KOKONGA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 25

KOKONGA.

January 3.— Tbe advent of IS9S was very quid so far as Kokonga was concerned. Tbere wa3 nothing of any consequence to mark its arrival except intensely hot weather. Ducember 31 and Januaiy 1 were two very hot .days, the thermometer registeiing 90deg in the shade. In vaia do the farrneis look for rain, for never a drop comesr la coossquence the crops are gradually withering away. The total rainfall for the month of December was 0 59in, the greatest fall on anyone day bamg o'3sin. Just to show how very dry Otago Central is I ani sending a summary of thf rainfall for 1897 ; it may prove interesting : in in January ... 200 July... „. 037 Febiuary ... o'6B August ... 095 March 229 Sept-mber ... 124 April 035 October ... 3'7i5 May O'bß November ... 1 8S June o'l9 December ... 059 Total 14-94 * At a_ Standstill.— The railway works have ceased in the meantime, pending the completion of the Taieii bridge. The two large cuttings near the bridge were finished last week and the wen paid off It is a great pity the bridge stands in the way of railway progress. Why it is not finished is one of the mysteries no one here is able to solve. Telephonic. —Our telephone is completed, and we are now able to communicate with the outside world at a moment's notice. Original arraaeements^ however, have been slightly alteied. Tte telephone for the railway goodahed is not to bl put in — the one at the post office is to serve t-^6 puipose instead. 'It is expected the public woii* camp will be connected in the course of a few days. Off hie Rails —A slight accident, which foitunately was unattended by any serious results, occurred on the lailway line last Wednesday (December 2f>). While the 10.30 a.m. train was proceeding from Hyde to Kokonga, the carriages by some ine^us or oth-;r managed to leave the lails on the incline leading iato Capburn. Fortunate'y the engine-driver had the • steam shut off, and was able to pu'l up hia train ia a wonderfully short epice of time. It wafl found that some of the pasteng-rs had received a peyeie -baking', while all on board got a great flight. The iojured carriages were left behind, and the train leached its destination 20 minutes late. An inspection of the line and carriages after the accident showed evciything in peifecS order, a&ri the railway authorities are puzzled ia tho meantime to know )jov iljs: mishap occurred.