CANTERBURY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 43

CANTERBURY.

The death is announced of Mrs C. L._ y Innes, we'll known as one of the Canterbury pilgrims.- She arrived in Lyttelton in 1850, and shared all the vicissitudes, hardships, and rough experiences of the period. Mrs Innes has been living at Island Bay, Wellington, and has of Lite years bsen a frequent contributor 10 the Witness poetry and tale columns. ballot for sections in the Punavoa (late Three Springs) estate, of 7022 acres, was held at Pa'irlie on Friday. All the lot? were disposed of, save one, for .which all the applicants had been previously bailotted out. The average number of applicants, for 16 "lots was 14£. Nine local applicants were successful, the rej-'t being Irom North Canterbury. The ballot for ihe Papaka settlement"* of y 1554 - ' acres in nine lots were 3 held' at Timaru on Saturday. The, applications ranged from 27 .to . 68 per lot ; North Canterbury people got six lots. For the Ruatariri settlement of 123t/ acres in six lots the applications ranged from three to 12. The successful applicants vrere all local. > - An electrical storm passed over Ashburton at -midday' on Friday. • A greenhouse and vinery in the- garden of Mr T. .Pitt, a mile out of town, was struck by lightning, and 40, pane's of the firsts and four of the second ~were smashed to atoms. Flower, pots were smashed and plants thrown about,and other plants were jerked out of their pots. " ' The 'brick • wall of the vinery was shaken and o gate several yards away was/ wrenched off its hinges. Mr Pitt was in his dwelling house some yards away "from where the window was smashed, and Pitt was dazed and almost knocked down. The room v,a& filled with blue flames. Tha

stroke was accompanied by a noise like a terrific explosion. In a paddock across the 'road,, over a chain away, four sheep were killed. A drenching rain fell on the whole of Friday, accompanied with hail.. The weather was bitterly cold. Several people living in town admit that they .experienced a slight shock of dazing at the time pf the discharge.