The carriages were pretty well packed by people going to the races, and one man (who later was identified as a bookmaker), and had either gone without his breakfast or was expecting to be so busy that he would not be able to find time for his dinner, undid a brown paper parcel and took therefrom a large-sized roast fowl.
His next act was to spread a sheet of newspaper on the floor of the carriage, and this, as was afterwards seen, was intended as a receptacle for the bones.
He cut off one of the legs and, with the aid of a hunk of bread as a digestive commenced to devour it.
That leg finished, he commenced on the other, and afterwards made an onslaught on the breast.
In the meantime the pile of bones at his feet began to grow in size, and when he had demolished the whole of the fowl he wrapped the remains up neatly and threw them out of the window.
• The series of motor trips organised by the Dunedin Expansion League, have evidently proved as acceptable in Dunedin as similar trips are elsewhere.
The idea which the league had in view was to enable tourists to get some adequate idea of the beauty of Dunedin and its surroundings within the shortest possible time.
The excursions so far carried out have proved most successful and enjoyable.
A Dunedin round trip is run every Wednesday morning by cars leaving the league's office at 10 o'clock.
The route is arranged to carry the visitor to the points of vantage and beauty spots on the hills around the city, from which views from various points are available.
Other popular excursions are arranged to Waitati, Larnach's Castle, Nicholl's Creek Waterfalls, Wairongoa and Outram.
• With reference to the severe dust storm at Broken Hill on Thursday, December 4, a lady connected with the theatrical business writing to her relatives in Christchurch (says the Press), thus describes the astonishing spectacle and her experiences:- ''The excitement up at this dreadful place! We have had a most terrific dust storm. We were in the sitting-room; it was about 114deg. in the shade, and we were nearly dead with the heat, when all of a sudden someone said ''Look!'' and away in the distance we saw a huge wall of dust gradually coming nearer, and as it came it changed into different colours, browns, pinks, purples, and blues. Someone suggested going up in the tower to get a better view. We reached the tower, and at last we were enveloped in the dreadful dust; everything was pitch black.
"Three of us were left in the tower, and it was awful. You couldn't see your hand in front of you, and through the tiny windows there was a red glare like burning fire. It was a dreadful experience.
"It was blacker even than night, and at last we groped our way about and found the stairs and helped one another down. The people below were awfully anxious for us, but, however, we got over all right. The darkness was absolutely intense, and kept so for 16 minutes.''
- ODT, 7.1.1914.
