The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-03-18 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MAR. 18, 1876.

SINGULAR DEATH OF A POST OFFICE
RAILWAY GUARD.

In London, on Saturday, Dr. Hardwicke held an in-
quest at the Royal Free Hospital on the body of James
bArber, aged 29, a Post Office guard on the Midland
Railway, who oied under very shocking circumstances.
Deceased was in the employ of the General Post Office.
On the arrival of the mail train from the north on
Tuesday morning in last week at St. Pancras, it was
discovered that he had left his van, the door of which
was open. He was found on the line near Agar Town
goods station, very much injured, his groans having
attracted the notice of the train receiver at S.
Paul's-
road junction, and he was taken to the above-
named hospital, where he d'ed on Thursday morn-
ing, after undergoing amputation of the left
arm, and being delirious for many hours
from tihock to the system. Thomas Barlow,
a .eassenger guard by the same train, said he saw the
deceased on the platform at Bedford, when deceased
complained of being ill. He seemed to be in great
pain, and was on his knees in an attitude of prayer.
Soon after he became better, and the train proceeded.
A gentleman from the General Post Office gave de-
ceased an excellent character. It was stated by the
.andlord of deceased that he had been in two railway
collisions during the past month, and they appeared
to have affected his mind. It appeared that deceased,
whilst in a state of delirium, jumped out of bed and
attempted to kill himself-by knocking-his-I Mies
the wall. There was no evidence to show how de-
ceased fell from Oia pa).lway van.
-After considerable Clisdussion, the jury agreed to a
verdict a "-Accidental death." '

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THE AUCTIONEER'S EATRON.—Saint Francis
of Sales.—Fun.

CATHEDRALS AND CHURCHES.—A further re-
turn has been printed, by order of the House of Lords,
from which it appears that, as far as the Bishop of
Peterborough can ascertain, the amount expended in
his diocese in building new churches and restoring
churches during the past 40 years is £674,081. The
funds amounted to £715,317, and the number of
churches 323. Of the amount stated, £709,604, for 318
churches, was entirely voluntary; £2,063 partly volun-
tary, and partly borrowed on rates for one church;
£3,000 from the trustees of local charities for two
churches ; £250 from the Ecclesiastical Commission for
one church, and £4OO, loan, paid off by rent of church
land for one church. The return does not include the
cost of land given for sites. A return appears in the
same document as to the diocese of Gloucester and
Bristol, but loses much of its value for the want of a
summary.

DON CARLOS AT THE LONDON DOCKS. —On
Saturday afternoon Don Carlos and his suite paid a
visit to the London and St. Katharine Dock. On their
arrival in two open carriages at the London Docks they
were received by Colonel Martindale, C. 8., the general
manager of the company, and were conducted to the
East Vault, which contains several thousand casks of
the finest wines in the world. After remaining in the
vault for a short time he visited the ivory and spice
..-I,4Mteltffer...-...ak.then_expreasettl_a_wish to visit the in-
digo warehouse in the St. Katharine Docks. Don
Carlos, after gazing iat the Mist shipping in the basins
and expressing his astonishment at what he had seen,
was-conducted- by_Colonel Martindale to one of the
large hydraulic lifts, which was lowered to the base-
Meta of the..guliti.:andLiqoarty of ten, including Don
Carlos, seated themselves upon chairs, and in a few
seconds were transported into one of the largest wane-
' hensesi•in .-the shetrVolbs. -After a short visit Don
Caries and ,su4e took .tb4r departure from the main
eiitranee of the St: rithEirine Docks.
A. ISTERMW ,wiTg.i'lltrt4.—The following
is an extract from the, letter,og .:fthe Special Corre-
ripondent of Tyi,e
At Chotireli the Prince halted tpr breakfast, and was re-
,ceived authorities, aha .at Jaubhalpore General
Hume; I.l.r.'Grlint, add the StatiOn staff" were in waiting, a
guard of honour, escort, &c. After lunch the last batch of
genuine Thugs left in India were brought from prison, where
they had been five and thirty years, for inspection. They
were all approvers whose lives had been spared on account
of evidence which enabled the Government officers to seize
and execute many Tangs. They answered without hesita-
.tibn questiOns as to the number of murders each had helped
to perpetrate. Government allows them three rupees, or
five shillings a month. At the end of the interview they
held out their 'halide'. clasped, and asked the Prince to set
,thyn free. Then, when they were told it could not be so,
Ittey akèd tbs. as 'a last—boon for an additional rupee a
Month, 'and the Prince expressed a desire that the boon
should be accorded. it will rao doubt be so. . . _ _ _

-EASIER, SAID THAN DONE.—Draper's Shop-
niaii (Melbourne, Victoria). "What do you want, my
Man ?"—Successful Gold-Digger (who has been admir-
ing the Customer seated near him). " Jist you rig out
my Missus like that 'ere Yuung 'Ooman ! !"—Punch.
'RED SNOW.—Mr. Edward Hardy, Forest-hill,
writes to the Daily News :—" The snowstorm of Sun-
day (about two p.m.) was distinguished here by the
appearance of the very remarkable phenomenon known
as 'red snow.' As I believe such an occurrence is very
rare in this country, I am rather anxious to know what
was the range of it—and whether the appearances in
other parts corresponded with those which I observed.
Immediately on the ground becoming fairly covered
with snow, there appeared at intervals on the garden
paths reddish patches of somewhat circular form; on
some of the flower-beds, and in a sheltered part of the
grass-plot, the redness was more general and less dis-
tinguished by any particular shape, though nowhere
quite continuous. On being taken up in a spoon the
red snow' had a very distinctly red tinge, much re-
sembling strawberry ice, and on melting has left a red
deposit which with a very low-poivered microscope has
the appearance of vegetable cells."

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these honey-producers could be introduced into Europe
is doubtful. One or two swarms have existed for a
time at the Paris Zoological Gardens, and some
varieties exist in Australia. but they iwould not pro-
bably, survive in our climate.—Globc.

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A box has been placed at each of the railway stations
in Epsom for the reception of newspapers, periodicals, ctc.,
to be used by the inmates of the Epsom union workhouse.
The licence duty paid by tobacco dealers in the year
ended March 31 was £7t, 039, and the numhor was 292,753,
besides 397 manufacturers who paid £7,649 as duty.

It appears from the returns brought by the Austra-
lian mail, that no:withrtanding a decrease of 40140
miners in the colcny of Victoria during last year, the ditol-
nntion in the quantity of gold obtained was only 43,791 z.
—AVM- lag ?Meting of the- Berlin Geogralitlical
Society a paper was read, in which an account was given of
Lieutenant 4:anierOn's Afrisisn 'expedition, and the result
spoken of as of the highest importance.

A Times' telegram P tates that the ship Itlajeg6c, load-
ing at New Orleans, for Liverpool, with 3,500 bales or Cotton
aboard, was itiruck by lightning on Sanaa? and caught fire.
The ship was slightly damaged. The cargo was worth 50,000
dols.

The sum expended in carrying out experiments with
" torpedoes " for the year 1876 was £2,200; for 1846, £4,000
is asked for. This meney will be well spent.
By the bursting of a boiler on board one of the Khe-
dive's steamers at Suez 24 persons have been killed and several
wounded.
A fashionable Aberdeen visitor thus addressed a
little girl: "How do youtloony little dear?" "Very well, I
thank you," she •replied. The 'visitor then added: "Now,
my dear, you must ask.nie how I do." The child honestly
replied: "I don't wantlo know."
A serious landellPimourred t Caub-on-the,Baine on
Saturday night, caused by the late heavy rains. Eight houses
were completely bunted, and twenty-six people killed. The
railway traffic was interrupted.
The Sheffield Telegraph says it has now been made
known throughout nearly the whole of South Yorkshire and
North Derbyshire, that it is the intention of the Coalownera'
Association to reduce the wages of the men in April next.
The colliers have not yet decided upon a definite course of
action.
The late Reverdy Johnson has left twelve children,
about fifty grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren,
nearly ail of whom were present at the anniversary of his
golden wedding, Nov. 16, 1869. It Is said that Mr. Johnson's
life was insured for 100,000 dols.

There was assembled at Booth's Theatre, in New
York, on the 15th alt., nearly 400 men, all of whom were six
feet high, the occasion being the distribution of priztila;ver
by the proprietor of the theatre, to those of the a
force of the tragedy of "J rains Cseaar."
The Secretary for War has received a deputation of
licensed victuallers and others, who attended to urge the
hardships of the present billeting system. Mr. Hardy ex-
pressed a hope that by the new arrangements, by which
central barracks are provided in the great towns, many of
the evils of the present system would be done away with,
and he promised consideration for the subject.

41-..
A *l.,

In favour of the Women's Disabilities Bill, 126,586 f&v.
persons have petitioned the House of Commons; against Mr. 4
O. Morgan's burials resolution, 91,920; and in favour of it,
. V
1,422; in favourot the Sunday Liquor Bill for Ireland, 14,143;
for prevention of vivisection, 29,315; and for release of the
Tichborne Claimant, 2,615 persons.
On Saturday morning the Prince of Wales arrived
0
at Bombay, and embarked on board the Serapis in order *, ,
return to England. The road was lined with troops, auk*" ; '
farewell address was presented to him by the Municipality.
—ln order to commemorate his visit to India, the Queen has
appointed the Prince honorary colonel of eight native regi-
ments.

Hereafter German war ships will be named by rule:
Armed frigates after princes; armed corvettes after pro-
vinces ; unarmed spar decks will bear the names of German
victories; smaller vessels those of generals, admirals, and
statesmen; armed gunboats, after birds and wild beasts;
transports after rivers; and torpedo boats after cavalry
offieers. The Emperor will name yachts himselL
- -

The direction of the Burealt Ireritas has recently
published the following statistics of maritime disasters, re-
ported during the month of December, 1875, concerning all
fligs ;—Sailing vessels reported lost-48 English vessels, 21
American, 11 French, 9 German, 8 Greek, 8 Dutch, 6 Russian,
6 Norwegian, 4 Danish, 4 Italian, 1 Spanish, 1 Swedish, 24 ot
which the nationality is unknown; total, 150. In this
number are included 20 vessels reported missing. Steamers
reported lost.-6 English, steamers, 2 German, 2 American,
2 Spanish, 1 French, 1 Dutch; total, 14. In this number Li
included 1 steamer reported missing.

The Correspondent of the Standard, in writing of the
floods in Austria and Hungary, says.—" The inundations
along the whole district of the Danube and its affluents still
continue. The half of Moravia has been reduced to a lake
again for some days, and in Hungary the water is higher than
it has ever been since 1838 At far as historical notices are
at hand such an enormous quantity of water has never ben
known to 113 w in the bed of the Danube in the same interval
of time as during the past winter. No pen can describe the
misery that exists in some parts of Austria, but especially in
Hungary; the water has caused the most fearful devastation
near Komorn, the largest Austrian fortress.
A notification in a recent number of the CalcuUa
Governnzent Gazette commemorates one more instansis of
native liberality in connection with the Prince of 'Wales's
visit. A Hindoe gentleman, Rai Lutchmeput Singh jiitha-
door, offered to contribute £4,000 for the restoration ol the
Berhampore College to the rank it onee held of a Colleg pre- Z
paring for the B.A. degree examinations of the Calcutta
University. The Lieutenant-Governor thought that the
higher-class students at Berhampore were likely to be few,
and suggested that the donation might be more profitably
employed in founding a College in Calcutta for the study of !'
practical science. Rat Lutchmeput Singh Bahadoor agreed
to this, ar king only that the gift might be called the "Prince
of Wales's Fund." The Government has now instructed the
Director of Public Instruction to prepare a scheme for
carrying the donation into cffect, and has expressed its thanks
to the donor.

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