large game. The introduction of fish, especially trout, was exceedingly successful ; so wore the Calif ornian quail until poisoned grain killed them off, together with the native ground birds ; and so were the sparrows and the goldfinches and the linnets and the rabbits — all were trophies of acclimatisation; but deer in the3e parts have been a failure so far. However, this time the experiment is being tried with a genuine couple, and not, as some time ago, with. a pair each member of which was a buck — so that, it is needless to say, the experiment was not much of a success. Both these noble animals came to a sad end, for both committed suicide, one drowning itself and the other jumping over a precipice— deaths of a kind not uncommon in this district. The present couple were sent up by Mr W. Quin, of Tapanu', and it is to be hoped they will prove a succo--s. Thoy weru let go at Here Lake, a suitable spot in every respect.

I'iiies.— Yesterday; week, shortly after tea smoke was seen issuing from the billiard room of Mrs Knowlea's All Nations Hotel, Cardrona, and although the alarm was at once given, and a number of willing hands were in attendance, next to nothing could be done to check the progress of the flames, and only very little in the way of saving furniture or any other of the movable contents of the buildiDg, which wa3 of a good size and of wood. Ia somewhat less than half an hour the whole was reduced to a heap of smouldering ruins. Fortunately the wiud blowing at the time came from the most favourable direction. Had it taken any other course, the large stables or some of the other buildings surrounding the hotel must inevitably have caught fire and been consumed, as there were no appliances in any way adequate to battle with a fire on a large scale. There was an insurance, I hear, of £150 on the building, which, of course, is col; a flcabite in comparison with the loss. Much sympathy is felt with Mrs Knowles in thesevere loss tha fire has caused her. Theoiigin is not known. However, energetic woman as she is, Mrs Knowles has already signified her intention of rebuilding immediately, and will in the meantime carry on her business in temporary premi ea.— On Wednesday last Mr Charles Low lost a stack of oats standing on his farm some little distance fi om his house, near Whitechapel Fiat. In the pteseDt seA-city of fodder for live stock the loss is severely felt, and expressed in money it means somewhere between £70 and £80.

Football. — Luinsden played Queenstuwn on the latter's ground on Tuesday last. Luinsden beat Queenstown by t 1 c sheer f. rce of muicl ; and bone -the members of the team beiDg of far heavier build— at the rate of 2 points to 1 point, the Fcore being 16 to 8. A you.'g man, John Malty, of the Luinsden team, was put 7iorsdecombat early in th» game, hay n«c two of his ril>3 broken. This day week Queem-tovrn will count kicks with Bannockburu on the Arrow cricket ground. This is making aD early start, as the frost and snow Lave scarcely cleared off the ground yet. Oar cricketers aro also making a move for an early start. Confkssed.— It appeat ß that the late stack fire at Mr C. Low's farm was due to incendiarism. A grandson of Mr Low's, who is of weakmind.hadbeen working on his grandfather's farm, and recently had a srievan.ee over his wages. Thinking himself ill-treated, the youog man in an evil moment gave way to the temptation of reveuging himself by getting fire to the stack. His footprints were tracked by Constable Bowman, and when pressed the unfortunate youDg man confessed having set fire to the stack.