DUNBACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2506, 2 April 1902, Page 46

DUNBACK.

March 24. — An inquest was held iv Mr Moir's Junction Hotel on the 19th inst. before Majoi Xeddell, and a jury of six, of whoni Mr W. O. M'Kellar, J.P., was chosen foreman, on the body of John Walker. " Jack " Walker, as lie was comnionly ki.own, was an old-age pensioner. He had been mining, etc, around this district for over 30 years, and was 83 years of age at the time of his death. Froni the evidence given at the inquest it appears that .Walker lived in an isolated gully, the onty other occupant hang * miner named Carson. Deceased 'eft his camp to go to Dunback, about five miles away, on Saturday. A young man named Charles Duncan met him returning with llis provisions at 8 o'clock m the evening, about half a mile from where his body was subsequently found. He complained then of having spasms about the stomach, and said that he had been unconscious for some time dm ing the day from the effects of these pains. On Sunday morning Carson noticed he hsd not returned (a very unusual thing for Jum), but he took no steps to make inquiries until Tuesday morning, when he came to Dunback, and found he Lad left for home. A search party was instituted, and in the afternoon his body was found lying at the foot of a precipice, about 20ft high, and near the track to his camp. He had evidently mistaken the track in the dark, and had fallen over the cliff. He had two terrier dogs with him, and one went back to the camp, •while the other remained alongside the body until it was found. Dr Marks, who is assisting Dr Hislop, of Palmerston, made a post mortem examination of the body, and gave it 513 his opinion that death was duo to heart disease, accelerated by shock to the system caused by the fall, a<s the wounds on the body were insufficient to cause death. The jury brought in a verdict m accordance with the medical evidence.

Weather. — Rain set in here fiorn the southeast about G p.m. on Friday, and it has continued almost without intermission up to the time of writing, and there is 110 appearance of it clearing up yet. Ihe Shag River is in high flood, but i 3 not y_*t up to the high v.alermark of the flood in Kebruaiy, ). w :. Wi'.h the exception of a few late crops all the grain 3n this d. strict is in stack, and three f aimers have threbhe-d. The yield so far is said to ba satisfactory. This rain will severely tiy the stacks, as they are only newly built, and, as a rule, new stacks are not so waterproof 35 they become after they have " set." Turnips and grass are looking well. It ib \«ry seldom that the grass here looks so well at tins t!.nc of the year as it does now.

March 29. — On account of fie flood my last ■week's noles were delayed, :is there v.-js r.o mail from here on Monday. The rain ceased on Monday evening, after ceiitimilng for 72 hours without dealing The river at its highest was within 2ft cf the b:ghwater mark in the flood of February, 16U2. Mnny people say that the creeks emptying into the Shag between Dunback and the sea have never been so high during their recollection as they were on Monday and Tuesday. As the river was 2ft lower than 10 years ago there could not have been the same quantity of rain up towards the head waters. The flood did not do much damage around here to the railway or roads. One culvert on the railway line at Inch Valley was washed out, while one on the road was taken away by the same stream. A culvert on the main road to Naseby was also washed away. This was about ';nlf a mile above Dunback. On the Inch Vaucy limekiln line there were three breaks. The crops are suffering severely. Those in stook are sprouting-, and us the weather during the week has. been calm and "muggy " they arc growing fast, and will jjxobably be rei.dered useless. The ram penetrated a good few sheaf stacks, and a number ere being partly opened out and re-ytooked. Potatoes will have a. poor chaiice of surviving, as the ground is a regular puddle. Trapping Is at a standstill for the present. It is not often that a gale of wind is desirod by the farmers, Jjut 011s uovv would be veiy acceptable.