Untitled

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3197, 24 December 1884, Page 2

Boxino Day Spoets. — The handicaps for the Foresters' sports, to be held on Friday, are published m another column. Spouting. — A meeting of Stewards of the Albury Racing Club will be held at the Kailway Hotel this evening, at six o'clock. To Oue Subscribers. — The Timaru Berald will not bo published to-morrow. Christmas Day, m accordanco with our usual custom. Lyttelton Regatta. — Entries for the Lyttelton regatta close on Tuesday, December 30th, at 8.30 p.m., at the Colonists' Hall, Lyttelton. Post entries will be received only for vessels that are not m harbor on the 30th. Timaru Railway Refreshment Rooms. — The Timaru Railway Refreshment Rooms are adding all the delicacies of the vegetable garden to the tempting and liberal bill of fare already provided, For the future, lunch will bo served from 12 noon till 3 p.m. — [ADVT.] Tendeks. — The Timaru Harbor Board invite tenders for ironbark piles and beams. Tenders will be received up to January 7th. The Board also advertise for tenders for building a wharf 550 feet long, and an approach 110 feet long, north of the Breakwater. Tenders will be received up to 4 p.m. on January 7th. Woollen Factory. — A meeting of the Directors of the Timaru Woollen Factory Company, Limited, was held on Monday evening to receive tenders for the Company's building. After opening and considering the tenders, thnt of Mr Alex. Sinclair was accepted. The work will be put m hand almost immediately. Inquest. — An inquest was held to-day at Mr T. O'Driscoll's Hibornian Hotel, touching the death o£ Alice Waldren, before J S. Beswick, Esq., Coroner, and a jury. The evidence of tho mother was to the effect that having taken food a little after midnight on Sunday, tho child which was two months old, had gone to sleep on her arm. On waking at seven next morning, witness found the child off her arm and dead. The evidence of the father corroborated that of the mother. Dr Hogg stated the cause of death to have been suffocation. He had seen no outward marks of violence. The jury returned a verdict of — " Died from natural causes." Timaku Racing Club. — The settling up of the Timaru Racing Club's meeting, took place at the Timaru Hotel last evening. The following membors were present : — Messrs R. Rutherford, W. Sugden Armitago, W. Gunn, Gh 0. Miles, C. Wederell, J. Howcy, B. E. Hibbard, F. W. Cook, J. Hammond, \V. Collins, E. Smith, and J. Melt-on (lion. sec). Mr Rutherford, the President, wns voted to the chair. The lion, sec. stated that he had £400 m hand. After paying stakes and expenses ho -would have £65 to carry forward to next year's meeting, which was considered by the members present to be a most satisfactory balance. On tho motion of Mr Wm. Collins, seconded by Mr E. Smith, a vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to Mr B. Stansell for his services as Clerk of the Courso. The Hon. Secretary was requested to communicate the same m writing to Mr Stansell. Aftor discussing matters m connection with the next annual meeting, Mr. Armifago gave notico of motion to add to the programme for 1885 a race for Polo ponies, also to alter the name of the Counties Handicap to the Citizens' Cup, the winner to receivo a silver cup of the valuo of £50. Tho stakes were then paid over to tho following winners : Two-year-old Stakes, Mr F. Lambert £29 9s j Messrs M. and 0. flobbs, for Hurdles an I Counties Handicap £85 10s ; Mr T. Quill, for Town Plato, £47 10s; Mr W. do G. Reeves, for Anniversary Plato, £23 15? ; Mr J. Dooley, for second m Counties and Hack, £22 16s ; Mr M. Sherwin, for second m Town Plate, £!> 10s ; MrF.W. Cook, for Trot, £Wss; Mr W. Agnew, for Hack Hurdles, £14 ss ; Mr W. S. Armitage, for Boeond m Hurdles, £9 10» ; Mr J. Mathows, for Consolation, £14 ss. Sundry accounts were possod for payment, amounting to £63, making a total of £;)35 15s. A vote of thanks wns accorded to tho Chairman, who oxpressod a wish that ho might occupy tho same position at a good many of tho T.R.C.'s settlings. Tho moeting then broko up. Tbmuka Linskhd, Ore, Cake and Fibub Company, Limited. — A moeting of the Directors of the above Company was held on Monday afternoon. Present — Messrs B. A. Bnrkor, Pilbrow, E. Brown, Hayhurst, W. Lyon and Geo. Woodhead. Mr J. Talbot being absonfc, Mr Barker wns voted to tho chair. Tho minutes of tho previous meeting wore read and confirmed. A letter from Mr Talbot was road, expressing regrot at being unable to attend and stating his views on the various items of business before tho meeting. Tho Manager's report was receivod, stating thnt the works were closed, the European flax having been shipped by tho Ganymodo mid the native flax having been delivered m. Timaru for shipment to Australia. Mr Pilbrow read a letter that he had received from Mr Hayhursfc, sonr., stating that a machine for stripping, threshing, and dressing tho seod had been constructed undnr his |iorsonnl supervision, andshipped previously to tho departure of tho mail. Also expressing his willingness to forward tho interests of tho j Company Dy any means m his power whilo m 'England. Mr J. T. M. Hayhurst brought before tho meeting tho illustrated catalogues of several English firms with Bpeoial reference to flux machinery, and containing suggestions of considerable value. The Manager wns m attendance, and m reply to questions said tlmt tho flax orops m the district were highly satisfactory, and if successfully harvested, would show a good return of seed and (trot-class fibre, which o^uld be profit nbly shipped to tho Europenn markets, and thnt, m iiis opinion, tho moro forward orops would bo ready for harvesting by tho seoond wook m January. A question whioh for toms months has provod ono of groat difficulty with the Board, und caused considerable correspondence with Home machinist firms wm stttufaotorily fettled. This was a doubt as to whether they would bo able to obtain a spinning plant for a sum within the limit of tha funds at tho Company's disposal, at all previous plant and suggeitions

f the same had far exceeded their requirelents m size and cost. The Chairman, howver, read letters from an important Home rm, offering to supply a plant m every way uitable. If machines could have been oblined m time, it was the intention of the )irectors to have worked up the past years ibre into binding and other twines, but findnj», some months since, that this was lot practicable, they decided to dispose of all ibre on hand and reimburse themselves for he expense of manufacturing the same. V.fter discussion it was resolved, as many of he shareholders had been exceedingly remiss n answering to culls, thereby curtailing the 'unds at the disposal of the Company, — ' That the purchase of spinning machinery iliould be postponed for the present, as all ratstanding amounts due to date would )e required for the purchase and working of growing crops. The Secretary reported that n accordance with instructions received at ast meeting sereral summonses had been ssued, and that with one except ion immediate irrangements for payment had been made. He received directions to take the necessary steps to enforce payment m this instance. Accounts amounting to £37 were passed for payment, and the meeting then terminated. Gold Nuggets. — Tlic largest gold nuggets over found were the following :— The Sarah Sands nugget, found at Ballarat. It weighed 130 troy, or 1560 ounces. This, at £4 per ounce, would be worth £6110. The Blanche Barkley nugget, dug up at Kingower. It weighed 145 pounds, and was worth £696'>. The Welcome nugget, found at Bullarat. It weighed 184 pounds, and was sold for £10,000, This was tho largest ever found. Sharks as Food.— Says tho Boston Transcript :— Ir.view of the number of sharks that have macle their appearance on the Atlantic coast this season, attention has been turned to their adaptation for culinary purposes. The Ichthyophagous Society, at their dinner at the Murray Hill Hotel .New York, October 10th, are to partake of shark, and possibly their example may bo followed by persons desirous of emulating such an epicurean example. As the Chinese are notoriously fond of shark's ims, which are rich m the gelatinous matter that gives body to their favorite soup, there may be some chance of turning the present superfluity of sharks to account, though the true Chinese epicure is content only with the fins of the ' great white shark, the ferocious man-eater, who is happily unknown m American waters. Forest Police m Gebjiakt. — In Germany tho woods have their police, whoso duty it 13 to see that no devastation is wrought by inconsiderate owners. No man may cut down his trees without the sanction of these authorities. The reason is that wood is the staple fuel of the country, and if the Government did not step m to protect the people against their own improvidence, the peasants would speedily sweep away all the forests to enable them to clear the mortgages which the Jews hold on their lands. In Bavaria the price of fuel rose between 1830 and 1860 as much as 60 per cent, and building timber rose 70 per cent. In the sixteenth century the forests had dwindled so much, and tho cost of firing had rieen so high, toaft the Princes took the forests under their sovereign protection, and appointed a class of officials whose duty it was to see after the fuel supply m their provinces and look to the protection of trees just as the police have to see to the protection of citizens. One result has been that no trees are allowed to grow longer than when they have reached maturity. After they have attained a certain age fieir rate of growth is so slow that their room is needed for younger plants, and they are then cut down. Tlihs a pine reaches its perfection after its thirtieth year and goes back after its eightieth. As a rule, a forest is cleared and replanted every thirty years, and it is an exception anywhere to see an older pine or beech. But the Bohmer Wald has not been subject to this policement, and thero do remain m it magnificent pines several hundred yeara old. Lost Tkeasubks. — The list of treasures lost m the sea would, indeed, be a long and melancholy one ; instancing for example, the Madagascar from Australia, wMcb, m the early days of the gold fever there, having on board the precious yellow dust m enormous quantity, was never heard of, and left not even the faintest clue to speculation as to her fate. And m later years the Thunder, a steamer from Calcutta to China, with some 300,00 tdols worth of silver, destined never to reach the expectant consignees, w'bb supposed to be lying abandoned among the awful sand banks at the mouth of the Hooghly River, but m spite of rumors never to bo seen there. These are instances out of many, of treasures never heard of. The wreck of the Royal Charter steamer from Australia, lost m a frightful gale on the Anglesea coast m October, 1859, with some £SOO,OOO of gold on board, will doubtless occur to tho reader's mind, coupled aa it was with such a lamentable loss of life. In this case, happily, a great deal of the treasure was recovered subsequently, but thero is still a fortune left at Moelfra, for the fortunate being who can find it. In old days Vigo bay hud always an attractive sound to treasure seekers from the reported woalth on board the Spanish fleet destroyed there m 1762, by Sir G. Booke, but tho infinite pains, money and patienco expended on its recorory have been thrown away, the silver (even if it is there, which is somewhat doubtful) obstinately refusing to make a reappearance to the world.