Camera obscura

This photo-postcard is a lesson in knowing what you’re looking at on a postcard. It is not a photo of an ‘A’ class locomotive, as may be thought from the caption – that is the publisher’s series number. The loco is in fact an ‘X’ class specifically designed for the steeply graded Taihape-Taumarunui run. It was built by New Zealand Railways at Addington workshops. Researching this photo took us to Sean Millar’s book The NZR Steam Locomotive where we found the same photo though not as a postcard and a caption stating it was taken at Taihape.

Contributed by Perry Rice, Heritage Librarian Photographs, Hamilton City Libraries. If you can add any information or if you wish to inquire regarding historic images, contact him at heritage@hcc.govt.nz. Please quote this number: 00113 Last week a remarkable dog story came to light in the Wairarapa. Tess, a 30-month-old labrador cross, ate 1080 poison and survived relatively unscathed, albeit after receiving treatment in an induced coma. The dog’s owner, a Featherson vet, believes the case to be unique.

Two stories from over a century ago rival that of Tess. In 1908 the Marlborough Express published the tale of an irish terrier called Smut. After he bit a child, the pooch’s master, Mr Morris, decided that Smut must die. The method of execution decided upon was prussic acid.

Morris administered the prescribed poison, expecting Smut to expire within two minutes. Half an hour later the dog was not only still living, he was looking ‘‘rather pleased’’ at all the attention. Undaunted, Morris upped the dosage. Smut became drowsy, but thereafter rallied, woke up and began wagging his tail vigorously.