CHARLESTON NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 178, 25 February 1868, Page 2

CHARLESTON NEWS.

Whatever may be said in disparagement as to the permanent character of the diggings around Charleston, it cannot be denied that there is an astonishing amount of vitality in the workings. Take, for example, the old town lead on the south side of the township ; the ground there has been worked, reworked, abandoned and taken up again several times over, and has now entered upon what promises to be a still more prosperous phase of its existence. Extended claims having been granted two water wheels with the usual stamping machinery are at work

crushing the cement, which generally underlies the surface of the ground, and a third water wheel is in bourse of construction. The prospects of the first wheel, belouging to Holmes and part}', situated near the Bank of New South Wales, are very good. The public are certainly indebted to the spirited proprietors of the Casino, Messrr. Poyn, Sturfc and Co., for the enterprise they have shown in introducing such first-class entertainments as that given by the Simonseu troupe and the Nathan family. The first-named company took their departure on Sunday with, we are afraid, but a very poor reward for their weeks trouble. If we mistake not the entertainment offered by the Nathan's will meet with better success ; indeed we defy any one to be able to resist the faicination attending the wonderful performances of the little child Marion. A fatal accident occurred at Welshman's Terrace, Brighton, on Saturday, to a miner named Frederick Toole. The deceased was working at the bottom of a shaft sending tip washdirt from ? to 11 in the forenoon, and then sung out to his mate above that he would not send up any more as he was going to take out sonle heading in the drive. His mate, at his request, lowered down. i» billy of water and went away, and did not return for an hour or two, when he called down the shaft that dinner was ready. Not receiving any reply, he decended and f jund the desceased in the drive, the head and upper portion of the body being buried beneath a fall of ground. A quarter of an hour's work sufficed to remove the earth, but deceased was quite dead, and had apparently been so for some little time. An inquest was held the same afternoon by Mr Broad, R.M , and the funeral which took place next day, Sunday, was very largely attended by all the miners of the neighborhood, the deceased was a German, having been much respected. The delegates from the Charleston Mining Board Committee, who visited Waite's —Messrs Savage and Cameron, speak highly of the courteous reception they met with from the miners of that district, who at a very large public meetiug fully endorsed the views and sontiments of the miners of Charleston as to the necessity for the establishment of a Mining Board. We believe there is a probability of the whole of the transactions and legal decisions, referring to the Nile Bridge property, being again subjected to legal fingering and scrutinising, by means of an action to. be brought in the next Supreme Court at Nelson.