The Westport Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1870.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 651, 28 April 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1870.

A melancholy accident, attended with fatal results, took place at Dixon, Cook, and party's claim, Giles Terrace, yesterday. It apoears that about 11 a.m. John Ruinney, who was working John Cowan's share, William Jones, and William Hopkins were working in a tunnel, Rnmney being nearest the face, when the false set of timber gave way, immediately followed by several other sets and a mass of dirt. The three men were buried, and when extricated —a number of miners immediately setting in and clearing away the debris, occupying a space of two hours—it was found that Jones and Hopkins had escaped without injury. Dr Thorpe was in attendance, but unfortunately medical aid was unavailing, as John Ruinney was found dead, with a slab lying across his neck. The deceased was about 28 years of age, single, and a native of Weardale, county Durham. An inquest will be held on the body at Giles Terrace to-day. An adjourned meeting of the Hospital Committee was held yesterday afternoon at the Court House, with the object of raising funds for the maintenance of the institution. It was resolved that the best method of immediately getting funds in hand was by means of a concert, which it was intended to have held some time back. The proposed concert is expected to take place before the expiration of the month. An opinion was expressed that some permanent improvements having been undertaken in the shape of fencing, &c, their cost should be extended over two years, and charged accordingly to the revenues of the hospital; it was also the opinion of the committee that the maintenance money paid by patients shonld be regarded as public subscription, and as such be subsidised by the Government; in which case the committee would have funds sufficient to terminate the financial year. A party of men are engaged working, a few miles south of Bradshaw Terrace, a run of gold that may be accepted as a continuation of the terrace lead. A paddock has been taken out, and the prospects are much the same, and, water being plentiful, will Hffed&HM PaJUsmall wasres. Several hoios A statement appeared in a recent issue of our Charleston contemporary to the effect that a small party of miners had succeeded in obtaining a heavy par3el of rough gold —seventy ounces for a fortnight's work, — from ground situated up Fox's River, in the neighborhood of Brighton. We purposely omitted giving publicity to the statement until the receipt of information confirming the richness of the find, and the result of our enquiry appears in a correspondent's letter in another column. In place of seventy ounces, the quantity obtained was seven ounces, sufficient to pay fair wages. Confident hopes are entertained that ground of sufficient extent will be opened up to employ a moderate population. We have been favored by Mr Winstanley, Postmaster, with the following statistics relating to the Post Office and Savings Bank, Westport:—The total number of letters and newspapers received at and despatchedfromthePost Office, Westport for the quarter ending 31st March, 1870, wasletters, 24,755; newspapers, 16,373 ;78 letters were registered, and 73 received from other offices. There were 200 money orders issued for £1149 10s Id, and Gl paid for £216 ss. The returns of the Post Office Savings Bank show that there were 127 deposits, amounting to £2526 14s, and 90 withdrawals for £1953 Is sd.

A meeting of the committee was held at the Athenauim on Friday last. Present, Messrs Powell, Sutton, Giles, Bullen, Denniston, and Whyte. The rules submitted for the management of the institution were considered and passed with certain amendments. It was decided that the Athenreum should be opened for the admission of members on the nights of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in each week, and that strangers be admitted each evening on payment of sixpence ; a fireplace is also to be erected in the building. The sum of £lO, for the purchase of periodicals, and .£35, for books, was fixed for the current year. Dr Giles, Messrs Whyte, and Denniston, were appointed a sub-committee to order and select books; Mr Denniston acting also as hon. sec. to the Institute vice Mr Bullen resigned. We notice that " Chamomile," dissatisfied with our having expunged certain matters in his letter, chiefly of a personal character, has had recourse to our Charleston contemporary. They have published it in e.rtenso and italicised the portions we deemed it better for all parties to suppress. We are thankful they have elected to do so, and leave it to the good taste of such as may see the Charleston Herald whether such per sonalities, from an anonymous writer, were not more wisely, and to all parties more kindly excluded.

We notice the arrival of G. Donne, Esq., M.P.C., en route for Nelson, to take his seat during the present session of the Provincial Council.

Mr Franklyn has desired us to state that on further consideration he declines to publish any reply to theremarkspassed uponhiin by Messrs Barrowman and Doyle, in their address to the electors of the Grey Valley.

Reports from Mokihinui are not of the most encouraging nature. Watson and party, who have been prospecting for some time in that neighborhood, have again gone out after a visit to the township, their efforts having been hitherto unsuccessful, and the digging population is stated to be very small and the township almost deserted. Several parties are doing well on the South Terrace, amongst whom Peterson and party, who have succeeded in striking a small lead of gold, are earning seven to eight pounds weekly per man.

A robbery of amalgam is reported as having taken place at Addison's on Monday

last, the sufferers boing Wilk and party, and the quantity abstracted is estimated at fifty ounces. It is notified elsewhere that quartz claims registered at Irishman's Creek, Lyell, will be protected until July 31st, unless gold be sooner'struck or some valid objection made to the continuation of protection, provided that half the shareholders in any claim are engaged on the ground. The posting of fresh notices at the expiration of thirty days is temporarily dispensed with in consequence of the locality being at so great a distance from Westport. A small rush has taken place to a gully known as Bourke's gully, in the Inangahua district; our informant was unable to state the prospects yet obtained, being merely acquainted with the fact of a rush having set in to that quarter.

Greymouth has again narrowly escaped a conflagration. On Thursday morning last a woman, named O'Donnell, was found drunk in an empty house near Strii e and Blackmore's factory, her whereabouts being made known by a thick volume of smoke issuing from the tenement. Upon opening the door it was discovered that the straw mattress she lay on was in flames. The fire was promptly extinguished. A second occurrence of a similar character is report*d in the Argus of Saturday. "Another narrow escape from a serious conflagration took place yesterday at the Tramway Hotel, Amey street. Between five and six a.m. the cry of fire was raised, as smoke was seen issuing from the building, whereupon Mr Thom, who resides in the adjoining premises, was aroused. As soon as he reached the scene and got into the house he saw the whole wood work of the fireplace in a blaze. By the timely application of several bucketsful of water, he was able to keep the fire under and extinguish it. A few minutes longer and the hotel, with the adjoining cottages, must have been totally destroyed." The tender of Messrs Winter and Busby of this place has been accepted by the District Engineer for the delivery of 4000 tons of stone (granite) in the Buller River. The price of the accepted tender is 5s lOd per ton. There were twelve tenders lodged at the office of the District Engineer, varying from 5s lOd to 12s 6d per ton. The work will therefore be immediately commenced.

An inquiry lias been held at Greymouth, to ascertain the origin of the late tire in Boundary-street. The jury returned an open verdict, as the evidence adduced threw no light upon the origin of the fire. The inauguration of a new lodge, tinder the seal of the Manchester Unity, took place at Palmerston, Otago, on the 31 nit. The lodge is entitled the Loyal Palmerston Lodge. The Ahaura correspondent of the Grey Argun referring to the proposed Miners' League writes. The question of establishing a branch of the Westport Mining League at this place has, apparently, been allowed to drop. This is a pity, for it is by agitating for reforms which such a league would be capable of effecting that the miners can do themselves any real good. If they do not rely upon themselves they need not seek assistance elsewhere, and, if they continue to leave the making of the laws which directly affect their interests to persons who cannot possibly know their requirements they must take the consequen ces. A mining league composed of dele" gates from the different mining centres, or the miners, and could deal with, or offer practical suggestions to satisfying their wants. If such a board were in existence, say at Napoleon, the long-vexed question of the want of tracks, courts, &c, would have a better chance of being settled long ago, because those matters could then have been brought under the notice of the authorities in a proper manner. Efforts are being made by the licensed victuallers of Otago towards the abolition of bottle licenses; in order to remove any financial difficulty it is proposed that the publicans should pay an additional £5 per annum for licenses.

Upon a survey being held upon the origin of the fire on the steamer Claud Hamilton, it was found to have been caused by the heating of some greasy wool, not fax as previously stated. Some New Zealand flax, in close proximity to the wool was slightly burned on the outside of the bales.

In discussing the new steam line to San Francisco, the Lyttelton Times raises the question—What will be the nature and direction of the passenger traffic : will the stream of emigration tend to or from America, or both? It is suggested that the tide of emigration will set in strongly from Australasia to America, aud as furnishing some grounds for the supposition, the following paragraph is quoted from the Auckland correspondent of the Otago Daily Time-? ■. —" In referring to the departure of the Wonga Wonga,l should have mentioned that the number of steerage passengers with families who left by her from Australia, as well as this port, was a subject of general remark. Considering the inducements held out to settlers in the States, how far it will become necessary to modify land systems in New Zealand, was a question which occurred to more than one as the vessel steamed out of the harbor. Other probable effects of a closer union with the States were suggested to mo at the time, but this appeared to me as likely to be of most interest to Southern readers." A man appropriately named Adolph Theves has been committed for theft in Geelong. The Resident Magistrate at Napier has been suspended by the Government pending an investigation of certain charges which have been preferred against him. The new storm channel at Eoss, built by the Totara Eoad Board, at a cost of £4OO, stood the late floods admirably, and gave great satisfaction in the district. The sum of £2OO has been collected by the Relief Committee, at Greymouth, in aid of the sufferers by the late fire. The rain gauge at Messrs Parker's station, on the Waiho River, showed, a fall of no less than 5.32 inches of rain in 56 hours —from midnight on April 8, to 8 a.m. on April 11. The total quantity of gold exported from Victoria during the first three months of the year, was 418,176 oz3, of which 52,050 ozs were transhipments from New Zealand. The total exports during the corresponding period of last year, amounted to 419,681 ozs, of which 43,008 ozs were the produce of New Zealand goldfields. The number of letters, &c., despatched frem New Zealand by the San Francisco mail, is stated by the Southern Cross to have been as follows:—For the United Kingdom, 7,989 letters, 87 books, and 5,800 papors. For America, tea., 1,342 letters, 18 books, and 681 papers.

The G-reymouth Star gives a forcible instance of irregularity in the working of the Westland Licensed Victuallers Ordinance. Some time back Mr Hoos, as County Chairman, granted a Mrs Hood, on payment of the usual sum, permission to Bell spirit-

uous liquors, The Eesident Magistrate doubting the legality of Mr Hoos's proceeding caused Mrs Hood to be summoned for a breach of the ordinance. Mr Hoos, as head of the Police .Department, directed the complaint to be withdrawn. The information was withdrawn and the Resident Magistrate was worsted. Mrs Hoed vi a i subsequently charged with having failed to keep a lamp burning outside her premises during the specified hours, and Mr Revoll dismissed the charge on the ground that the defendant was not licensed under the ordinance.