LAKE WANAKA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 29

LAKE WANAKA.

March 6. — The weather has been much the same as down country. We have had a hard irost, which cut down all the potatoes, and a hailstorm, which wa3 local in character, and was severely felt at Pembroke. The weather has been warm on the whole and the winds very drying, so that the weekly showers were soon dried up, and the grass is beginning to look very parched", except in irrigated patches. Irrigation will soon fee the burning cry, and will be one of the leading questions' for Parliamentary candidates to take uj>. And no wonder, when, many streams are annually carrying away 'thousands of pounds' worth of wealth. The scarcity of labour is a noticeable feature, which among other incidents makes harder work for the farmers, and in many cases they have ""to help each other. For this reason I was unable to take any annual run round the Hawea and Forks In these busy times it is necessary to rise very soon after the sun — before him, just now — and retire long after he has set,, which makes a very busy day. The harvest began about the middle of January, ' and the reaping is now all over except perhaps an odd patch or two on the, Hawea, and the crops at the head of the lakes and Cardrona, which are always later. I could -not get any information from 'Xarras ; but as' they are always early there, most likely the harvest is completely finished. The crops are always latest at the Ciown Terrace, and the .farmers there would do well to buy their seed grain from an early district like Tarras, and the crops would then ripen 12 to 20 days earlier than at present. I noticed by the Witness that .the Irish farmers now buy Australian seed oats at regular intervals, as these ripen fully three -weeks earlier 'than the native -variety, and keep up this peculiarity for some years. Weddings. — To show that matters are progressing socially, and the people are becoming more settled dov*i, there is a couple of marriages to record — Mr Jno. Thos. Meadows, from Mossburn, son of Mr Thos. Meadows, of Grandview, near Luggate, formerly in the hotel trade ■in Invercargiil, lately married at his father's •residence Miss Bessie Cooper. The Rev. Mr Tait, ironi Cromwell, performed the ceremony, and the large number of guests present spent •a vevy happy time dancing on the green and indulging in the usual games till night time, .when they adjourned to the house and had a imerry time till morning. A fine orchard and •a very fertile piece of ground surrounds MiMeadows' s house. — Mr Roger Halliday, farmer, of Mount Barker, eldest son of the late Mr Ralph Halliday, was lately married to Miss Lizzie Drake, from Waikouaiti, out who has been with Mrs C. J. Russell, of Pembroke, for a number of years past. Ladysmith Day. — There was much joy at the recent success of the British, and Mr Sachtler, of Pembroke, hung out flags. We have also sent away a man for the fifth contingent. Messrs MTDougall and Sons gave a very enjoyable excursion to Lake Wanaka in their *p.s. Theodore, the gross proceeds to go to the Widows' and Orphans' Fund, and about £5 Was the result. Doubtless the sum would have been larger, but so many were employed either directly or indirectly in connection with the harvest that they were unable to attend. Accident.— Mr Andrew M'Dougall, the master of the Theodore, had the misfoitune the other day to severely' cut his heel with an adze as he was trimming a hard piece of bluegum. He was obliged to proceed to Arrow for treatment, but is now back home and slowly recovering, and, doubtless, rejoicing that the edge of the adze did not go a little larther and sever an artery. This accident is all the more unfortunate, as his retirement entails the laying up of the steamer for a "trip or two., ' Fatal Accident at Criffel. — A fatal accident occurred on Criffel lately, but in- or<3er" to give the full details leading up ,to the accident, I must go back ILo the beginning, find say that early in the spring; Messrs Peter Larsen and 'ivers Johasen, of Luggate, found good prospects in a gravelly face aboujt 50ft Sigh at the back of John Chalk's tunnels, in frenchman's Gully, and facing the branch of the Luggate Creek which runs past the Criffel ■diggings. In order to be able to work this piece of giound, it was necessary to bring in a wate.. race out of the Luggate Cieek, which was a long and arduous undertaking, necessitating much rockwork, blasting, and fluming, antlAeyond the labour and resources of Messrs

Larsen and Johnsen. Accordingly, it was arranged that the three eldest sons of Mr George Bovetfc, farmer, of Mount Barker, should acquire a half interest in the venture, and Larsen, Johnsen, and the latter' s eldest -son Johnny should hold the remaining half. The party worked hard, a-nd early and late, hoping to be able to get the water on the ground about Christmas, but when that time came they found that it would take a couple of months more. The party were, however, enthusiastic at ihe cheering proßpect3. I met Bov.ett and young Johnny at an enjoyable social reunion held in Mrs Gideon Anderson's homestead at Mount Barker during holiday time, and they were the recipients of much congratulation. The race was within a week .or two of completion. Part of the race ran under a rock the " size of a springcart," and weighing over a toA, and Johnny was underneath it working a pick, and lying on his face, when, without the slightest warning, the lock broke in two, and settling down on Johnny, killed him instantly. The rock was composed of a rotten kind of seamless greenstone, and it wa3 necesary to get it to pieces in order to get the body out. This took some time/ as the pieces came away in bits of a pound or two in weight. An inquest was . held at Luggate by Mr R. M'Dougall, J.P., when a verdict of accidental death was returned. Tlie funeral took place at the Hawea Cemetery, and there was a large concourse of followers, and a feeling of the most profound regret was felt at poor Johnny's untimely end, at the early age of IS years. " He was a quiet, well-behaved lad, respected by everybody.

A Change.— Mr William M'Leod, late Sergeant of Police, formerly stationed in Clyde, Cromwell, and Queenstown, but latterly holding the management of the Queensberry Inn and farm, has disposed of the same tojfo William A. H. Scheib, tailor, ot Cromwell, who, with Mrs Scheib, is a native of- the district, and is,- now duly 'installed. Mr M'Leod is now living in retirement Pembroke.