IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 20649, 22 November 1928, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY Early Sweet Peas. A resident of Collingwood sent some specimens of early sweet peas to the Times Office yesterday. The blooms are particularly well-formed and coloured for so early in the season. Dogs’ Death-Roll. Owners of dogs at Bluff are at present wondering whose dog will be the next to go. Yesterday no less than four dogs, and possibly more, failed to respond to their masters’ calls and investigations revealed that they had fallen victims to poison laid by some person either endeavouring to save his chickens or of a very poor turn of humour. * * * * Excursion to Port Chalmers. If there is sufficient support forthcoming, the Railway Department announces its intention to run a special excursion train to Port Chalmers on Sunday, December 2. The idea is to give Southlanders an opportunity of inspecting Commander Byrd’s Antarctic fleet before its departure for the South Polar regions. If the proposal is proceeded with, contingent, of course, on the public’s support to warrant such an excursion, the train will leave Invercargill at 7 a.m. and return about 9 p.m. The fares will be 15/9 second-class return, and 23/- first-class return. These special fares have been made to induce as many Southlanders as possible to avail themselves of the opportunity to make the trip. Further particulars will be announced later. Huge Devil-Fish. On a recent occasion when Messrs C. and D. Thomson, of Stewart Island, were fishing at Port Adventure a huge sea monster was sighted which it puzzled them to name. A Norwegian, who was with them, pronounced it to be a devil fish saying he had seen one of the same species washed up on the beach at Barbadoes. Speaking to a reporter Mr D. Thomson said it broke water about 30 feet from their craft. It looked for all the world as if a house was suddenly appearing from the sea. The monster, which was somewhat the shape of a huge egg, would measure 16 feet in length and 14 feet in his broadest part. The dorsal fin was anything up to 13 feet in height and the two lateral fins would be about 8 feet long. Needless to say this is the first creature of the kind to be sighted round the coast. Probably such a monster has never been seen before in New Zealand waters. Whale Stranded. Measly Beach, Wangoloa, vied with Kaka Point during the week-end as a magnet to draw visitors (states the Otago Daily Times). The reason was a large dead whale found stranded at the Wangaloa end of a beach that one time enjoyed a brief fame as the scene of a gold strike. The cetacean which was of the valuable sperm variety, u true cacholot, was discovered and claimed by Mr. E. Morrison, of Wangaloa, on Friday morning. The carcase had evidently come ashore on the Thursday night, as it was partly imbedded in the sand when it was found. It was first sighted by Mr. F. Bluett who informed Mr. Morrison. A magnificent specimen, measuring fully 66 feet hi length, and of immense girth, its commercial possibilities are considerable, and this added to the attractiveness of the find. The tail fin alone measured 12 feet and on Sunday a Kaitangata resident persuaded his horse to mount the carcase, where it stood comfortably while being photographed. Twenty people easily found standing room on top of the whale. Judging by the marks, it appears that it had met its death at sea from the attacks of swordfish and sharks. It is estimated shat over 200 cars visited the scene of the find on Sunday, and motor buses also ran from Balclutha and Kaitangata. Mr. Morrison is now engaged in having the blubber cut out, and it will be despatched to the freezer at Finegand, there to be rendered into whale oil, a valuable marketable commodity.