The Examiner. Published MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY. MONDAY, MAY 7.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXII, Issue 3870, 7 May 1906, Page 2

The Examiner. Published MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY. MONDAY, MAY 7.

In calling for tenders for tbe construction of the a Arthur’s Pass tungreat nel, the Governundertaking. ruent is taking the first step towards carrying out one of the largest engineering works ever attempted in the colony, and the chief difficulty in the projected linking of the east and west coasts of the South Island by means of the Midland Railway. Arthur’s Pass, which is about 3000 ft high, is one of the main range, which runs through the centre of the Middle Island, and for the last twenty four years experts have been engaged in solving the problem of how to carry the railway past that point. All sorts of schemes—zigzag railway, tbe Fell system, such as is employed on the Bimutakaincline,and soon — have been suggested; but the authorities have at length decided that the mountain shall belunnellod, and tenders are now being called for the work. The tunnel will be some five and a quarter miles, or three times the length of the Lyttelton tunnel, and will be the longest tunnel in the southern hemisphere. The grade through the tunnel will be pretty steep—lft in 83ft—and, in order to get rid of the smoke nuisance, that section of the railway will be worked by electricity, generated by power supplied from the Otira Eiver.

One of the strangest cargoes ever put into the hold of A NEW an ocean-going vesinddstrt. sel recently arrived

in London, It consisted of a number of bags of dried flies. The flies came from Brazil, and are to be retailed, at one shilling and sixpence per lb, as food for birds in capacity, and fishes. They were caught on the river Amazon by Brazilians, who, floating down stream in boats, use large nets to scoop in the millions of insects which circle in dense clouds just above the water. When captured they are killed, dried thoroughly in the sun, and packed in bags ready for shipment. A considerable number of people are engaged in this industry. The flies constitute oue of the richest foods in a dry state. For chickens they are mixed with nineteen other ingredients, such as millet and maize. They are rather toe rich by themselves, but their power of nourishment is so great that a small quantity of them has the most beneficial effects. Two years ago the exportation of the flies was stopped by the Brazilian Government, who were afraid that the fish in the Amazon would be detrimentally affected by their clearance.

Society men and women in Baltimore imagined themA selves back in baby“baby” hood the other night ball. and sang and played, “King William was King James’s Son,’’ “ Here we Come Gathering Nuts in May,’’ and other nursery songs and games, besides dancing baby dances. The occasion was a “ baby ball ’’ given by Mrs Alexander Brown. Her magnificent ball room was turned into an immense nursery, the young men coming in knicker-bockers and the women in short frocks. All the guests were lined up when Miss Harriet Brown, the debutante daughter of the hostess, entered sitting in a perambulator, pushed by Miss Mary Van Lear Findlay, dressed as a negro nurse, and attended dutifully by a watchful maid. She looked sweet and pretty in a dainty long-waisted white frock of lace and nainsook, with big blue bows at her waist and sleeves. Her long curls were tied on the side with a blue bow and a large picture hat was thrown carelessly off ber shoulder. The guests dragged about the room with them “ moo-cows,” wooden horses, tin frogs, and stuffed woolly lambs. Some also wheeled hoops, shook rattles, started mechanical toys, and blew shrill blasts on toy trumpets. At 11.80 supper was served. At each table were tiny bottles of milk tor the rejuvenated guests. Luring supper more nursery songs were played by the orchestra, and alterwaids the “babies’’ danced until four in the morning.