WETHERSTONES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2589, 28 October 1903, Page 31

WETHERSTONES.

October 19.—The iorjg-lookeiii for rain has I come at last. The rain in Dunedin was not a i patch on what we had here. On Thursday ' ' there was steady rain in Dunedin from the north-east. In Tuapeka the rain was heavier, and accompanied by a, fierce easterly gale. All the creeks along the Lawrence line were in flood, and the Iwo-lymg land was covered with £, water; but all vegetation looks fresher and greener for the change. ! I Fever.—There is a case of scar'et fever at i present in Wetherstones, being the first in the 1 district. The young man afflicted is progress- ■ j irq favourably. He was one of the Tenth ' ' Contingent, anU after escapirg the enteric in ' Africa he must come back to Xew Zealand and j ' take scarlet fever. J ! October 26.—Lest week's weather was both i dry and warm. The settlers aiound here, after ; the previous week's rain, took advantage of the .' subsequent fine weather to finish the'r plough- ! ing, sowing, and planting. 'The barometer reached its highest at 5 p.m. of last. Tuesday, j being up to 30.27. There haie been several j theories about the height of thi baiometer. ' M}- own 13 the S.E. trade winds, being further i to the east —say, from 12. by S. or E.S.E., which was one reason for the excessive rain in Australia—and tumbling dewn in New Zea- • ' land as a dry wind from the N E , having ' parted with its moistura to the north and ea3t ! of these islands. I could say a good deal mora on -the subject, but I shall iet it pass at present. Trie barometer has been stcadi'r fslli ing since its maximum height up to last Sa'tirday morning, when it was 29.59. The r pcu iarity of "the barometer wa? that it invariab y ' fell in the night time, while during the day ! time it was 9tear!v or rose a pent or two. It ' has been r;«ing stetidTly since, being 30.01 nt 1 present. The lov.-eat reading of the thermom=1 ter was 46deg at 7 a m of the 21st, the high's: ' SOdeg at noon of the 25th, v.h.le it was 117dfg ' ' in the sun at 11 am. of the 22iifl. We have had a couple of vice showers the lait two , nights between 8 and 10 o'c'ock. j Obituary.—l am exceedingly sorry to have to , ■ report the death of Mr W. B. M:rtm, watch- i maker, which occurred at his re-.Kli»nce, Law- j I rence. on Sunday quite unexpectedly. It was ! i only last Friday that I was in his shop, when J f he appeared to b? in his usti?l health, only j that be complained of big throat and that he ,' 1 could not sleep well a few night's before. He ' belonged to the Foresters' Court, Star of Tuapeka, of which he was treasurer. It is a sor- , ! rewful thing for hi 3 widow, she having lost J her eldest sou a few months ago. He died in | Blenheim, leaving a w^'ow aad one child. Ht , 1 second son, who is married, is slcwly rccover- | ing from a lontj spell ci illnjss. Her two daughters reside »vith her, and also her youngeai | son, who has been away and arrived home a. j few weeks ago, he being the ou'y one at ' present to look after the bu":ries=. Volunteering.—The Tuapeka Mounted Rifles I have shifted the butts out of the gully, where j tbeir targets have .been situated the^e last two or three ypars, down into Ballarat Gul y. Tb.3 j lie*l/ location ia mere open. Voadf-i, and more accessible, the spurs or either side bem^' lower. • The only da_nger is ri anyone fires too hi<<li their sho'.s will go over into Gabriel's Gu-.y