The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-31 00:00:00

alistellantrato Nnitiligtart.

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL

PaTaotEum Woaxs ox Fix.—On Friday night in
last week a flash of lightning struck a petroleum tank
in the Atlantic Refining Works at Point Beeeze, near
Philadelphia, :where large quantities of 'petroleum are
shipped for . transmission to Europe. The fire burnt
all night, eventually spreading to other tanks on
adjacent property. Over 100,000 barrels of oil were
consumed, and loss to the amount of 000,000 dols.
was occasioned. On Saturday cannon shots were fired
into the tanks in-order to let out the • oil and thus pre-
vent the fire • from spreading. The flames-produced a
brilliant illumination throughout the night, .while dark
clouds of smoke, covered the southern parts of Phila-
delphia.
UTILISING NIAGARA Fau.s.—" Iron " says that it IS
now nearly two years ago that the question of utilising
the water power of Niagara for generating electricity
was first raised, the promoter being Mr. or Colonel
Leonard Henkle, of New York. There seems to be at
last some probability that his scheme will be carried
out. The inventor proposes to transmit electricity for
lighting purposes to sixty-five cities in the 'United
States, from central batteries stationed at Niagara Falls,
and driven by • the immense water power there. The
power generated, will be transmitted through a silver
wire about the size of a straw,. laid underground, en-
closed in heavy pipes made of asphalte. Such a wire .
can it is stated, with a 40-foot batterynt the Niagara '
Falls end, transmit in.four hours to Rochester enough
electricity to light that city for twelve hours. The
sixty-five cities are all over 30,000 population. Lock-
port and Buffalo will probably be the first places where
the inventor will introduce his apparatus as
mental points,, points,- and he hopes that he will be able taa
make those experiments next autumn. He expects 'to
overcome the resistance usually found, in transmittrsY ig
currents through long distances lay. a properly cf,n-
strueted means for the conservation of. electric may gy.
:„WEEDS AND Wonx. The "Gardeners" Chroem .le"
says: Those pestilent enemies of garden. propane tors,
weeds, are the best friends of the garden labourer... Just
now we find the, latter earnestly anxious that weeds
should grow, and, pests as they are .to the former, even
he thinks growing weeds less an evil, than no growth
whatever. Throughout our market garden districts
the absence of weeds, consequent upon ne long.
continued lack .of; rain, is causing a dearth *)f labour,
and in all, directions men and women haw e been re-
leased from daily toil—a fate that may seea pleasant
enough but for the fact that they, tootarersi teased from
receiving their weekly pay. We •have how; I employers
say that they do not mind we,eds-growing,,,l) ecause other
things grow too. That is looking at tbe matter in an
excellent and philosophical spirit. Sia h a growing
time is rather favourable to the lab aurer, because
often then his employer's necessity ia Jais opportunity.
Just now the employer has •it all. his own way, and if
the labourer does not pray. for aain,,Oce at the weeds may
grow, it is doubtless because hethiniv s rain and weeds
past praying for. Many employers,. 'we fear, in regard-
ingthe absence of weeds,. Are at to think that the hoe,
one of the most useful labour utala ements in gardens,
has no. further purpe.se to .serae,, alai 1 that it may as well
hang and rust. That is.a:grave 'eff ror, not only from a
cultural point of view, but alrso from the labourer's.
The hoe is a first-rate eultivatt or, and its free use
amongst crops, oven if there be* o weeds to kill, will be
productive of great good in ET eeing and aerating the
surface of the soil, and, thus V romoting growth in the
crops. The soil whichin, the I severest drought has its
surface kept loose and fxecr ently stirred, will always
haven most moist base. Bothv a the interests of good culti-
vation and efJ the wageless 1 Abourer, we commend that
fact to the attention of enay dloyers.

FATAL BOAT AcentikiT..3 —On Sunday a melancholy
accident happened to tw o members of the Brighton
Rowing Club. Two yor mg men, named Robert W.
Mansell and E. F. Basta/ k, went out in a boat in the
morning„ and nothing more was heard of them until
Bastick was. seen chni ;ing to an upturned boat about
half-a-mile off Shore's" m Harbour during the afternoon.
He was picked up 'al a gentleman named Hope, who
was cruising about iira a yacht, and conveyed to Kingston
Fort, but expired NI .ore medical aid could be obtained.
Manselrs body was not recovered. A north-east wind
was blowing during the day, and it is supposed that the
boat was overturn/ 3d on nearing the harbour bar.
SUICIDE ix & 7ONDON WORKTIOUSE.—On Sunday an
inmate of the 'Lambeth Workhouse named Thomas.
Hazell conimitt, ed suicide in a most determined manner.
Hazelli, who w as 60 years old, was at the dinner hour
missing- front IL& ward, and on a search being made he
was discover Al in one of the outhouses in a sitting
posture wilt i a handkerchief tied tightly around his
neck and 4:p lite black in the face. He was immediately
removed. the adjoining infirmary, where he was ex-
amined b y Dr. Lloyd, the medical officer, who pre'
flounced him on examination to be dead. The door of
the horse where the unfortunate man was discovered
was laf.,ked from the inside. and had to be. burst open
Lao lITHOUSE SToniEs.—W. H. K. Wright, of Ply-
mouth, writing to "Notes and Queries," says: The.
story of the Old Eclaystone Lighthouse is incorrectly
applied to the Edo,y3tone Lighthouse. It is connected
with the Lougshi,p.3 Lighthouse, near the Land's End.
Mr. James F. C,01,b, the author of an interesting tale
entitled,' The; Watchers on thp Longships,' thus alludes
to the story *in the preface to that work: The light was
first exhibi'ced in the Longships Lighthouse on Sept.
29, 1795. That one of the keepers of early days, who
was left alone there, and had not been informed pre-
viously of the horrible noises caused by the pent air in
the cavern below, became so terrified that his hair
tr,flcd white in a single night, is a well-known faot.
•all the circumstances, also relating to the little girl who
wasleft alone in the lighthouse—her father, the keeper,
havinr, been purposely kidnapped and confined by
wreckers_and who was reluctantly obliged to stand on
the Family Bible to light tl.e lamps are perfectly
authentic. - -