DROWNING FATALITY AT SENTRY HILL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 9541, 7 November 1892, Page 2

DROWNING FATALITY AT SENTRY HILL.

TWO LADS DROWNED. A sad drowning fatality occurred atS ntry Hill on Sunday aftornoon, when two lads named Sampson and Phelan lost their lives in the Waiongona River. From Iho particulars to hanl it would appoir that tho lads with some others wont to tho river for a dip. One of tho drowned la^s got beyond bis depth in tho water, and the other lad went to hia rescue, but waa caught hold of by tho other lad, and both Bank and were drowned. An alarm was given, and both bodies were' recovered. One of the lads is a Bon of Mr F. Sampson, farmer of Sentry Hill, and the other is the son of Mr Phelan, a platelayer on the line.

LATER PARTICULARS, to hand are to the effect that the lads drowned wero Arthur William Mark Sampson (aged 12), and Joseph William Phelan (11 years). At G o'clock on Sunday evening Mr James Rattenbury reported that tho two boys wero drowned in tho Waiongooa river. Constable Bleasel, of Waitara, proceeded to tho house of P. H. £ampson, who ia a farmer on tho Lepperlon Road near Sentry Hill, and there sa>v tho two do id bvdies Mrs Sampson stated that her four boys, the eldest boing 13, wont for a walk along tho road about 1 o'clock on Sunday, and sho did not see the de;easei again till he was carried home dead Mr Phelan stated tb >t bo saw b s two boys join tho Sampsons on tho road, and that was tho last time be caw bis son Josoph alive. Porcy Sampson, aged 13, stated that they all went down to tho river for a swim, and they -all stripped but Jameß Phelan. They had been in tho water but a short tima when Arthur Sampson got out of his depth, and was sinking, when Joseph Pholan went to bis assistance. Sampson caught bold of P.ielan and drew him under with him, and tlio two wero not seen again until the bodies were recovered, an hour and a half afterwards. Tho other three boys give the same account of the fatality. Tho bodies wore recovered by Messrs Smaller, Sampson and Brown. The accident happened between 2 and 3 o'clock at a p'aco about a mile up the Waiongona river from tho Sentry Hill station. The bodies wore recovered in about thirteen feet of water. An inquest will bo held.

Tho Recreation Grounds Board have received an offer from a local gentleman to superintend the work of building a new bridge at ti.e top end of the lake. The gentleman has faubmitted a plan of the bridge to tho Board, who, it is understood, intend to accept the offer if they can see their way clear to go on with tho work. If the work is decided on, prison labor will bo utilised in building the structure.

The pia.tice of letting off crackers in Devon-street, which prevailed on Saturday night, was tho cause of an accident that might have proved 6erious. When the fun of firing off crackers was at its height a horseman rode into Devon street from Brougham-street, and one of tho explosives so frightened the animal that it swerved and knocked over a lady who was just crossing the gutter. The lady escaped with a bruised shouldet and a severe shaking Thoridtr of the horse was in no way to blame, the person who threw the cracker in front of tho animal being solely the cause of the accident.

A good many of the working men who have lately como from Australia aro returned New Zoalandere, says tho Pnes, who realise that, as a matter of fact as well as sentiment, " there is no place like home " Not a few of the recent working men arrivals are, it seems, desirous of becoming settlers, and it is likely that, as recommended by tho Labour Bureau, they will tako work in Taranaki and elsowhore until they have time to look around them. This is exactly what was done in the "early days" by men who are now amongst tho well-to-do of the colony.

Twenty-live respectable cit'zens of Napier, says the Tdegraph, clubbed together £25, and sent the amount to Sydney for investment in the monster consu'tation on the Melbourne Cup. Visions of wealth o;cupied their dreaming moments for a couple of months, and for a week before the eventful day they looked to receive a cablegram saying they had drawn Mai volio,and offering £10,000 for their chance. No cablegram arrived, and then they knew they had not drawn a " starter," bat still there was hope of a non-starter, which would well repay their investment. The miillast night brought them the results of the drawing, when they learnt that they had got a small cish prize which, when divided, would amount to 7s 2d a piece Tho champagne was countermanded.

Referring to tho labour troubles in Victora, a writer in tho Melbourne Leader ghes tho conversation between two men us follows :— " Tho labor dim* culty ! Well, it isn't so much not being able to obtain labor in tho country, but the almost impossibility of getting a mm that knows anything about his work." " Yes, you ro quite right ; a good man who knows his work and will attend to it c nscientiously does not long romain a laborer, here, he soon gets on to a placo of his own. A neighboi of mine who owns a large station, on which many of the sheop run up to three figures in value, is just now bp'ut washing, and the best hands he has on tho place aro Chinamen. Thesi he has at the spouts ; und the other day all tho other hands Btruck work, they wouldn't work alongside of Chinamen. ' •' How did ho get ou ?"' "He simply told them if they wanted to go they could, but he wouldn't sack tho Chinam n as they had been with him every year, and really cared for his interests in tho work." " You know, of course, in turning tho sheep over under the spouts how easily tney can get drowned, unless tho nose of the sheep is protected by a peculiar motion of tho hand from tho heavy jet of water " " Did tho other hands leave ?" •• No, they prowled a bit and turned in again to work, but he his boon obliged to put a Chinaman to look after them vi aeo that they do it right. '

Littlo L'oy. "Mayn't I bo a pro cher when I grow tip ?'' Mother : "Of course you may, my pet, if you want to." Little Boy : " Yes, I do. I s'pose I've got to go to church all my li o, anyhow, an' it's a good deal harder lo sit blil'l than to walk aruiind and holler."

During tho la t epidemic of cholera in England, it puzzled tho sanitary inspectors of a northern town to understand why tho inhabitants of ono cottago in v certain row were not affected by the diseaso which was r.igng among their neighbours. Fi-ally (says Hospital) it became noticed that a net of onions was suspended in the fottunite house, and on c.xamin tion these wero all found to bo diseased. It is also related that during a former outbreak of infectious fever in Somers Town and St. Giles's, the French priests, who constantly used garlic in a I their dishes, visited tho worst cases in tho dirtiest ho\els with impunity, while the English clergy who woie similarly engaged, but who did not eat onions in liko fashion, caught the infection in many instances, und foil victims to tho dUeaso. Haw onions contain an acid volanlilo oi 1 , sulphur, phosphorous, alkaline, earthy suits, starct, and free, uncryetallised sugar. The fresh juice is colourless, but by exposure to the air becomes red.