OMNIUM GATHERUM

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 2

OMNIUM GATHERUM

At the Perth Supreme Court on August 17 the jury awarded 1?'. Considme £1500 damages against the Lake View Consols Mining Company for injuries sustained when employed as beltman.

The tonnage of the whole mercantile tteam marine of-Russia, Japan, or Holland does not equal the tonnage of the merchant vessels taken over by the English Government as transports. The appointment of inspector-general of the Irish Constabulary has been accepted by Colonel Neville Chamberlain, private secretary to Lord Roberts, with whom he served in the Afghan campaign. On notable occasions Paul Krugev wears a j big major- general's scarf over his coat, decorated with the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle of the Fourth Cia£3, and a Portuguese medal. The complete list of entries for the forthcoming band contest at Mrtton slidws f(saya.j the Bruce Herald) that 12 bands have'en-"i tered ; nine compete in the quickstep and eight j in the selection ; while four will try conclusions in the class for smaller bands.

Mr John Dripps, of the railway locomotive department, now stationed at Balclutha, was last week, on the occasion of his departure from. Kurow, presented by the people of that place ' with - a set of handsome gold sleeve links. Fireman M'Nab, lately of Balclutha. has taken Mr Dripns's place at Kurow. At Naseby last week "(says- the Chronicle) Mr R. Hosie wss presented by the .members of the Naseby Volunteer i'ire * Brigade with a Handsome gold pendant and an illuminated address,, prior to his departure c for Dunedm. Mr Hosie, who is an ex-captain of the brigade, 'v*as connected with that body for 22 ' years. A touching s.cone was witnessed on Tuesday afternoon in Timaru, on the leturn of Trooper Macintosh, when on anxious mother came up and questioned Trooper Macintosh as to whether he had seen her son afc/fhe front, and on getting a reply to the effect that he was at Blocmfontein, and w-as in good health, the mother's feelings got the better of her, and clasping the bearer of such good news round the neck, fiio kissed him on the cheek. A lad named Dale, aged , r 17, was killed at Bendigo a few days ago in a peculiar manner. He was employed as a, feeder at a battery, and the bolts having come out of the collar of one of the stampers, he tried to replace the came without a lifter. Whilst prizing the collar into position, the tool •shifted, and being caught by the collar of the next stamper, flew up,*" striking Dale on the chin, smashing his jaw and dislocating his neck, death being instantaneous.

The New South Wales Government have decided to order a number of 4.7 guns, rendered famous in the siege of Ladysmith. They are naval guns, which wore landed and mounted on special carriages, constructed by Captain Scolt. Some YickersMaxims, known rlso a=, pom-poms, and used with much effect by the Boers, are also to .be imported. A field battery to replace A Battery is on board the Damascus, which lqft England on July 6, and should shortly be here. It is a I5"-pounder gun, similar to the one that was rent to South Africa, with possibly certain modern improvements.

The police recently raided a Cuinese pambIm? house at Nyngaa, N.S.W., and arrested 19 'Chinese, who, it is- s'.ated, were engaged in a game of fan-tan. The 23risoners were tied up with a clothes line, and .taken, in single file, to the lock-up. Ah Ohoy was found guilty of being the banker of a common gaming house, and lined £20 and coats. Ah Chee. croupier, vras fined a ranilar amount. The bench ordered that half the fines shoiild be paid to the informer. At an inquest held ac Pcrili recently concerning the death of a child, three days old, of Emily Griffiths, medical evidence showed that the child was ill-nourished, and death was due to exhaustion. The woman's residence was without ventilation and light. She said she had ten children. Her husband was a labourer earning 12s a week, and they were in very poor circumstances. The Acting-coroner said it was disgraceful that people in Australia should have to live in such a conditior. A sensational suicide occurred at Coogee Bay, N.S.W., on August 19. Mrs Kenclrick, a widow, about 40 years of age, was talking; to a gentleman on some cliffs, about 100 ft above the ocean, when the unfortunate lady made a remark and then threw herself over the cliff, her mutilated remains being found subsequently. The death of her husband some time ago preyed on her mind, and at one stage a serious brain illness rendered her' condition very weak. His' Worship the Mayor of Oamaru has rer ceived the following letter from Captain HillTrevor, A.D.O. to ihe Governor: "Please accept my very best thanks for all the kindness which you showed to me during my recent visit to Oamaru. I am afraid T did not see anything that would suit the Governor. If Taipo Hill had been in good order I think it might have suited. At any rate, though I failed fo^find a suitable house, I enjoyed my two days, and the amount of pretty country that I saw I shall not quickly forget.' Mr 0. R. Smith, late -bead master of the Stirling School, was tendered a valedictory social by the residents of the district, on Wednesday, 30th, prior to his departure for his new scsne of labours at Wailati. During the evening several speeches were delivered, all the speakers extolling Mr Smith's ability as a teacher, and also referring to the high respect and appreciation in which he was held. The guest of the evening was presented with a large handsomely-illuminated address on behalf of the residents of the district, and with a travelling rug on behalf of the children.

A number of schools throughout the colonyhave decided to have a Union Jack in the school ground in order to teach the children to respect and honour the flag of Old England. Th& Milton School has (says the Herald) follcw cd in their staps, and on Wednesday, 30th, the ceremony of hoisting the flag was successfully performed, about.2oo being present. Advantage was also taken, of the occasion to present Mr Watters, who will shortly take up new duties in the Mornington Sehtitol, with a handsome gold chain and pendant suitably inscribed, the gift of his late pupils. Mr Watters acknowledged the gift in an appropriate speech

The Timaru papers report that Mr M'Bride, stonemason, of Timaru, has a. specimen of what may possibly prove a new industry in the shape of a 15in cube of clolerite fawn into fhape of a machine saw. This has been done by Mr Mark Saunders with water power obtained from the splash of waves operating a water wheel. Mr Saunders has for a good many years laboured hard to insure the success of his patent, and he considers now that he will shortly be in a position to supply the whole of the colony with Milestone blocks equal to, if not better than, the imported article. An iron saw, with sand and water, was the tool employed in the preparation of the above-mentioned blocks, and very smooth faces have been put on the stone.