The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-12-08 00:00:00

S.A 3 URDAY, DEC

COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON. —Farmer'.4 Wife (03
little rustic, her protégé) " Well, Sam, your master
and I are going up to London for the Cattle shove"'
Cow Boy : "Oh, I'm sure I hope yeou'll take the
just prize, 'M
—that 1 dew ! "—Punch's Almanaek.
BAVIC ROBBERY IN AmEarcA.—Four burglars robb
the Bank of New Washington, Ohio, on Thurachl
night in laft week. They escaped on a h And car along
the railway to Vernon, and then went to Shelbli.
Here telegrams aroused the offi,:ials' who intercents°
them and a pistol encounter followed. Several officerg
were wounded, and one burglar was killed. The others
fled through the woods pursued by the citizens. After,
a pursuit of two miles the burglars turned short an°
killed one of the pursuers. The second burglar WO .
captured, and after a hot pursuit another was killed.
The fourth burglar escaped.
A REMINDER.—Waiter : Beg pardon, sir, you've
forgotten your umbrella.—Skimps: Eh! my memory
shocking. I never can remember.—Waiter Yee,
sir ; I noticed you didn't remember the waiter.—FunnY
Folks.
FAST TrmE WITH HEAVY TRAINS.—The American
Machinist says :—Engine 415, lately built by the
Schenectady Locomotive Works for the Dltchigfa;
Central Railroad, on a recent trip, which was titnect
by the division master mechanic, took thirteen cars.
seven of them being sleepers, and one dining car.
from St. Thomas fo Windsor, 111 miles, in two hours
and thirty-eight minutes running time. This was at
the rate of 42 1 miles an hour, and speed had to bs
made up after several stops and slowing down. On
another occasion the same engine took seven cars,
four of which were sleepers, from St. Thomas• to
Buffalo, and made a running time of fifty-one miles
an hour. Considering that these runs were mades
through a country with numerous small towns that
were traversed on the level with the streets, where
some reduction of speed was necessary, the record
made was something remarkable. The engine that
did this work has cylinders 18 inches by 24 inches,
and drivers 70 infthes In diameter. The weight io
working order is 44 tons. The engine steams remark:
ably well, and there is no reason why she should nos
keep up a speed of seventy miles an hour if desirsl'
The weight of the train would have to be reduced,
we believe the engine could run at seventy miles •
hour, keeping it up, and pull four sleepers or the
equivalent.

"MANY A TRUE WORD," ETC.—lmprovident Party:
Hallo, Jones, what are you doing ?—Careful ditto.
Somet n g that you can't do; banking my salerY.--
Funny lolk,s.
THE METALLISATION OF WOOD. —ln an "Occasions'
Note" Chambers's Journal says :—This process, which
has lately been invented in France, consists in 50ai:4
the wood in caustic alkali for two or thee days at I,
temperature of from one-hunderd and sixty-seven to
one hundred and ninety, four degrees Fahrenheit.
At the expiration of this time, the wood is placed in
another bath, of hydrosulphate of calcium, to which
is added after twenty-four hours, a concentrated
solution of sulpher. In forty-eight hours the wood
is immersed in a third bath, of acetate of lead, at a
temperature of from ninety.five to one hundred and
twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit, for thirty to aft,
hours. When it is quite dry, it is capable of 11_;
ceiving a wonderful polish, and looks like a meta'
mirror. Wood treated in this way is practically tr).
destructible, and never decays with damp.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The
jog are the average prices of British corn for lOC
week, as received from the inspectors and officers '
Excise :--Wheat, 40s. 2d. ; barley, 325. 6d. ;
19a. sd. per imperial qr. Corresponding week -
year :—Wheat, 41s. sd. ; barley, 84s. 6d. ;
20s. 7d.

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DYING ON Durr.—For some time it has been the
custom for the platelayers on the Onibury length et
the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway to take turo.
at the pointsman's box at Onibury Railway Statioo
on Sundays, relieving the regular official. Richard
Watkins was so engaged on Sunday night, when the
station•master, between five and six, inding the,
distant signal and other lights had not been attendea
to, and that the train to Hereford would be due
fifty-four minutes past five, baster ed to the signer'
box, and found Watkins in a chair quite dead.

ATTEMPTED MURDER BY AN ESCAPED LUNATIC.'"
Thomas Yates, a gunmaker. who was cautined as
lunatic in the Birmingham Asylum, escaped from tbsi!
institution on Tuesday, and aftei taking a bayoue,
from the shop of which he was formerly the owner, lie
went to his home. There he savagely attacked ,b 1
wife, stabbing her three times in the arm and rigi"
jaw. Her screams brought neighbours to her assist'
ance, and after a desperate struggle the man
secured. The woman was removed to a hospital, an 1
her wounds are BO serious that they may prove fatal.

AIIDACIOIS CRIME IN MARSEILLES.—A Paris tele'
gram dated Dec. 4 says that a most audacious crime
was commitr.ed in Marseilles two days ago. A clerk
of the Orgdit Lyonnais proceeded to a house in the
Rue Paradis for the payment of a bill. The young
collector was ushered into a room where the mond
was paid. While the unfortunate clerk was signing,
the receipt, a stalwart man took him by the neck ana
strangled him. The sum of 50,000 fr., which the col-
lector had in the portfolio, was stolen. The house
had only been occupied three days by three men sac'
had rented it for a week.

THINGS ONE WOULD RATHER HAVE LEFT Ti
Enter Mr. Chesterfield Grandison Potts "How d'Ve
do, my dear Mrs. Pettifer ? I 'ye come to oongrg"
tulate you on your performance of the Lady of 14074,
at Mrs. Torokynsis. It was simply perfect I "—D'il`
tinguished Lady Amatßur "Oh, far from perfect. I
fear I To he perfect, alas ! the part of Pauline requires
that one t•hould he young and lovely, you know !'•••"
Mr. C. G. Potts (who piques himself on his old-
fashioned courtesy) : "My dear lady, you are Living
Proof to the contrary / "—Puncit.

T)EATFI FROM HYDROVHOIIIA. Nw:in London
Danford held an iuoa6Bt at the Islingtoll
Coroner's Can:t, respectink the death of George
Schimmone, aged sever, of 1, James.street, lelingtorl
Ths evidence showed that on October 24 the decease'
was sent on hn errand, when a neighbour's dog (a bull
terries) flew at him and bit him in the face. He
taken to a chemist and the wound was sewn up. The
deceased remained well until Sunday week.
water was offered hird on that day he refused it,
said that he must snap at it. He became very ill, al3;
foamed at the mouth and raved. He died on We'll'
nesday. Dr. Munday deposed that death resnit,eu
from hydrophobia. The jury returned a verdict ill
accordance with the medical evidence.

spa

AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS. —The Magnet, in a NMI°
A
of the British corn trade during last week, says
week of mild weather has rather stimulated vegetatloot
and a few fronts would no doubt be of use in prevent'
tug an unhealthy development. In other respects the
general agricultural position is not unsatisfactorl•
From
,the Continent accounts remain much about 00
same,

A MANSION BURNT.—Cressingham Hone, nog
Reading, the residence of Mr. Lonergan, was totalli
destroyed by fire on Saturday. The firs was
covered at about ten o'clock in the morning.
coubty fire brigade arrived with their engines, and the
Volunteer Fire Brigade also attended, but their et'
vices were cf no avail, as the supply of water was from
a pond, which was nearly choked with mud, The fire
broke out in tho roof, and the flames spread so rapid',
that befcro leven o'clock they bad a complete master?
over the whole building. The mansion was 0c432;
pletely gutted before one o'clock, and but few of tu_
walls were left standing. The chief articles in th;
dining-room and the pictures were saved, but by 1,2,,
the greater portion of the valuable articles in t"'
mansion, including much costly jewellery, Wag ni
stroyed. Mr. and Mrs. Lonergan were away fro; =
home at the time. The fire is believed to have orig`
nated in the roof.
BEHIND THE SCENES.—Mrs. Santerre : "o
can't have a longer chat with you, Tottie • but 9(31"
know Santerre plears Romeo to-night, I,ve beet
running about nil day for him, buying new pads fl
his legs, having his false front teeth seen to t.
Scrub Cher's ; and unless I get back at once with OP
packet of jujubes to—well, to soften his sweet Voice'
he might use naughty words—and beat me.”—Flgb _

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A RErmaz.--At the Liverpool Assizes, a rill
named Lewis Parry was sentenced to death for tbe
murder of Susannah Hutton. The question was °Pto
of identity, and Mr. Justice Denman was not Olio
eatistied with the verdict. Representations to tbit.
effect were made to the Home Office, and Mr. W•
M'Connell, who defended the prisoner, has since
ceived the following letter ;—" Whitehall, Nov.
1883.—Sir,—With reference to your application
matter of Lewis !Ivry, I am directed by the Secret/1
of State to acquaint you that he has decided to &RIB,
M .
her ajesty to corr Dante the sentence passed on 0_1;
EGan to one of penal servitude for life.-1 am, Sir, Ye'
obedient servant, A. F. 0. LrDDELL."
:00)1 ANTlquims.—Antiquary (showing his tress' ,
"Colt's revolver, found on the field o' Waterloo!'
Friend "Eh ! But I should have thought—.—l'd
idea they—"—Antiquary : " No—l dare
(With exultation.) "Oh, they're dooc,ea rare, '—
tell you! "—Punch's Almanack.
DISASTERS AT SEA.—The Burn Veritas has itra!
published the following statistics of maritime disaster::
reported during the month of October, 1883, cone efo",
ing all flags :—Sailing vessels reported lost
American, three Austrian, 38 British, three Dtibilir,
four Dutch, eine French, 14 German, seven Italia ;
seven Norwegian, two Portuguese, two Russian, 0%
Gpanish, Biz Swedish ; total, 105. In this number 11`..,
included five vessels reported missing. Steam
ported ported lost-14 British, one German, one Nartee'Oers
total 16. In this number are included four ',testa
reported missing.

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