MAIL ITEMS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4969, 17 October 1890, Page 3

MAIL ITEMS.

A flour mill at Columbus, Indiana, was destroyed, and six men killed, by a dust explosion on August 26th. The city of Boston suffered heavily from fire losses m tho past twelve months. Fire damugo to the cxtont of jE2'JO.OiJO was attributable to electricity. ... f . According to tho Pekin correspondent of the Times, tha Rusaianiaution of Corea is only a matter of line. Events, however, move ve-y slowly m that far distant region, and Iho correspondent places the annexation m the same category as tho completion of the trunk line of tho Siberian railways. A Reuter's telegram, dated (Jttawa, August 28, stateß : — Tho Dominion Minister of Agriculture, m summing up the complete reports from tho most trustworthy sources received from all points m Manitoba and tho NorthVFeat Territories, states that this year's grain crop, most of which is now harvested, is fully up to anticipation, tho yield being heavy and the quality excellent. Taking the census m South Dakota has resulted m the exposure of a fraud. It appears that at the Indian agency m that Etata the Government agent, Mr Wright, hua been drawing ratioSß on the basis of a population of 7,51)0. Tho .Sioux census proves that it is only 5,106, the inferenco being that the agent has been appropriating the amount of the difference. A "gboat" scare which lately :irose m a number of schools m Berlin and afterwards spread to the suburbs, assumed the character of a nervous disease. In ono school a panic was created by a young girl who was frightened by a window curtain tl ipping m the wind, and there wero flimilar occurrences m several schools attended by children of the upper class. The educational authorities took energetic measures to allay tho excitement. There were eoveral casualties during tho progress of tho recent Rush m oriny manoeuvres, at which the Emperor Wiliium was present. Ten soldiers wero accidentally killed while blowing up a pontoon bridgo at Looga, and ono dragoon and three horses wore drowned. Tho second trial of tho dynaraito shell invented by Mr Justin took placo at New York on August 26th. Three shots wero fired successfully, but the gun used m the oxperimont burat at tho fourth shot. The inveutor sayg that the shell was defectivo, and that the dynamite exploded m tho gun. At Denbigh, on August 23rd a troop of hussars, police, and emergency men, engaged m protecting tho agents of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners m collecting tithes m a neighbouring parish had a bad time. On Friday night ruin foil m torronta for aome houra, nnd tho wind blew a heavy gale from tho southwest. The river, close to which tho oamp was pitched, became swpollen to such mi extent that it overflowed and burst over the camp. Tho majority of tho tents wero blown down, and went floating aw*y, and as the night was pitch dark great excitement ana confusion prevailed. The horses, frightened by the water, plunged tremendously, but no eorfous accidents occurred; "Karly on Saturday r morning the camp waß struck and tho party returned to Denbigh. ■ A telegram from Vienna, August 25th Bays : — A violent hurricane which swept over the district of Maisau, m libwor Austria, lust night, overturned 23 trucks of a goods train m motion on tho Frunz. Jbstph Railway. The trucks, which fell ovor on tho outor sid"p, crashed down the Bide' of. the ombankm'-nr, arid wore at tho same time struck by lightning, several of them being do*' royocl. Two guards wore rendered unconscious. Tho tic cidenr creates particular l interest from tho fact that a railway train m motion washithorto supposed never to b 6 struck by lightning, ana the railway authorities are thoreforo endeavouring to dotermine tho exact moment when the electrio disohurgo struck the truitl m I his ease,'' The pcoount given by the, occupants oftho second boat' : '6f the 'Liverpool-bound barque Speranzi, which, was sunk by collieion with an, iceßVfg, ' shows' that tho poor fellows, four in' nhmber, had a marvellous escape, being almoßt dead from starvation and thirst when rescued. Tho Sporanza was going from Liverpool to Sherliac, whon sho was sunk by collision with ail isoborg. Tho oaptnin and four harids got into one small boat, 1 and this romaining four men loft m tho other. Thoy had, only four, days' provisions. After keeping company with each, othor for two days thoy got .parted. The j captain's boatwas picked up a couplo of days' uftowdvds but tho oMer'. on* drifted about {of 12 days. The suffe'ringß of the poor toon wero terrible from hunger, thirst, and tho intenno cold. They wero reill^ awaiting death whon tho barque Coynland rosoued tlioiri. 'Jho mon worn utterly proßtrato, aud hiiil to bo carried on board. Undor the kind trcntmout of tho rescuers the men 1 rallied, aud woro able to vrallc eiDcpt'Oiib vhoD tboy woro luDclod at Bay Verti. There wag groat oxcitomont m tho House of Representatives at, Washington on August 26th., r A Sill wjth rqgard to which much illfeelirig'haid provionsly been ovpked wasunder discussion, when Mr Wilson, tho member for Washington, wns soon to strike Mr Bockwith, of New Jersey, with Ih'b flat on the breast. The blow was' not a severe one, but tho fact of two j oongreSßmen engaging m n personal encounter on tho floor of tho House (treated tho greatest commotion, Tho combatants were speedily, (eparated, and on Mr Wilson boing, called upon to explain hi« oonduct bo said that Mr Beck with had applied to him a iHbit' offensive yplth^fc, prpVoTtlpa; hini on the s'tur 1 df' ;; th'o 'motiienl; to; strike him. Mr Beckwith subsequontly "^tiitfl'pj "that m tho '(Sound bf a.b6nversatiori b6twepn him nnd tho lion, repre'sepfjilivq for" Washington t.b& latter csllid ; hfrn a'liar '':' thoM^oh he (Mr Bookwith) lost his tomporj hrirf iii his hdht appllod to Mr Wiißyn'th;* epilhot'allnded : to. ' A (orriblo accident doourred near Boading (Pennijlvahia),"on Ancust 22nd on tho grading raihyar oncirclinc Mount Perm, which rises to a holghti of 860 feet abovo tho townvn-Ths' trains dnscond tho mountain by the momentum of their own weight. That

was standing >it, tho 'op of tho iii'iunl iin lh>' ■ engine retaining it wiin ncoiilcntilly ilvtnohrri ! without, tho u^uiil bruko lining npplieri. ! li. I car dpfloonderi with fearful velocity, rminim; v ' distance of five milos m throe miiiuti-n without leaving tho rails. Piecing nlirit kn wero uttered by tho pusßonKors on pnrceiving their poril, and many Kpning out. The car on reaching tho foot of tho mountain jumpod tho track mid toppled ovor an oinbankment, a depth of 50ft. Tlio pnnnengi'rp" who remained m thooarrinuo wore imprisoned m it. When tho oDiciah Bucceedud m ox tricating them four wore found to be dead, and nil tho others wore suffering from serious injuries.