AUSTRALIAN NOTES. .

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1816, 29 July 1891, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NOTES. .

Tuesday, July 14. THE SHEABEES IJT NEW SOUTH WALES. A difficulty between pastoral ista and shearerß io New South Wales seem* inevitable. The Employers' Mutual Defence Association intervened som* time ago, and endeavored to arrange a temi-official conference between the pastoralista and the shearers, and it was hoped that there was a possibility of the difficulty being avoided. The prospects were rendered brighter by the readinusu with which the Trades and Labor Council fell in with the suggestions of the D fence Association, and the willing way in whioh they appointed delegates to represent the m. What actually took place at theee interviews has not transpired ; but it is known that the proceediugo were of the most cordial nature. The labor delegated must, however, either never have had the confidence of their Council or muat have exceeded the instructions given them, for, at a meeting of the Council last Thursday night, when they presented their report, it was formally received, and the following resolution was carried unanimously : — " That this Council decline to express any opinion in relation to the present shearing difficulty until an open and unconditional conference ! has been arranged between the contending parties." This will put a stop to all efforts at conciliation. Tbe shearers cannot act without the consent of the Trades and Labor party, who deline to move until an open and unconditional conference is granted, which tbe pastoralists declare will never be. The action taken in the matter by the Employers' Mutual Defence Association wan entirely iudept-nrient. The Paptoralistb' Union were never coosu'ted on the question, and in spite of the proposals for a conference w hich were made to them they continued qu etly and unobtrusively to puMi on with their arraugenieuts for the forthcoming shearing seaoon. They have f >und no difficultly iv obtaining labor, and they have now plenty of men to get to wcrk at once. The unionifata have already commenced a system of intimidation. .VI r Bacon, of Dumble, who arrived at Brewarrina ou Thursday evening, reports having had a rough experience at Byrock. He was bringlDg up eleven free sheurers, but on the arrival of the train on Wednesday evening they were surrounded by about fifty unionist*, who* by abuse, iutimidation, and promises, hucceeded in getting five of the free shearers to leave. The unionists also bounced the driver of the special coach engaged to carry the men, and frightened him no that he drove bick to the stables. They also induced a groom from Dumble to hreak hia agreement and leave. The police iv the locality were afraid to intorfere. THE ADELAIDE ELOPEMENT CAS3. The case of elopement; from Adelaide, which was n.entioned in my last letter, has had a tragic ending, the guilty pair having committed suicide at Colombo. As I have already explained, Lawrence M. Davidson succeeded in initiating himself into the good gracts of the family of Mr Ayliffe, a well-known resident of Adelaide, and he married the eldest daughter. Six weeks afterwards be succeeded in enticing the younger sister of bis wife to elope with him. Oa the day that hn left he had arranged with his wife that they should go the theatre. The same day the younger sister, who, it is now understood, had for some time previously become strangely infatuated with Davidson, left her home ostensibly to visit a relative. The wife went to the theatre, bnt her husband did not meet her as arranged, and it was afterwards found that the younger sister had not visited the relative, the parties having left by the German steamer Hohenz illern. On the arrival of the steamer at Colombo it was boarded by two inspectors, of police, who had been authorised by cable to arrest Davidson for wife desertion. They proceeded to tbe cabin occupied by Davidson and Miss Ayliffe, and got the steward to knock at the door and say Dividson was wanted. The officers kept in the background, but Davidson, who was dressing at the time, evidently had his suspicions aroused, and guessed the object of the message. He closed the door of the cabin, and immediately afterwards a pistol shot was heard. The officers rushed to the door, which was opened ty Miss Ayliffe, who, when she found that Davidson was dead, burst into an agony of grief. She wept and threw herself over his boly. During this manifestation of grief she was seized with severe spasms, and it was then discovered that she, as well aa her lover, had swallowed a dose of strychnine from a phial which Davidson had produced immediately he was called for. The doctor of the ship did all he could to save Miss Ay li fife's life, but all efforts were unavailing, and after two hours' agony the young woman expired. Davidson, who was employed as a collector and canvasser for several mercantile houses in Adelaide, and who victimised several tradesmen and others to the extent of LBOB by means of valueless cheques, had a bad record. It was known that he was the means of bringing disgrace into a number of families to which he gained acetss, owing to his polished manners and unscrupulous oonduct. He had been imprisoned iv Melbourne for victimising traders, and he had repeatedly expressed hia determination not to goto gaol again, A BAKEFAC&B ROBBERY, A cool and well premeditated robbery is reported to have taken place in Melbourne last week. It appears that a clerk in the employ of the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company was handed a black Gladstone bag containing L 350, and instructed to take it to the engine house and oar-shed on the Brunswick line and pay the men employed along the line their weekly wages. Birch left the head office of the company in Bourke street west, rode on one of the cars down to Elizabeth Btreet, and then got inside a car bound for Brunswick. When the car reached Little Lonsdale street a man of smart appearance and about twenty-five yearß of age entered it, and, addressing Bircb, aaid "Are you Birch?" There ceiver replied that he was, and. the stranger Baid ; " Well, you have to give me the, money, and I am to go on to Brunswick and pay the men. ¥ou ara wanted in the office immediately by Mr Wilcox, the assistant manager." Birch replied that he would not give up the cash to a stranger, and tbe latter then produced an open letter addressed to " Inspector Dow, Brunswick," which purported to be signed by Mr Wilcox, and intimated to Mr Dow that Birch would not be out that day, but that another employ 6 would take hia place. This letter disarmed Birch, and unsuspectingly he handed over the b»g to tbe stranger, and returned by the next car to the head office, The man, who had obtained possession of the bag, rode as far aa Flemmgton road, where he left the car, and has not been seen or heard of since. When Birch returned to the office be waited until he could get an interview with Mr Wilcox, and when he succeeded he was astonished to learn that Mr W ilcox had not sent for him or written the letter he had seen in the possession of the stranger. The m'asing bag was found by a little girl in a vacant allotment at the rear of " Our Lodgings," fronting Lonsdale street. She took it to the Little Bourke street police station, and said she had seen it placed there by four men. A J'LOOD IN MELBOCRNK An extraordinary rainfall has taken place in Melbourne and in other portions of Victoria during the past few' days. The result has been that within the metropolitan area a

large flood has occurred, which is equal to that whioh was experienced in 1863. The rainfall was accompanied by a storm in flobson Bay, which has been attended with disastrous results. The extent of the downpour may be judged from the fact that between 1 a.m. on Saturday and 9 am. yesterday 540 inches were registered. The rain has now ceased, and the Yarra — the ovei flowing of which has caused all the trouble, is beginning to fall slowly, It will be two or three days before the waters have receded sufficiently to enable the precise extent of the damage to be ascertained. Over 1,000 persona are said to have been flooded out at S"'ith Yarra alope, and in Richmond, South Melbourne, and Footscray hundreds of houses are under water, and the horn less people are in many cases io great distress The dead body of a man was found in a flooded house at South Yarra, and in the afternoon a man was drowned at the Queen's Bridge through the capsizing of a hunt. A girl sixteen jears of ag is also reported to he missing from one of the distressed families in Richmond. Shipping in the river was almost at a standstill yesterday, and the railway traffic on tbe lines damaged by the floods is still deranged. No car» were run yetWday on the Toorak, South Melbourne, and Poit Melbourne tram line*, and the railway line was the only connecting link between the city and the two last-mentioned suburbs. The ships in the bay fared badly on Sunday, and the heavy strain on the cables caused the anchors of the four-masted ship Kent mere and the sohooner Beagle to lose ■ their hold on the ground, and they drifted in the direction of the shore. The schooner's crew got sail on their vessel before she went ashore, and by some good fceaman«hip sailed her to a pafe anchorage. The Kentmeie, however, did not fare so wt-11, but drifted on to the St Kilda batik, on the ea^t sine of the bay. Although it ia nob probable that the vessel will be seriously injured, she will have to discharge cargo before she can he floated. The schooner Unity, laden with bluegum, was driven on a candy bsach : eight miles from Sorrento early on Sunday ' morning. There were six men on board, i all of whom managed to get ashore safely, although they were very much ex- ' haunted. The veaeel will become a total wreck. < Another wreck occurred on the coast on ; Sunday afternoon. The schooner Narra, j bound from Tasmania to Melbourne, went ' on the rocks near Sorrento, and the master, i Captain Lancaster, and a cook named i Matthew Robertson were drowned. T. ' Lancaster, a Bon of the captain, and T. < Gallagher, a seaman, were saved. The t schooner was loaded with a ciroo of pota- | toec, and waa uninsured. Very heavy i weather wa« experienced by the vessel all i the way from Tasmania, and on Saturday t nighfc it blew a hurricane. The reef ou i which the ftchooner struck was known aa < London Bridge. The disaster was observed 1 by three or four local residents. The captain I waa washed overboard and drowned just ' before the venae! struck. The same sea sent 1 the mast overboard and injured the cook, ( Robertson. Gallagher was the first to jump 1 overboard. He reached the shore in a very < exhausted condition. Soon afterwards Lan- t caster, the son of the captain, and Robert- < son were observed to jump overboard to- ' gether. Robertson sank almost immediately, i and was seen no more. Lancaster, however, 1 continued to swim, and after struggling with the waves for about fifteen minutes was 1 washed ashore in an insensible condition. 1 He was taken out of the water, and restored to life by the united cxertioDS of the resi ' dents present. t WRECK AT BARWON HEADS, 1 News has been received that aa a result of { the storm which prevailed on Saturday and Sunday, the steamer BaDcoora, a well- - known vessel in the Indian trade, has gone ashore near Bream Creek, at a distance of 1 about seven miles west of Poit Phillip Head*, and four miles from the B-irwon i Heads. The vessel was bound from Cal- < cutta to Melbourne with a general cargo, I and she waa under the command of Captain < Britten, who had charge of her for the first time. Her crew consisted of ninety-four f perßonc, and she carried twenty-two pas- i sengera besidea a general cargo The whole^ 1 of the passengers and drew have been rescued," < but there appears to be little prospect of 1 saving the vessel, as her bottom is already < stove in, and she ia half full of water. ' The Bancoora left Adelaide on Friday morn- ' ing las';, and had all gone well expectfd to t enter Port Phillip heads on Sunday morning Immediately after leaving Adelaide the 1 veoßel encountered a tremendous sr>uth-wet>t 1 gale, and ahe was struggling with this from i that time until she ran ashore. What was • Bupposed to be the Cape Otway light waa ] seen about midnight on Saturday, and the i vessel held on her course, expecting to sight i the Heads about da) light. The rain waß i falling in torrents, the weather was thick ' and haey. and a tremendous pea was running I The vessel orufeed about all Sunday looking i in vain for the Heads or for a pilot boat. When they were not sighted a coarse waa 1 steered out to sea to obtain a good effing. Then abou 1 ; midnight on Sunday the course i was changed, and the vessel* head was put J again towards the Heada. Two houro and 1 a- half from thia time she was ashore. It was the watch of the second officer. Mr i Sharp, and the captain waa also on deck, i A native of Manila was at the wheel, and 1 another member of the crew was on the ' look-out, but it does not appear that any ' warning cry w&n given or any beacon light j sighted before tbe ship struck. Then the I order waa given to the engine room " Full speed astern." But the vessel waa too i heavily embedded in the sand, and the powerful engines were helpless. The pas- < aengers and crew were soon on deck, and in i the wild ness of the night, with the sea i making clean breaches over her, it was not i expected that the vessel could hold together ' for an hour. The first thought was of the boats* of which there were seven, and under the direction of the officers the crew, assisted by several of the passengers, worked manfully, but without panic or disorder, in the effort to launch them. This was no easy task, for the men were repeatedly driven from their' posts by the heavy seas, but in ■ an hour or two they were ready to launch. It waß then found that the vessel was holding together well, and did not appear to be in immediate danger of going to pieces, and therefore it was determined to stand by her until daylight, when the chances of a successful landing would be greater. When daylight broke tbe occupants of the vessel for the first time foand what their position was, and it was seen that it was by no means as desperate as in the darkness and the blinding storm they bad feared. The vessel lay no more than 200 yards from a sandy beach, and she appeared to be firmly bedded in the sand, and able to withstand the shock of the waves. Nevertheless no time wan lost in securing a means of •soape should the vessel go to piece*. The second officer and several members of the oxew went aihore in a boat, taking with them a line, which was firmly fixed on tbe beach, and formed a constant means of communication with the vessel. As the day advanced the violence of the storm abated, and the sea moderated. Tbe engines were kept at work in an endeavor to weaf the vessel off the sand, but the effort was quite useless, as she drifted nearer and nearer to tbe shore, and finally it beoarae t vident that she had come in contaot with the rocks, and that her bottom had been stove in. The water gained rapidly, and when it reached the engine room the fires were extinguished in order to save the boilers from injury. After the Bhipstruckguns were fired and rockets were sent up at intervals.

These attracted the attention of Mr Milne, a farmer resiling in the neighborhood, and he being unable to rea*h the shore owing to the floods, but seeing the masts of a ship lying cloae in, rode into Geelong and gave information. A number of fishermen living about five miles from the scene of the wreck also saw the vessel ashore, and made their way to her during the forenoon, rendering valuab'e assistance in getting the passengers ashore. The Lascar sailors — > *'er to be relied on in cases of emergency like British sailors — were tbe first to leave the vessel as soon as communication with the shore was opened, but it was not until evening that the Europe au passengers and v.v ■ ffitv rlanded. The only European lady on boaru was Mm Ron*, the wife «>f a, sea captain. She, with tier infant, was landed eatly and conveyed to Geelong. There were several Asiatic women amongt-t tbo passengers, and they were landed in the evening, and fnuod a refuge in the house of Mr Scott, a farmer living near.