GENERAL NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5667, 11 September 1896, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

NEW TEIAL GRANTED. A new trial has been granted in the case Sheehan v. Auckland City Council, in which the plaintiff was awarded .£125 damages for the loss of his son, who was drowned in the city baths. " WHITEBAIT. A large shoal of whitebait was observed on Wednesday as far up the Avon as the Montreal Street bridge. This is unusual in the present day, though in years past, when the fishermen were not so active as they are now, it was not uncommon for these fish to ascend the river at this season. AN ODDFELLOWS' JUBILEE. A telegram from Nelson says that the jubilee of the Loyal Howard Lodge of Oddfellows was celebrated last night by a " social " and ball, which were attended by about six hundred persons. The proceedings were of a brilliant and gratifying nature. THE LOSS OF THE PATRICIAN. In regard to the rescue of the captain and crew of the ship Patrician, it may be stated (says the Otago Daily Times) that .Dr Coughtrey, local correspondent of the Royal Humane. Society of Australasia, has taken- steps -to bring under the notice, of : that body the -bravery of the chief officer and the two membei-s of the crew of the Fifeshire. The opinion is pretty generally expressed that some public recognition should be made of the plucky conduct of the Fifeshire men in rescuing the crew of the sinking ship. THE FLOODS IN MARLBOROUGH. A Tua Marina correspondent of the Picton paper wrote a few days ago as follows: — This place is simply inundated. The whole of the flat ground is one immense lake. Fences, gorse hedges and stumps are all hidden under the rushing turbulent yellow stream. We sat up all Tuesday night, expecting every minute the water to come into the house, but luckily it began to fall before it quite reached us. And we were not the only ones, you may be sure, who sat up. All who had anything to lose spent an anxious time of it. The water rose at the rate of a foot an hour. The people of the neighbourhood of the Pukaka swamp are most to be pitied. Many of them have already sown their crops three times, and have had them rotted by the floods, and now they must start and sow for a fourth time. The scene from the high ground is a very striking one. The road from Nolan's corner to the bridge is water-covered to the depth of a horse's knees. Opposite the old schoolhouse it is 2ft 6in deep. Boats can be rowed from the railway station to the hotel. The school is accessible only to waders or fliers, and the water is over the railway line there. All day yesterday people were busy shifting cattle, sheep, horses, &c, to the higher paddocks of more fortunate neighbours. Several householders could not leave their houses this morning except by boat.