The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-24 00:00:00

isaitantzus !nitiligtact.

SOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

TH7C STAFFORDSHIRE MlNlM—Notion for a ten
per cent, advance in wages were served on Saturday
upon the coal owners in Staffordshire and Worcester-
shire in conformity with the resolutions recently
passed at various mass meetings of miners. The
notices will expire on December 1, when there will be
a general strike unless the advance is conceded.
WHAT IS TURTLE SOUP MADE OF ?—The following
information with regard to this question has been
obtained from the most eminent purveyors of turtle
soup in the City, Turtle soup, as supplied by the
best houses is never made of conger-eel. It is made
of the insides of the turtle freshly killed. The flesh is
not used. The floating matter is not the green fet ;
the darker stuff is called " calipash," and lighter
" calipee." The stock used is the water in which the
turtle is boiled with, and occasionally a little beef or
veal added, The green fat is handed round alone
when asked for, as it is very rich. Conger-eel soup is
often made, and is very good.—City Press.
M. DE LEESEPS ON THE SUFI CANAL.—M. Droop,
sneaking at a pubnc meeting at Liverpool,said that toe
Suez Canal Company had an earnest desire to meet, as
far as possible, the wishes of the commercial comelunity.
The Canal, he maintained, had augmented English
trade. Last year seven millions of tonnage passed
through it. A good understanding between the Com-
pany and the English people was necessary for both,
and their interests were in common. He thought that
a second Canal should be made by the side of the
existing one, with a considerable margin for strength,
and that one should be used for going and the other
for returning vessels.
ICELAND COD FlSHlNG.—lntelligenCO received at
Kirkwall states that nine fishing smacks have returned
from the Iceland cod fishing to the Faroe Islands with
a total catch of 263,000 cod, the highest take being
being 42,000 and the lowest 16,000. The fish are not
of such good quality as generally are caught at Iceland,
and have been sold at prices ranging from £9 to
£l2 15e. per ton, according to size. It is stated that
the Icelanders conteatplate making new laws restrict-
ing the fishing on their coast.
THE CULTIVATION Of JUTE.—In Professor S. Water.
house's Report to the American Department of Agri-
culture concerning the cultivation of jute, much in-
formation is given respecting that neon' material.
l'ne value of the fibre was first recognised at Dundee
more than fifty years ago, and since that time the cul-
tivation of the plant has increased not only in India,
hut in the United States. Jute can be combined with
cotton, linen, or silk, to imitate more expensive
fanrice, and can be dyed a variety of tints. It is ale°
largely used by paper-makers—and is extensively em-
ployed to make the rough canvas which cevera hales
of cct:on and other goods. The yield in India is from
two to three thousand pounds per acre; but the
American grower, by replacing the rude tillage of
India by perfect machinery, is able to da better than
this, and at the same time to produce plants giving
better fibre. Jute will flourish wherever there is a
moist hot climate, and the best soil is sandy clay, or
alluvial mould.
A CURIOUS VOID BEQUEST.—A Kentucky gentle-
man on his death-bed, made a will, in which he be-
queathed to his wife, who was enceir.te, in case she
should be delivered of a daughter, one-half of his
estate, the other half to such daughter; but in case the
expected heir was a son, one-third was to go to the
wife and two-thirds to such son. Shortly after the
testatoi's death the wife gave birth to twins—a boy
and a girl. The question now plizz'ing the lawyers is
(says the Ohio Law Journal): How shall the estate be
divided! The wife claims one-half the estate because
she had a daughter; the daughter's guardian claims
one-half the estate under the will, and the guardian of
the son vows he will not accept less than two-thirds of
the estate. The matter is now pending in the Hick-
man Circuit Court.
FATAL ACCIDENT TO Mn. BENCE JONES.—Linelano,
the residence of Mr. Bence Jones, near Clonakilty, was
on Monday the scene of a distressing accident, the young
owner himself being the victim. Mr. Jones and a
gentleman who was on a visit were returning home
after having been out shooting, and Mr. Jones was
carrying his gun, a double-barrel breechloader, which
was loaded, over his shoulder, when the weapon slipped
from his hand and fell to the ground. The fall caused
the charge to explode, and the contents of both barrels
lodged in his ankle, shattering it badly. Later in-
telligence itetes that Mr. Bence Jones died on Tues.
day morning, from the severe shock occasioned by the
accident and the amputation which subsequently was
found necessary.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT NOTTINGHAM.—On Tuesday
morning a serious fire occurred in the extensive ware-
house of Messrs. J. and T. Walker, linseed and
linseed cake in =haute, London-road, Nottingham,
At about half.paet three o'clock some workmen em-
ployed on the premises found that a fire—the origin
of which is not known—had broken out in one of the
upper rooms. The services of the fire brigade were
quickly obtained, and in a short t-me they had ap-
parently extinguished the flame's. Ae, however, the
brigade were preparing to leave the place a light was
observed in some of the upper windows, and it was
then diecovered that the flame° had extended to the
lower storey, having evidently been carried up the
spout used for conveying the linseed from floor to fl or.
Aided by a high wind and by the inflanameb!e
nature of the contents of the warehouse, the fire
spread with great rapidity, and Was not subdued
until the premises were completely gutted, It is esti.
mated that the damage will amount to upwards of
220,000.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT ON BOARD THE " MONARCH."
—Letters received from Smyrna, dated the Bth inst,
contain details of a frightful accident which occurred
on board her Majesty's ship Monarch on the previius
day. The squadron had completed the usual routine
drill in the morning, and the men were ordered to
loosen sails to dry. Thomas Ford, an able seaman,
was engaged on this duty in the Monarch, and was
coinitg down from aloft, when he missed his holding,
fell from the maintopmast rigging, and pitched on the
hert.hing of the ship's side. The force of the fall was
so great that the poor fellow was cut completely in
two, one part of his body falling on board, and the
remainder into the sea, This was recovered, and the
deceased W 9,3 buried on the following day with nava
honours. This is the second fatal accident on board
the Monarch during hor cruise.

MORE AMENITIES.—JustIy Indignant Young Peron
fo Peraon Next Door.—Me talk to your young man,
Miss I Let me tell you, Miss, the young man as I
was p4ssin' a casual remark to, he say, permiscous
like, only Sunday week, "That awful fright next door
to you," he say, 'She have been a-dangling arter me,
she has," he sty; "But I would not demean myself
to it," he ray; which I knowd by that, Mies, he
couldn't &been your young man, Miss. So there !
Judy.
A CUNNING MICHIGANDER AND HIS THRIFTY
MOTHIR —Au American paper sass that Bregman,
the Cleveland ,;iver, tells the following story :—" Once
I went up to Twm Lakes, near Gilead, Mich., to dive
for the body of a man villa had gone in swimming with
two comp.nions. I found an immense concourse ot
peo:N) oti the shore. Ihikriti,trickon mother had
erected a stand and was doing an immense business in
sandwiches and circus lemonade. A collection of
4CO dole, for her aid her son's children had been taken
up, and part of it had been set apart to pay me and
foot the burial expenses. I searched several hours,
-
but found no burly. Months afterwards I net a man
from that region, and he said: Say, mister, do you
know . why you couldn't find that body?' I gave it
up. 'Why, the fellow was up in the pineries of
Michigan. When he sank he swam to the other
shore, where he had another suit of clothes hid. He
wanted to get away from his wife, and that's the way
he did it,'"