The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-08-29 00:00:00

A PERILOUS VOYAGE

The barque Mary Barra of Yarmouth. Maine, from
Boston to Barbedloes, with a full cargo in the hold and •
heavy deckload of mules and sheep, is reported by the
New York papers to have arrived at East River, after
having experienced a most perilous voyage. The barque
started from Bosten on July fit and for three days she
made good headway. On the third day, one of the sailors,
in passing the place where the hay was stored, dropped a
spark from his pipe. Melted the hay, but as he thought
the tire was at once extinguished, and u to had been
violating the rules, he did not mention the circumstance
for fear of punishment. Unfortunately, the fire had not
been entirely extinguished, hut smouldered during the
afternoon and till the following night, when the mate gave
the alarm that the vessel was on fire. The watch was set
and every precaution taken, while most vigorous efforts
were made to discover the source of the smoke. Several
bundles of smouldering hay were thrown overboard. The
wind was high, and it fanned the smoking hay into flames
and filled the air with sparks. The cattle on board came
frantically excited, and tor a time the men were almost
panic-stricken. The timbers of the cattle-pen caught tire,
and this nraddened the mules and sheep. The mingled
noise of braying mules and bleating sheep, the crackling
of burning timbers, and the shouting of excited men, as
they battled bravely with the liame.s, is described as
being frightful in the extreme. Many a the mules broke
looee and ran frantically about the deck, creating frightful
confusion, and ultimately leaping into the sea. Many of
the sheep were roasted to death, and before the llamas
were got under control the vessel had sustained serious
damage. A sailor named Gibbs was severely burned,
and he and another of the men are now in Bellevue
hospital. On the morning of the 13th the full extent of
the damage to the vessel was discovered, and it was at
once resolved to run for New York. Her subsequent
adventures illustrate the old saying that misfortunes
never cone singly. When off Fire Island, on July, 20, the
unfortunate barque was run into by a steamer. The
bowsprit and jibboom were smashed, and her bows stove
in. The sailors say the steamer was crowded with people,
and no attempt was made to render any usistance. It
was with great difficulty that the barque managed to reach
the Fast River. She lost her topmost, the ropes were all
burned, and the canvas was useless. The yards were
'wily burned. A large hole bad been burned in the bow.
The shedding structures, between the fore and main
masts, in which the animals were confined, were burned
almost to a cinder; her timbers were scorched; and the
bowsprit VMS reduced to a mere stump of wood.

A FACTORY INSPECTOR'S I'ROUBLE.S.
Mr. Illenkinsopp, sub-Inspector of Factories, in his I
report of his work in the Wolverhampton iron and brick- I
snaking districts, makes the following, among other,
statements :—"The enforcement of the law respecting the
employment of females under le in brickworks has been
attended with the utmost difficulty. Oldbury, one of the
chief brickmaging places, has a population of about 16,000,
and the hand of almost every Wall, woman, and child has
been against me. The moment I get out of the train news
Is sent to every brickyard, a watch is kept, and the girls
concealed on my approach. I had to try various methods,
Use most successful one being to go to a elation at a dis-
tance, and drive in a closed carriage by a circuitous route.
Even thus I can, as a rule, only get to one brickyard un-
known, for word is at once sent to the others. It is the
Interest of all concerned to employ little girls. One slay
last May (1875) I found two little girls concealed under
some hay in the loft of a stable in a brickyard : no I
searched the rest of the place. There are three Cued sheds
one through the other. At the top of the innermost one,
in • dark corner, there were some bricks neatly arranged,
about lift. high, as though placed to dry, but which
eventually proved to form a sort of box for concealing
children. The occupier was with me, and au I approached
the place he said, "You need not look there, Mr. Itlenkin-
sopp ; they are only bricks placed to dry." Thou I know
the scent was warns. I looked over the top of the bricks,
, but I could see nothing. Fortunately, 1 had a box of
matches with me and lighted one and put it over. Imme-
diately seven children stood up and began to cry furiously.
I tried to pacify them, telling them I would not hurt thent
and asked for their name,. They only cried the more, for
both masters and parents frighten the children by telling
them that the Inspector will take them to prison or oat
*ern. This they do in order to wake the children look
out sharp for me, so that the poor things bolt like rabbits.
It was necessary for me, however, to have the nausea and
iiddrearies of these girls, otherwise the magistrates would
not have convicted. In the midst of the noise the °cou-
pler vanished; news was sent to the parents, some of
whom, together with the brick moulders, rushed upon me.
Before I was aware, they seized rue from behind, pulled
down the bricks, and rescued the children. Though I was
somewhat ignominiously hustled about, I stopped two of
these children till I obtained name and address, snaking
four caught in this work. The rest of course escaped, and
I could only recognise one of the persons who obstructed
me ; this one I prosecuted. The tines and costs on the
occupier amounted to about .ClO, and on the parents to
about 17s. • piece. The fines and costs on another firm
caught a few days previously amounted to about the tlaille,
so that for the time being a comparative stop was put to
this illegal employment. The opposition was an organized
one, for the masters had promised the parents to keep a
look-out for me, and to pay half their fines if their
children were caught. One firm when the Act came into
force railed their brickyard round, and put an old Irish-
man at the gate, who always shammed to be deaf, or that
he did not recognise us, and delayed me long enough to let
the little girls escape. I might relate many such stories,
but the above will suffice to show the spirits with
which the Act has beets received. If the law can be
strictly enforced the employment of female labour in
brickyards will, to a great extent, gradually die out. The
real remedy is for the occupiers to raise their machinery
and have the clay delivered on to the tables by a travelling
band, or wheeled by men. At present all the clay, when
ground, is in • deep hole, out of which men ref used to wheel
It and it is carried loy girls. I mean to get you the exact
weight carried in one day, but I have not had time. I
think I may, however, give you a rough calculation. A
Staffordshire blue brick weighs, I believe, 111 b., and I
think I am not wrong in saying that in some instances a
girl carries in one day enough clay to make at least 1,500
bricks. Though there have been the little difficulties and
disturbances I have mentioned, it is satisfactory to be able
to add that a better state of things appears to be in pro-
grew, and that no real ill-feeling has been caused by my
strictness. The above remarks as to the difficulty of en-
forcing the law apply with equal, if not greater, force to
iron mills. The moment I am visible, there is a general
skedaddle. Last suninier, when attempting to catch moue
boys, I ran a spike into my leg which inflicted a nasty
wound, the pain of which still remains; but, fortunately,
I was in time to see the roller pushing • boy out of the
work, and, uf course, prosecuted him for obstruction. The
amount of work that I have is, therefore, enormous ; and
of a most wearisome and harassing description. Again,
when 1 have caught a boy, the noise in the mills is so
great, and so many children are Illegitimate or go by nick-
names, that there is the greatest possible difficulty in
obtaining the proper name and address, so as to sustain a
prosecution. You may scream yourself hoarse, and then
fail in ascertaining anything. Altogether, inspection of
iron miffs is the most exhausting work imagina',le ; it is
unsatisfactory, too, because it is often a failure. !toys run
away, only to return when I an; gone. Who is to blame
for all this? Is it the occupiers I These, when spoken to,
reply, 'We keep • register, we have put up notices that
. no Is.y under 13 is to be employed; what more can we dot'
1 On the other band, the workman state that it is not their
fault ; that boys old enough are scarce ; and that if they
stop the mills for want of lova the masters tine thesis for
nut cmipleting the iron according to contracts 1 ant quite
I
aware that boys are scarce, but in litany rANCi it is a spies
-
tine of money. A boy over 13 gets N. Si. to 2s. a turn,
where... tiny of 11 will work for Is. a turn. The roller,
therefore, tries to get cheap labour. and if he is a good
, workman and valuable in the mill, the occupier or
1 manager winks at his infringements of the law, or, at
any rate, takes no care to detect them, for fear of losing
the man, should they find fault with hint for having
young boys. Such, then, is my labour hi iron mills and
brickworks."

Dr. Jex-Blake. the head witeter
constructed • swimming bath at
made • gift of it to the school.

The Primps of Wiles has consented to lay the foundation
stone of the now Glasgow post-office in October.
A "Goo) Swzgr."-in the year ended the 314
of March last the "gold sweep" of the Mint realized
.13,_:1ti5 Is. 6d.
EPPS'S COCOA. -GRATEFUL AND COMPORTING. By e
thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern the
operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a careful ap-
plication of the fine properies of wellowlected cocoa, Kr.
Epps has provided our breakfast tables with • delicately
flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy
doctors' bills. It is by the judicious use of such articles of
diet that a constitution may be gradually built up unti
strong enough to resist every tendency to disease.
Hundreds of subtle maladies are floating around no ready
to attack wherever there is a weak point We may escape
many • fatal shaft by keeping ourselves well fortified with
pure blood and a properly nourished frame."-Cieil Sereies
Gazette.
Too MUCH or A (foots Tuivo.-Mr. Disraeli was quite
correct in advising people to store up rain water in tanks
against drought, but there is in this country an equal
danger of having rather too much of it. In house after
house one's eyes are offended by discolorations on the
walls, caused by damp. and we know of only one sure
remedy, the Petrifying Silicate Liquid, manufactured by
the Silicate Paint Company of Liverpool. The truth of
these remarks is evidenced by the increased demand for
the article, and which has caused the opening of offices in
London, at 107, Cannonatreet. We certainly advise all
who surfer from damp houses to obtain all particulars of
this invaluable composition.
Hupy•iii JANOS NtINRRAL WATER. -The best and
most agreeable natural aperient.--" Far the most
valuable and most palatable of our aperient mineral
waters. I have been most agreeably surprised with
the result of a clinical investigation.' - Professor
Macnamara, Professor of Materia Medici', Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland. Editor of " Neligisn's
Medicines, their Uses, &e." Seventh Edition. In
original bottles, price 2s. and Is. lid,, of all chemists.-
A wine-glass full a dose.
SEE/. CANAL -ARRIVAL Or TICE New SEASON'S
TEAS. - -The choicest selections of these Teas are to be
obtained only of the LICENSED VICTUALLERR' Tr.s
ASSocIATION (Limited), through ite Agents, Licensed
Victuallers and Wino blerchants, in every town, and
village throughout the United Kingdom.- -AUGUSTUS
FOLICARIE Secretary.-Warehouses Southwark-street,
lsondon. The Association is open to appoint Agents
in unrepresented district...
FITS. --EPILEPTIC FITS OR FALLING SIC ENVOI. --A
certain method of cure has been discovered for this
distressing complaint by a physician, who is desirous
that all sufferers may benefit from this providential
discovery; it is never known to fail, and will cure
the most hopeless case after all other means have been
tried. Full particulars will be sent by post to any
,mein f -Mr. IVlLuans, 10,
Oxford Terrace, Hyde Park, London.
RF,,,,,crv's PARIS BLUE.-110 marked superiority of
of .
'ree charge -Addre.i:
this Laundry Blue over all others, and the quick appreci-
ation of its merits by the public has been attended by
the usual results, viz., a flood of imitations : the
mcnt ,if the latter mainly consists in the ingenuity
exerted, not simply in imitating the square shape but
the general appearance of the wrappers resemble
that of the genuine article. The Itlannfartarere beg there-
fore to cautiiia ll lowers to see " Reekitt's Paris Blue" on
each pe-ket.
THE Iltiß. - For 10 Y.arA Mrs. S. A. ALLEN'S WORLD'S
HAIR ESTOILER his receive( the commendation and
favour of the public. It has acquired the highest place
that can be obtained for any moderate enterprise, and
cot tributel to the 'adornment of tens of thousands of
~,,,sens, who have the proof of Re serviceable character.
It will pe,,,itioely r.new and restore the owilinal and natural
entente o/gr.y. white, and faded Hair. It will strengthen
and invigorate the Hair, stop its falling, and induce a
healthy luxuriant growth. No other preparation can
of Rugby School, has produce the woo beneficial result. Sold by all Chemists
a cost of £3,000, and and Perfumers, in large bottles, Is. Depot 114 and 116,
Southampton Row, London.

THE DAnowsr BLOCKADE
A letter from • European ridding at Whydah, which
has reached Grand Pepo by a detour through the husk
states that all Europeans in Why_dah are confined and
guarded in their own houses,. No communication is
allowed between them or with the shore; and all canoes
have been removed from the beach. All Su
property has been seized. The King has inform=
Europeans that he is preparing for war, and threatens to
massacre them. Great alarm is consequently felt. The
I King of Dahomey has seized four Frenchmen, and
I threatened to decapitate them immediately a shot was
I fired from the squadron. Ile had placed troops all along
the road from the coast and defied the blockade, as
supplies were reaching him from other sources. It was
reported that a native of Appem, a British subject, had
been made prisoner and flogged by a tribe outside the
British boundary. His friends were urgent in their
demands for British intervention on his behalf.