Tram plows into grazing horse

Dee St, Invercargill, from the Bank of New Zealand, with the Town Hall and Municipal Theatre inset at right. - Otago Witness, 13.11.1912.

When the 10.51 car from Andersons Bay was travelling along the Andersons Bay Road last night it collided with a stray horse somewhere near the corner of McBride Street and Bay Road.

The animal was grazing at the end of the plantation located along that part of the tram route, and its hindquarters were across one of the lines. The driver of the car, C. Colmar, was not able to see the horse in time, and a collision ensued, the animal being thrown clear of the line.

After the police had been notified of the accident the car proceeded on its journey to town, having been subjected to only a trifling delay.

• Mr George Elliott, of Hampstead, whose strawberry beds and orchards have suffered considerably as a result of the depredations of the codlin moth, had manufactured a simple mixture, which (says the Timaru Herald), he claims will do considerable execution amongst the pest. The mixture consists of sugar and treacle, which, with the addition of warm water, is made into a syrup.

Bottle with large necks are filled about half-full with the mixture then suspended among the branches of the trees. The moths are attracted by the smell, and when they once get down into the mixture to taste, are unable to get out again! A sample bottle which had been hung in a tree at Ashburton for a short time only contained a very large number of codlin moths, and also blue-bottles and other flies.

• The Sydney Morning Herald says that Roland Maund, a few nights ago, was on duty at No. 2 platform at the Central Railway Station, as guard of the 5.47 Sydney-Richmond train. He was standing with his hands on the stanchion of one of the carriages, when he was struck by lightning. Seen in Sydney Hospital, he described the occurrence in this way:

"Suddenly there was a flash, right on top of me, and simultaneously with it I received a most severe electric shock. The flame ran from the top of the stanchion to the bottom, passing completely through my hand, and, most wonderful of all, leaving it quite unscarred.

"The flame was about a foot wide. So severe was the shock that my left arm was jerked right up into the air and I was lifted bodily from the car and hurled through the air for a distance of about 15 yards.

"There were quite a number of people about at the time, all hurrying aboard, but no-one else was touched, except the two ticket collectors who caught me as I came sailing through the air. Talk about a shock! Well, it took a lot to make me believe I was still alive. I expect it was the steel stanchion; it attracted the lightning. However, I am fine now."

• Attention is particularly directed by the Chief Public Health Officer in his annual report to the outbreak of plague in Auckland during March, April and May of last year.

Fortunately, he says, the outbreak was limited eight cases, one being a nurse who contracted the disease while on plague duty.

To the credit of the nurses, be it said, he remarked, there was no difficulty in obtaining volunteers for this duty. Only two of the cases proved fatal.

"Though no cases have been reported since May 8, 1911, neither the department nor the municipal authorities have relaxed any of the precautions considered necessary, though some of the suburban authorities have been somewhat apathetic in the matter.

"Auckland is a much cleaner city than it was this time last year."

- ODT, 9.11.1912.

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