The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-16 00:00:00

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1879;

THE YELLOW FEVER AT MEMPHIS.

At Memphis there were 50 cases of yellow fever
and ten deaths on Satur3ay and Sunday. There
were also thirty-four cases of yellow fever and six
deaths on Monday, and eight cases and six deaths on
Tuesday morning. There has been one case at S.
Louis, and one at Louisville.

The strongest measures are adopted for preventing
the introduction of the disease from Memphis. All
the railway lines converging upon this place have
stopped running trains in that direction, and Mem-
phis is thus isolated. A camp has been established
there six miles south of the city. It consists of
125 tents. A number of people have already pro-
ceeded to the camp, but the coloured population
refuse to go, and as the authorities have decided
not to issue supplies except to those who are
in the camp, some trouble is apprehended.
The Howard Association, whhh did such good work
during the epidemic of last year, has been organised,
and several nurses are already at work. Nearly half
the white population have left Brownsville through
fear of the disease reaching them from Memphis, and
business has been suspended there. The only means
of communication with the place is by telegraph,
no mails having been received for five days
previous to the 29th. Everywhere a quarantine has
been established against Memphis and all the
West Tennessee towns which are within direct com-
munication with Memphis. Pickets and patrols are
being formed to watch the roads. The National
Board of Health at Washington has issued a circular
on disinfection and precautionary measures. It re-
commends in districts where yellow fever prevailed
last year that textile fabrics of every description,
which were exposed to yellow fever infection during
the year 1878 and which have remained packed in a
closed place since should not be opened or unrolled,
but should be buried or placed in boiling water for half
an hour or in suitable heated ovens.

Ninety-three deaths from yellow fever occurred in
Havannah last week.

A Hun TO HOTEL KEEPERS.—The Paris correBp9l!
dent4,of The Times says, "A friend of mine who hea
just returned from a trip in Germany mks me to'
attention to a happy innovation made by the nasaage'
rdinCologne,
am,
thdlat w
hah
oafcctehdee to hotieelredqU No
est, persuaded, asi m
could be more agreeable to travellers than ta
the example followed by other hotel-keepers eve.
where. The manager of the hotel in question babe
started in his own premises a ticket office for tile
trains in every direction. You take your ticket at p
hotel for first, second, or third class, as you desire.
your luggage is weighed and registered there, and y°
.!
are saved many of the well-known annoyances lila
dent to travelling. People whe travel much will
tainly think this very simple idea aught to be ten to
by other hotel-keepers."
DESECRATION I—English Angler (GP Sat.- „
evening). "Anybody ever fish up here on a :3.1.1.."
M'une ? —Scotch Landlady (in consternat)ou).
mon ! ye'd be jail't ! 1" —Punch.
RESCUE FROM DROWNING.—An exciting ffeetDe
witnessed in London, on Monday, on the Theist
during the passege of one of the vessels belonging
the London Steam boat Company between Westmii
ter and London Bridge. When approaching Whii
hall steps, the attention of the passengers was attre
by the cries of a large crowd on the steps, di-
attention to a youth who had fallen from that part
the Embankment into the river, and who was bei
rapidly carried away with the current. On the arri'
of the steamboat her engines were immee
reversed, and one of the passengere9 a middle-
man, belonging to the Messenger Commiesic
jumped overboard and succeeded in rescuing
youth, who was in such an exhausted state that he
to be conveyed to the Royal Humane Society
ceiving house at Waterloo pier, where he grxt
recovered. The steamboat was crowded with
sengers, and a liberal subscription was made on be
of the man for the bravery he had displayed.
HARD ON AUNTIE —Young Thing (choosing 0, cos.
tume for a Calico Ball) : Well, really, I don't knoll
which would look best; but here comes Auntie. rre,
sure she can give us a wrinkle or two. (But Awl'
Primrose, who is getting on, didn't half like M)'
Judy.
AMERICAN CAMELS.—The camel-breeding indu.
Is promising in Arizona. Three years ago a herd
those animals was taken to Yuma, the intention being
to make them serviceable as beasts of burden. The
attempt was a failure, the climate seeming to
with them, and it was found that they were not
useful as the little mules. The owners turned
camels loose, and they roamed along the Gils. Rive!
apparently enjoying their liberty and profiting by
They have bred liberally, and appear to have beo
acclimated and domesticated to the region, thriving a°
though they had been in their own native Africa. It
is thought the new generation of camels will be used
to the alkaline waters peculiar to the south-western
section, and can be made serviceable in transportiog
the mineral products of that country, across the loog
deserts of sand, to places where they can be profitably'
worked. At any rate the owners of the rejected Oa
wandering beasts feel 'that there is money in their
camels, and will hereafter devote some care to the
breeding and rearing of them.
A " CONTRE-TEMPS."—First Curate. "Deligbtful.
change in the weather—a little sunshine at last!
hope it'll—"—Second Curate. "Well I--'nB
it's rather inopportune for Slocom Parva.' Oor
special service of prayer for fine weather is fixed 0)
next Sunday ! "—Punch.
TRAMWAYS ON FARMS.—The Duke of Backingharm
has laid down a series of tramways on his estates t°'
connect, by this mode of communication, every farce
so far as practicable, with railway communication.
His Grace in this respect, has no doubt done a wifie
and good thing, for if farmers are to turn their atten-
tion to milk production, fruit culture, poultry farmiog
the growth of vegetables, and others things likely t°
have a good market in the towns, there must be better
means of transit than at present. Other landlordep
whenever one portion of their property communicates
with a railway station, might imitate this example,
and where properties intersect, the proprietors might
combine together so as to open up to rails-ay cool*
munication what are actually at present "back settle'
meets "—as much deserving the na.ne as a great eaar7
places in which that appellation is bestowed* IS
America.—Courg Journal.

• A YACHT BUILT BY A BLIND BOY, AND A CRIPPLE.---
A small yacht about twenty feet in length and five
and a half feet beam (says the Baltimore BuVain) 12.9°,,,
been launched at Henderson's Wharf. It was bull'.
by two boys, George Lutz and Philip Miller, the
former sixteen years of age and a cripple: the latter
seventeen years and almost totally blind. Lutz worls!
in a tobacco store at rolling cigars, and it was shot;
six weeks ago that he, with the blind boy Miller, CO
ceived the idea of building the Lady Stewart, as to!
boat is called. The boys begged the lumber, nails, ow
other material, and settled down to the task, working
early in the morning and late at night. A kind'
hearted police-sergeant purchased the paint for them,
The boat is as well built and shows to as great advall-
tage as any craft of her size and cost that was ever
constructed. The boys intend to keep at their trades
and hire the yacht out.
GALLANTRY AT SEA.—At the last meeting of the
Liverpool Local Marine Board there were several pre;
sentations for gallantry at sea. A gold watch, awardea
by the Board of Trade, was handed to Captain
Hastings, of the ship M. and E. Cox of Halifax
N.S., in recognition of kindness to, the master an°
crew of the ship Epaminondas, whom he rescued frolin
that vessel when she was wrecked in the Atlantic on
the 28th of October, 1877.—The Board of Trade also
presented a silver medal to Mr. Colin Salmond, first
mate cf the M. and E. Cox, and bronze medals to bit.
Leaske, J. Clarke, J. Gardner. J. Stewart, and iJ
Dean, seamen of that vessel, for their gallantry In
manning a boat and rescuing part of the shipwrecked
crew, at great risk to themselves, from floating wreck
in a heavy sea. The rest of the shipwrecked crew were
saved in their own boat.
NAIL Ur THE SIGN.—A woman who opened a small
millinery store engaged a painter to paint her a sign.
When it came home she saw that it read, " Mrss.
Black," &c., and she called out, "You have got ail
extra 'in Mrs. and you must paint the sign ever
again." The painter saw the error, but he did not
want the job of correcting it, and he replied. " Madaolv
haven't you had two husbands ? " "Yes, sir." " VI;
were a Mrs. when you lost the first ? " "I was.
"And do you think a woman can go on marrying for
ever and not lengthening her title? Mrs. means
married woman or a widow. Alm, means a woman
who has been married twice, and is young enough to
marry again and only yesterday a rich old coon waS le
our shop, and said if he had any idea that you were
heart-free he'd come up—" "Oh, well, you can nail
up the eign," she in4rrunted. And it is there to-dal,
FOR "THE TWELFTH."—Jones, in the card-room ot
the club the other night, said that the "good rouno
game" he loved most was the good plump grouse hie
friends send him.—Judy.
AMERICAN TOURISTS IN FRANCE.—Lonis Blanc told
this story in a speech at Troyes recently (says the
Court Journal). "Two Yankees visited me in the
Palace of Versailles the other morning. As the
Chamber of Deputies had not begun to sit, I showe3
them into the chamber. They asked which via!
Gatnbetta's seat. I showed it to them. They web'
up to it solemnly, deliberately, gravely, with pursed-uP
lips, observing, concentrated eyes, looking Hire
men ordered by government to fulfil an fin'
portant public duty, and one of them sat in it.
When he rose the other took his place. The first
twain sat in it. He was followed by the second.
I looked on in dumb astonishment; for the life of
me I could not make out what they were after. 011 e
of the Yankees said to me: 'Please show us your
seat.' Puzzled as a man could be, I was all eag6!.
attention to see what they would do to my seat.
walked to it and said: 'Here is my place.' They
made no reply. One sat in it; then the other; be
yielded the seat to the first, who in turn gave it to the
second. All this was done in silence, graven,'
solemnly, like gymnasts performing some feat. Esc;
drew from his roundabout a memorandum book, soc:
wrote in it: Versailles. Chamber of Deputies. Se` '
in the seat of the Hons. Gambetta and Louis Blanc,
deputtes.'"

- -.
A ROYAL FUGITIVE.—Wage, seeing that Cetewer
has taken to flight, go about affirming that his nap?.
should now be pronounced with a variation. Tu°
King of the Zulus, they say, ought, in his present dr
cumstances, to be called Cut-away-0 !—Punch. ,
A REGULAR REGIMENTAL INSTITUTION.—" Argus,'
writing in Land and Water, says :—A friend in the
51st forwards me from their camp near Gandamak,
Afghanistan, their regimental paper, called the 51.5 t
Bugle. It is capitally got up, twelve pages of matter,
goes in for acrostics, births, marriages and death's,
plenty of regimental stray notes and clia-chat, as well
as a diary of their daily routine. Among the chit-chat
notes I noticed the following amusing account of their
regimental hen :—" There is now regularly borne on
the strength of the regiment a most extraordinary Pet;
We have beard of pet fleas, likewise of pet spiders and
snakes, but never before of a pet chicken. This ehickel
or rather hen, used at one time to be the property Of
Paymaster Roberts, and was wont daily to lay one
egg, alas! for the ingratitude of henkind, in the
Adjutant's tent. Nothing could prevent her; evet,
several flagellations at the hands of a sturdy heti/leo
left her constancy unchanged; so that Captain Roberts
made a present of this productive fowl to the owner ol
the tent she showed so much partiality for, and nosy/
as we have said, she became a regular regimentfl
institution, having made the journey from All nisil"
without any mishap, and laying her one egg daily 01l
the line of march with the greatest regularity,
EXACTLY.—" It is expected that the Bill, which ie
the outcome of the favourable reports of the Cony
mittees of both Houses of Parliament upon the sub'
ject of the use of mechanical power upon tramwaye,
will receive the Royal Assent at the next Commission.
. . . . 'nits important mmure gives authority to the
Board of Trade to sanction the use of steam on enY
tramway." Wnen old Whatshisname read this out the
other day at the club, young Wagley said, "I tell yon
what it is; if tramways go on increasing like this
shall hear no more of the rose of England; people wll2
talk of us as the car-nation." There is a talk of gev, ..
ting Wagley to take his name off the books.—Judy.
ORIGINAL MINDS ON THE STATE OF THE WEATHEIP
—lf Nero had lived in Detroit he couldn't have bee° ,
a tyrant, for everybody would have agreed with biro. ,
Yesterday morning a citizen who desired to see ho*'
many people had opinions of their own on the weathe •
started out by saying to a merchant—" Awful het.
isn't it?" " Yes ; very hot," was the prompt repit•
To the next man the citizen said—" Ever see WI;
raw weather for June?" "Never did, never dick, `'•
was the answer. The third man was a lawyer, and
after a glance at the sky the citizen remarked!,
"Looks now as if we would have a long ePeP.
of dry weather?" "Just what I was saying fit
minutes age)," was the reply. The fourth man was sl
alderman, and after a handshake the citizen observe,'
—" I believe we shall have rain every day this week
Do you notice those clouds in the ea. t? " " Yee, :
was watching them. I told my folks this morniFe
we'd have all the rain we kould tako care of." Tut/
next iaaa was a sailor, and after a felv7 words on the
batter thues the citizen said—" This is growiFg
weather for corn ! " " Best kind of weather," wall
_t_tpel
answer. The last man was a contractor, and LI
inquiry was put to him—" Did you ever see such
awful weather for crops?" "Never did—no never.
I don't believe we'll have half a crop of any:thing 15
the weather doesn't change soon," Detroit frs4
.Presh