The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-04-25 00:00:00

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS IN 1884.

A Blue-book 'containing returns of accidents and
casualties, as reported to the Board of Trade during
1884, has been issued. Accidents to trains, rolling-
stock, permanent way, &c., caused the death of 55
persons, and injury to 90 persons. In 1883 the totals
were 22 killed, and 749 injured. During the year
there were reported 26 collisions between passenger
trains or parts of passenger trains, by which two ser-
vants were killed and 357 passengers and 11 servants
injured; 62 collisions between passenger trains and
goods or mineral trains, by which 222 !passengers and
23 servants were injured; 20 collisions between goods
trains or parts of goods trains, by which 5 servants
were killed and 20 injured; 57 cases of passenger
trains or parts of passenger trains leaving the rails,
by which 5 passengers and 4 servants were killed and
83 passengers and 9 servants Injured. There were 385
failures of axles, by which 24 passengers were killed
and 69 passengers and 4 servants injured; 1 failure
of a brake apparatus, by which 3 passengers were in-
jured; 11 failures of couplings, involving injury to
6 passengers and three servants; and three failures
of bridges, by which 7 servants were killed, and 8 in-
jured. The following cases were also reported but
they involved no personal injury: 1060 failures of
tyres, 2 failures of wheels, 6of ropes used in work rig
inclines, 306 broken rails, 8 fires in trains, 2 fires at
stations, and 1 other accident. Of the 385 axles
which failed, 223 were engine-axles. The average
mileage of 135 iron axles was 216,333 miles, and of
59 steei'axles-173,287 miles. The losses of live.stook
during the year included 31 horses, 29 beasts and
cows, 132 sheep, 10 pigs, and 10 donkeys which were
'run over and killed.

"How do you measure your profits ?" asked a friend
of a lapidary. "By quarts, of course.*

THE LATE LORD BEACONSFIELD.

PRIMROSE DAY CELEBRATION.

On Sunday, by command, of her Majesty, a wreath
of primroses was sent to Hughenden and placed on
the tomb of the late Lord Beaconsfield by Mrs.
Blagden, on behalf of the Queen. Among the other
senders of wreaths was the High Wycombe Conserva-
tive Association.

The late Earl of Beaconsfield died on the 10th of
April, 1881, and as the anniversary of the death fell
this year on a Sunday the observances which have be-
come associated with "Primrose Day" were for the
most part carried out on Saturday. An enormous
number of primroses was brought to Covent Garden
market for distribution, and an immense amount
of business was transacted by petty vendors
at the railway stations, and at various cther
suitable spots throughout the metropolis, as
the residents in the suburbs came into town
to business. Throughout the day, more especially
in the western portion of London, the numbers of
wearers of primroses was quite a remarkable feature.
Among the pedestrians the proportion who displayed
the favourite flower of Lord Beaconsfield was very
largo, both sexes contributing about equally to this
feature of the appearance of the streets. In public
conveyances the presence of the primrose was also
generally to be noticed. The statue of the Earl of
Beaconsfield, at Westminster, opposite Palace-yard,
was at an early hour decorated with a grand wreath
and coronet formed of primroses and ferns. During
the day the statue was visited by a large number of
persons, many. of whom deposited bunches of prim-
roses, so that the ground about the pedestal became a
parterre piled with the flower. Many well-known
Conservatives adopted this mode of testifying their
regard for the memory of the late leader of their
party. Telegrams from various parts of the country
speak of the general observance of Primrose Day.
At Windsor there was a profuse display of the
late earl's favourite flower. An extraordinary
demonstration took place at Liverpool on Saturday
evening in connection with the Primrose day cele-
bration. Some thousands of persons assembled in
front of St. George's Hall, where stands the statue of
the late Lord Beaconsfield. The statue and pedestal
were covered with wreaths and masses of primroses,
and several bands paraded about the large area, play-
ing" Auld Lang Syne " and other airs. • At Hug-
henden on Saturday there were a large number of
visitors to the parish church and the grave of the late
Dui of Beaconsfield. The vicar (the Rev. H.
Blagden) had received crosses and wreaths from
numerous admirers of the deceased statesmen, and
they were placed on the grave, on which is now grow-
ing a beautiful bed of Princess Royal Hyacinths. One
magnificent cross composed of pink and yellow roses
with a crown in stephanotis, lilies of the valley, and
forget-me-nots, received from Hong Kong, was placed
in the earl's stall in the church, and other portions of
the sacred edifice were decorated with primroses.
moss, ferns, and violets. Primrose day was else
largely observed in the district, and many persons
who differed in political and religious views from the
late earl paid a tribute to his memory by wearing the
emblem which is now associated with his name.

Lord Randolph Churchill was the principal speaker
on Saturday evening at a great gathering of the Prim-
rose League held at St. James's Hall, where the
anniversary of Lord Beaconsfield's death was com-
memorated by a banquet, Lord John Manners in the
chair. In proposing the principal toast Lord R.
Churchill paid a high tribute to the genius of the
statesman whose loss they so much deplored, and
spoke of his public services and of his illustrious
career. He defended the Primrose League against
the ridicule which had been cast uponit, and declared 1
that he would back the League against the Caucus. I
He contrasted the promises by which, he said, Mr.
Gladstone had deluded the Midlothian electors with
the events of the past three or four years; and
coming to the dispute between England and
Russia, went on to say: I would• not will-
ingly: say one word, and I do not believe any
one in this hall would willingly say one word which,
however indirectly, could injure the chances of the
preservation of peace or precipitate the chances, of
war. But there is a word I wish to say, for there are
certain organs in this country—certain groups of poli-
ticians, well meaning, I have no doubt, but very
eccentric, who are putting forward certain views and
considerations which if not strenuously answered and
refuted may dangerously mislead the public. The
government of India, which you have been carrying
on for over 100 years, is a task of great difficulty and
danger, which does not diminish as time goes on.
Your rule in India is as it were a sheet of oil spread
over the surface, and keeping calm and quiet and un-
ruffled by storms an immense and profound ocean of
humanity. (Hear.) Underneath your rule are surg-
ing up the memories of good dynasties, all the fana-
ticism of rival creeds, all the baffled aspirations of many
nationalities, and it is your most difficult task to
give peace, individual security, and general prosperity
to the 250,000,000 of people who are affected by
these powerful forces, to bind them and weld them by
the influence of your knowledge, your laws, your
higher civilization, ad in the process of time into
one great united people, and to offer to all the nations
of the West the advantages of tranquility and pro-
gress in the East. (Cheers.) That is your task. your
raison (fare in India. That is your title to India.
A task so difficult, so enormous, and so beneficial
ought to command the sympathy and friendly assent
of every European Power; for undoubtedly it is in
their interest that the task should be successfully
accomplished. To a great extent that sympathy
and frienitly assent have been secured ; but there is
one European Power—the Russian Empire—which
for many years, and more especially in recent
years, has been making progress and staple govern-
ment in India not only difficult, but almost impos-
sible. (Hear, hear.) With sometimes stealthy, some-
times open, always gradual, always sure, advance
of the countless hosts of Russia upon the north-west
frontier of India—now resembling the gliding of a
serpent, at another time developing into the bound of
a tiger—your Government is absolutely prevented and
prohibited in India from acquiring any real stability
or striking deep root amongst the Indian people.
The eyes of all the natives are directed to the north-
west. The political discussions of the natives, and
they have many, turn on the Russian advance. Every
political project or view which they are inclined to
take up and put forward is always coloured and
qualified by the Russian advance. They know that
from that quarter has come every conquest of India
but one. They see in that quarter mighty armies
moving, and fiell you, gentlemen, that until that most
insidious movement of Russian armies is permanently
arrested, it is foolish and futile to hope for any real
political or social progress in India under British rule.
(Cheers.) It is idle and hopeless to put forward schemes
for securing the loyal and hearty co-operation of the
natives in your system of Indian polity; even schemes
of local self-government for equalising and lighten-
ing the financial burdens which weigh heavily on the
people, so that you may convince them of the merit of
your rule, schemes for the development of the great
resources of India by public works, all these schemes
are doomed to be blighted, disappointed, and rendered
incapable of fruition as long as their most mischievous
movements are agitating the native minds—this ques-
tion before England and Russia. We have been very
safe, very unobserved, very long-suffering, very phleg-
matic, but the question has now come before us in an
extremely acute form, and its solution can not be avoided
or delayed. It is not to my mind a question of
Penjdeh or even Murchof or any other place in that
part of the world on which certain people are fixing
their eyes with microscopic attention. The question
is this, Will you permit, or will you once for all put
a stop to and finally suppress the constant and care-
fully prepared source of irritation, menace, and alarm
which is, so long as it continues, crippling and
paralysing all your efforts for discharging effectually
your high duty in India? (Cheers, and cries of " We
will ! '') rou hear and read a great deal about the
loyalty of the princes and people of India, and I
believe they are loyal to you now; but their loyalty is
not of the same quality as ours towards the British
Crown. Their loyalty is strictly conditional. You
have pledged yourselves to protect them from internal
conflict, and from foreign aggression, having
deprived them of the means of effectually defending
themselves. As long as your ability and desire
to fulfil your pledges are obvious and indubitable,
so long will the loyalty of India last. But the
moment they become even doubtful of your power
to assert your rights at the risk of all costs, that
moment the loyalty of India becomes a thing of the
past—never to be revived. (Cheers.) If, therefore,
the result of the present dispute with Russia should
demonstrate any failure on our part to determine
once for alf the hostile designs of that empire, I do
not say you will lose India to-morrow, but I am
certain that your rule in India will have received a
mortal blow, and that all hopes of political and social
progress there will have for ever vanished—(cheers)
—that the deadly decrepitude which fell on the old
Hindoo and Mogul Empires will fall upon yours in
your turn, and that the annihilation of your power
will be but a question of time. (Loud cheers).