The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-28 00:00:00

(Signed)

SALISBURY.

AN EX-CONVICT'S ADVENTURE:

A contemporary expresses a desire to have more
details about the case of William Anderson, whose
adventure is told in the South Australian newspapers.
A steamer reached Port Adelaide lately, after a
voysige of eight days from Freemantle. When its
cargo was discharged a certain box attracted the
notice of the Custom House officials, who opened it,
and a living man stepped out. He is six feet high,
and the chest which was his lodging measures three
feet six inches long by two feet broad and two feet
one inch high. The story goes, as related, that this
tall personage had crouched therein for eight days.
Ile was naturally exhausted, and his first cry was for
water. The furniture of his box proved to be mis-
cellaneous but suggestive—a few biscuits and an
empty "billy," a revolver and cartridges, a small
saw, screwdriver, auger,
.chisel, matches, candle,
tobacco, a small bottle of oil, and a crape veil. After
reciting this list it is needless to add that the hero is
an ex-convict. But the interest of his case lies, as one
may say, in the box. We refuse to believe that any
European of that stature could endure to be so
cramped for such a time. The larger and more
varied one's experience of Asiatics the less ready one
is to declare any feat of this kind impossible. Every
master of a gaol in India will show solid iron gratings
through which a prisoner has forced his body without
enlarging the aperture, though his very skull would
not pass. And the gruesome tricks ef Fakirs are
known to all the world. But these arts are forbidden
to the Caucasian, and we decline to credit that the
athletic stowaway failed to use those instruments
th which he had provided himself, and take exer-
eiSe in the hold. The citizens of Port Adelaide may
congratulate themselves on his capture. It is clear,
anyhow, that William Anderson is a very awkward
customer.

A lady writes to the Philadelphia Press to know
what she can do to stop her minister from kissing
her when he calls. The quickest remedy, we should
suppose, would be to let her husband catch him at it
0 ic.i.

LIFEBOAT WORK.

In commodwith many otheradmirable institutions,
that which concerns itself with the saving of life from
wrecked vessels is suffering from the hardness of
the times. Its income is still large, no doubt, but not
sufficient to properly cope with the amount of work.
A paper just issued by the society, in connection with
the wreck register lately published by the Board of
Trade, shows that since its foundation in 1824,.it. has.
been directly instrumental in saving no fewer than
31,872 lives. That is a "big fact," of which its sub-
scribers may well be proud. Is there any other insti-
tution supported by public benevolence which could
produce as noble a record of good work well done? It
is doubtful. But it cannot be said that the time
has arrived when John Bull can afford to rest
and be thankful in this matter. In spite of
the multiplication of lifeboats around the coasts, and
the great improvements in life-saving appliances—the
rocket apparatus alone saved last year 202 lives—
there are still more shipwrecked people drowned than
saved in British waters. Of course there are some,
perhaps many, instances in which the suddenness with
which a ship breaks to pieces after striking prevents
any chance of rescue. But it is equally incontestable
that instances are often reported where the presence
of a lifeboat would have been of priceless value. The
society now have 290 boats in efficient condition,
the maintenance of which necessarily involves a very
large expenditure. But 400 would not be one too
many.