MINTARO.
[From our own Correspondent.]
Mintaro, October 19.
We were visited on Friday evening last with a most terrific hailstorm, accompanied by very heavy thunder and lightning. In the space of two hours our creeks were higher than they had been throughout the winter. Such a wet season as we have experienced in this locality has not been known by the oldest inhabitant. It has not caused any great amount of damage to the crops, save in one or two instances knocking off the ears of barley which was in a forward state; the blossoms on the various fruit-trees have suffered more severely. During the past week one or two accidents have occurred. A man was in the act of unyoking a team of bullocks when one of them rushed at him, driving his horns on each side of him, tearing the skin off his ribs about seven or eight inches in length. How the man escaped is almost a miracle. Two gentlemen driving tandem had also a narrow escape. Whilst driving along our road the shaft horse fell, and they were both thrown out. I am glad neither they nor the horse sustained any great injury.
A meeting was held a few days back at Auburn, to petition the House of Assembly to declare the road from Auburn to Port Wakefield a main line, which certainly cannot meet the views of this place, or of drivers of teams travelling from the Burra or the North, as a line of road already exists at Leasingham which goes directly to the Burra, saving a distance of perhaps six or seven miles to what the Auburn route would in travelling from the Burra to Port Wakefield. In fact, it is the same road, but that it is much nearer. Auburn is under a District Council, and they have a good road to Leasingham. We hold with them that the road wants putting in repair, but at the same time not that one locality shall be elevated at the fall of others. Another memorial no doubt will be put in agreeing with them as far as possible, but at the same time studying several townships in place of one.
