The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-13 00:00:00

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HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for last week, as
received from the inspectors and officers of Excise:
Wheat, 345. 3d.; barley, 325. 3d.; oats, 20s. Od. per
Imperial qr. Correspondieg week last year: Wheat,
41s. Bd.; barley, 325. 10d; oats, 20s. lid.
FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—A fatal accident has
occurred on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway at
Kirkham, near Preston. A ballast train was coming
from Fleetwood and on approaching Kirkham the
driver shot off the steam to pick up two men whom he
saw standing on the bank. As the train was coming
up both men tried to pass in front. One of them,
named Fletcher, just succeeded and had a narrow escape,
but the other, named Richard Butler, aged 32, was
knocked on the metals and instantly killed. An inquest
has been held, and a verdict of "Accidental death"
returned.
RESCUE OF SHIPWRECKED SAILORS. A Renter's
telegram states that the steamer Cambrian has landed
at Calais seven men belonging to the brig Eliza Anne.
The latter having sprung a leak, her crew took to the
boats, and were on the point of perishing, owing to the
violence of the wind, when they were rescued by the
Cambriae. The Eliza Anne was bound from Shields to
London with a cargo of petroleum. The crew were
unable to save anything belonging to the vessel.
, AGRARIAN OUTRAGE NEAR CORK.-011 Sunday morn-
ing nine cows which were grazing on a boycotted farm
at Bishopstown„ near Cork, were found houghed in a
shocking Mariner; the other animals were .mutilated in
a different way. The farm since the tenant was evicted
a few years ago .has been in charge of Emergency
bailiffs. This year's meadowing was cut and safe and
• was lately purchaeed by a gentleman named Lewis,
who plated sortie 'cattle on the land. Two, of his COWS
and -seven others were iepired, all being rendered per-
fectly useless... .
• ICELA,ND ANDPAROE COD FISHING.--Thel first smack
of the North Fgoe cod- fishing fleet to reternfrom the
' second trifethie
,seftsein, the Tartar,Or'Crinigliy, arrived
at.Qtkiieypa Sattirday. 'The rcaptain states that he
Nshaa'experiencedair weather, and he brings •good
re-
pprts of. fishing-by English and foreign fleets •at Faroe,
and Iceland. He left on his second voyage on July 2,
and has succeeded its catching about 11,000 cod, which 7.
are‘eurecl, besides which the smacklidS'a large consign.
mant'of live fish 'on board, wall which she left for
Grimsby )dh•ect„ as soon-a the cured -cargo was dis.
A.IIIIIING THE rCiLjet.--A large numtert the metro-
polith.n police , stationcet in the
,sefid.-rtf neighb4ur,
loods' s" of the metropolis, are now, it is 'AO, carrying
revolvers at night. The revolvers are served out at the
request of the men themselves, but it is not compulsory
for any man to carry one. The arms are carried in
small leather pouches, which are hung on the belts in
the same manner as the truncheon. A certain number
of men are drilled almost daily with the revolver at the
rifle-ranee. Nenhead

THE -CIGARETTE MANT:FAcrume.—ln 1876 the number
of cigarettes manufactultd in the United States wa3
B,ooo,ooo—an increase of 300 per cent. over the amount
manufactured in any previous year. jast year the
number manufactured exceeded 750,000,000, of which
number 40,000,000 were exported and the remainder
comumed in that country. The nu mbez of cigarettes
imported into America is comparatively small, and has
been yearly diminishing. Last year 23 cigarette fac-
tories of Germany turned out 187,000,000 cigarettes,
and the output of the French Government cigarette
factories was 600,000,000. The largest cigarette factory
:In the world is said to be that of La Honraclez, Cuba,
which has a producing capacity of 2,530,000 cigarettes
per day.
ATTEMPT TO SWIM FROM SeIITHAMPTON TO PORTS-
mouTH.—Mr. George White, who recently successfully
swam across the Solent from Portsmouth to Ryde,
returned to Portsmouth on Sunday night after attempt-
ing to swim from Southampton to Portsmouth, a
distance of 22 miles. At the time of plunging in half
a gale was blowing, and rain fell in torrents. Mr.
White was accompanied by a doctor and one or two
officers of the Royal Humane Society, whose boat
piloted the course. Two hours after starting he was
taken out of the water, having covered a distance of 31,-
miles, although the waves ran eight feet high, and for
about half a mile the course was impeded by a shoal of
jelly fish. When taken into the boat his pulse and
temperature were as healthy as when he started, but the
weather rendered the attempt impracticable.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT A BOARD SCHOOL.—In London,
on Saturd'ay, a sad fatality was reported. It appears
that a girl, about 11 years of age, Alice Goodwin was
out for exercise in the playground of the Droop slreet
Board School, Queen's-park, on Friday afternoon. The
children commenced playing on the "giant's stride,"
which consisted of a stout pole some 19ft. or 20ft. in
height, fixed in the playground, at the top of which is a
revolving iron, to which long ropes are attached, the
children swinging round from the ends of the latter.
Little Goodwin had just let go one of the ropes, and
was in the act of pushing another girl along, when the
heavy pole suddenly snapped off at its base, and fell
with terrible force upon her, smashing her head in a
frightful manner, and otherwise injuring her. Dr.
Griffith was fetched, and pronounced life extinct.
_ THE CHEAP LOAF.—The "Statist" refers to the fact
_ _

that last week the average price of wheat throughout
England and Wales was 355. ld. per quarter, and the
tendency seems to be to still lower prices. Whether
the extreme cheapness may not check exports from
America and elsewhere, and fly - after a while, lead