The schooner A. F. Coates was making for Puget Sound, when Captain Morris sighted a low-floating object a short distance from his vessel.
Suspecting that it was ambergris, he sent the second mate with a boat and crew to investigate.
A heavy swell was running at the time, and darkness was fast approaching.
The second mate overhauled the object just at dusk, and he said it closely resembled ambergris.
Unable to signal the captain to work the ship near, he managed to get two handfuls of the drift and returned to the schooner.
Next morning it was not to be seen.
Captain Morris turned the sample over to chemists, and it proved to be pure ambergris of a very high grade.
The small amount the mate had grabbed was disposed of for £400. He estimated the size of the drift to be 14ft long, 15in wide, and 8in thick.
At the price obtained for this small lot, this drift is easily worth £50,000. Ambergris, which is a morbid secretion of the whale, and is used in perfumery, commands from £5 to £12 an ounce, and there is a steady demand for it.
• The Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association report:- We held our Winter Show sale of Clydesdale mares, fillies, and geldings on Thursday and Friday, with an entry of 200 horses and a splendid attendance of farmers, graziers, contractors, and traders.
Buyers were present from South Canterbury, North Otago, Taieri, Tokomairiro, Balclutha, Clinton, and the whole of Southland.
Big weighty geldings, sound and young, although limited in number, realised highly satisfactory prices.
The entry comprised a large number of very useful mares and geldings suitable for town and country work.
Several consignments from the north western districts met with excellent competition, being noted for their hardiness of constitution and working capabilities.
Aged mares and geldings were somewhat neglected, but a complete clearance of this section was made at low prices.
Young and sound spring-carters were in fair demand, but harness and hackney sorts were almost unsaleable.
For draught geldings the highest prices obtained were £36 for a big well-finished horse belonging to Mr William Charters, Ury Park, and £34 for a five-year-old gelding belonging to Mr Peter Bathgate (West Taieri).
• At St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday morning Bishop Nevill referred to the fact that it was just 45 years ago that he had been consecrated to the Bishopric of Dunedin, and on that date (June 4, 1871), Bishop Harper, of Christchurch, resigned the new diocese of Otago, which had formerly belonged to the Christchurch diocese, into his hands.
His Lordship stated that the Diocese of Otago started with nothing, and that all that had been accomplished here had taken place since that day.
There were then eight Church of England clergymen in the whole of Otago, and now there were 58 churches and an equal number of clergymen.
He appealed to the people to continue to work in the future as they had in the past.
He acknowledged that all that had been done for the church was by the kind co-operation of the lay people.
In the evening the vicar (the Rev. E. R. Nevill) took a special service of intercession for the sailors of the fleet as a commemoration of the brave men who had given their lives on the Queen Mary and the other warships for the Empire. - ODT, 5.6.1916.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
