The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-10-25 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

AGRICULTURAL RETURNS FOR 1879.—1 n the Blue
Book just issued it is stated that in Great Britain the
area returned as under cultivation has increased by
121,000 acres since 1878, and by 264,000 acres since
1877, and the total increase in the ten years since 1869
is no less than 1,637,000 acres, or about the same area
as the whole of Devonshire. With regard to the wheat
crop in the United Kingdom, it is stated that it has now
decreased by nearly a million acres, or a fourth of its
area since 1869, when 3,982,000 acres were under
wheat. The decrease in Great Britain is from 3,688,000
to 2,890,000 acres, or 798,000 acres.
A STRANGE BURIAL.—Lord Truro, a member of
the House of Lords, whose residence is at Falcon-
hurst, on the summit of Shooter's-hill, has just afforded
a novel example of funeral simplicity. Last week his
wife died, and Lord Truro, having placed the body in
a plain wooden box, lightly constructed so as not to
arrest the process of natural decay, buried it himself
in a grave dug in the lawn which fronts the house, at
a spot selected for the purpose by the deceased lady.
The grave is about 4ft. deep, and a marble monument
will be raised upon lt.—The Times.
SMOKING IN THE DARK.—The question has been
asked why a man smoking a pipe should not be aware
when the candle is put out whether the tobacco is still
burning. There is, first the point of fact. It may be
questioLed if any one really finds himself in the diffi-
culty supposed. We believe, under certain condi-
tions the doubt may exist. Smokers are not always
large consumers at the weed. They often form a
habit of taking very little smoke into the mouth
and of breathing chiefly through the nose. The
consequence is that the "pleasure" of smoking may
consist in having something to do, and the sensation of
doing that something is quite as likely to be a matter
of seeing as of tasting- In cases of this class the
smoker, being deprived of his accustomed evidence of
means of enjoyment, may be distressed. Of course,
it is not alleged that a man cannot ascertain whether
the contents of his pjpe are lighted when he happens
to be in the dark. That would be sheer folly. Mean-
while the experiment, if such it can be called, is well
calculated to draw attention to the economic question
how far the pleasure of smoking is generally imaginary.
If it be, a suitable substitute for the expensive cigar
and wasteful pipe might be found in some permanent
material, of proper eonsistency, moulded into the ap-
proved shape. It has long been a mystery to some
smokers how other smokers could systematically smoke
bad cigars; the mystery may be dispelled if it should
turn out that the fumes of the tobacco consumed are
not even inhaled.—Lancet.

A DISTINGIIIHED EMIGRA_NT.—Amongst other pas-
sengers by the National Steamship Company's steamer
France, which left the Victoria Docks the other day,
is a magnificent three-year-old bull, Prince George, by
Royal George—Katherine. He was bred by his Royal
Highness Prince Chriatian, at Cumberland Lodge,
Windsor Park, and is sent to New York for account
of his present owner, Mr. William Arbuthnot, of
Coworth Park. Royal George, the sire, bred by Her
Majesty the Queen, at the Royal Dairy Farm,
Windsor, realised in this country the handsome sum of
22,500.
A NEW TORPEDO.—Very satisfactory trials have,
says the New York Army and Navy Journal, been
recently made with an "aggressive torpedo" of a
novel and peculiar design lately invented by Captain
Ericsson. The torpedo with which the experiments
were made is 19 feet long and 15 inches in diameter at
its largest part, but pointed at both ends; and carries
a charge of 2501 b. of explosive substance in its head.
The tail is provided with a cast iron armarture, to
balance the weight of the charge in the head, and the
whole torpedo weighs 1,2811 b. The peculiar feature in
this new weapon is that instead of being propelled
below the surface of the water by machinery placed
within the tLrpedo itself and worked by compressed
air, Captain Ericsson's torpedo is fired from a gun, the
bore of which it exactly fits, a cast iron piston being
employed to transmit to it the initial energy of the
charge and the gradually diminishing energy of the
expanding powder gases, while the tail end of the
torpedo is made blunt to enable it to withstand the
crushing effect of the great pressure brought to bear
upon it.

A BALLOON ACCIDENT.—A San Fransisco despatch
states that Professor Colgrove, aeronaut, and C. 11.
Williams, manager of Woodward Gardens, attempted
to make a balloon ascension from the gardens on the
sth instant. The wind was blowing almost a gale at
the time. The balloon seemed to be insufficiently in-
flated, and rose heavily above the buildings of the
garden. It soon after dropped and scudded along at a
low elevation, tearing away telegraph wires in its
flight. The cloth soon ripped, and the gas escaped
with a roar which was heard for a great distance.

Both Of the occupants were thrown out, falling in
Folsom-street, and the balloon came down a few rods
beyond. Williams was fearfully crushed about the
face and head, and died in a few moments. Colgrove's
injuries seemed to be mostly internal; he died soon
afterwards. The disaster created great excitement.
Professor Marton, the aeronaut, and others who were
present at the ascent begged Mr. Williams not to go
up, saying that in the half gale which was blowing he
was literally taking his life in his hands.
EMIGRATION OF ENGINEERS.—On Tuesday morning
a large number of engineers, who for several months
past have been on strike at Bradford, left for Liver-
pool, en route for Harrisburg and Middletown, Penn-
sylvania, where they have been engaged to fill impor-
tant situations by two of the largest engineering firms
in America. Their departure was witnessed by a
large crowd of persons, and as the train left the
station the emigrants were loudly cheered. Arrange-
ments have been made to send away another batch
towards the end of next week.
NEAPOLITAN INDUSTRIEEL—Some suggestive facts
bearing on English commerce are mentioned by Mr.
Consul Grant on his report for 1878. The engineering
operations of the Italian Metal Works Company at
Castellamare, started in 1871, have been a great suc-
cess, and have entirely relieved Italy from all fears of
foreign competition in the matter of iron bridges and
railway plant generally. Between 1871 and 1878 this
company has erected 801 iFon bridges, mostly for Italian
railways, besides supplying 25,371 square metres of
railway station and other roofs. All the pig iron
consumed comes from Belgium, The wages per day of
ten hours are as follows :—Fitters, is. 21. to Is. 91. ;
firemen, is. 4d. to is. 63. ; erecters, is, 9d. to 23, sd. ;
strikers, is. to is. 4d. ; boys, 4Ad. to 51d. The work.
men are described as sober, willing, and intelligent.
The cotton industry of the district is nearly entirely in
the hands of Germans and Swiss, who have greatly im-
proved their machinery and raised their standard of
production. As the raw material can be procured from
India direct, and wagesare very low, English cotton
goods, such as domestics, T.cloths, and prints, are
nearly driven out, of the market.
A QUAINT CEREMONY.—In London, on Tuesday, in
accordance with ancient custom, a quaint legal cere-
mony between the Crown and the Corporation was
duly observed. It was held for the first time in the
new Law Courts. The Secondary, the City Solicitor,
and the late Under-Sheriff attended before Sir
Frederick Pollock, the Queen's Remembrancer, to
render services due from the Corporation to the Crown.
Proclamation was made in these terms :—" Tenants
and occupiers of a piece of waste land called the
Moors, in the county of Salop, come forth and do your
service." The City Solicitor then stepped forward and
cut one faggot with a hatchet and another with a bill-
hook. A further proclamation was then made as
follows :—" Tenants and occupiers of a certain tene-
ment called the Forge, in the parish of St. Clement
Danes, in the county of Middlesex, come forth and do
your service," The City Solicitor then counted six
horse-shoes and 61 nails, the Queen's Re,membrancer
saying, "Good number." With that the ceremony
ended.

A SIMPLE TREATMENT. All who suffer from
sciatica and neuralgic pains may at any rate try the
novel yet extremely simple treatment devised by Dr.
Ebrard, of Nimes, who has employed it for many
years, for the experiment will cost nothing, may pos-
sibly effect a cure, and, at all events, can do no harm.
The apparatus to be used consists merely of a fiat-iron
and vinegar. The iron is heated until it is hot enough
to evaporate the vinegar, next cover with some woollen
material moistened with vinegar, and then apply at
once to the painful spot. The application may be made
twice or thrice a day. It is stated that the pain dis-
appears in twenty-four hours, and a scovery follows
immediately,
TERRIBLE DISASTER AT A FAIR,—A special despatch
from Adrian, Mich., gives the particulars of an acci-
dent which occurred at the County Fair grounds, in
that city, on the 2nd inst. About 2,000 people had
assembled on a newly-erected grand stand to witness
the races, when the centre of the stand gave way with
a crash, the front part falling outward and the back
part falling into the river, precipitating the mass of
people into the ruins. Work was at once begun to ex-
tricate the dead and wounded. The Opera-house was
opened, and many of the dead and wounded, as fast as
they were extricated, were conveyed there. Many of
the injured were taken away by friends, so that the
actual number cannot be ascertained. The total
number of deaths up to the afternoon of the 3rd inst.
was 16, and the seriously injured numbered 75, some
of whom, the physicians stated, could not survive.
AFRICAN EXPLORATION. M. Palm a de Andrade
has just started for l!.lozembioue, accompanied by a
staff of engineers, to survey the banks of the Zambesi,
and to ascertain the possibility of exploring, on a large
scale, the tract of country of which the Portuguese Go-
vernment recently granted him a conce9sion. The
matter has been taken up by a company, which pro-
poses to establish a colony at Zumbo, about 50 miles
from Tete. They have the exclusive privilege for 20
years of searching for and working mines of gold, coal,
iron, copper, &a., and of exploring the woods and
forests belonging to the State. In addition, the Go-
vernor-General of Mozambique is authorized to make
them a grant of 250,000 acres of land. News has been
received that the Indian elephants presented by the
King of the Belgians to the International African As-
sociation have reached Mpwapvva in safety, and have
so far given satisfaction. It is believed that an en-
deavour will probably be made to use them at first
for catching and taming African elephants. There is
also a rumens at Zanzibar that Mr. Sanderson is to be
invited to go over from India for a time, and to take
with him his staff for the purpose of catching and
training African elephants for the service of the Bel-
gian expeditions.—Acadenly.
DESTRUCTION OF FIRE DAMP.—A mining student of
Freiberg has invented an improved lamp for the pro-
tection of life against explosions of fire-damp. It is
based upon the property possessed by ethiops of
platinum of condensing on its surface not only oxygen,
but also light carburetted hydrogen even when only
small quantities of it exist in the atmosphere, and in
this close contact of the two gases effecting a dark
combustion of the carburetted hydrogen. A wire.
gauze lamp is charged with pieces of pumice stone,
impregnated with ethiops of platinum. These lumps
are surrounded by coke to protect them, and enclosed
In the lamp, which is then ready. In the presence of
fire-damp the ethiops of platinum attracts the gas,
which is gradually ancl harmlessly destroyed, the con-
sumption being within the gauze and not of a nature
to ignite a surrounding explosive atmosphere. Mr.
Korner, the inventor, points out that a great advan-
tage of this safety inflammable air-consuming lamp
consists in its not requiring continuous attention and
maintenance, as the ethiops of platinum will consume
a large quantity of the light carburetted hydrogen
without losing its properties. Control of the lamp is
effected through the escaping heat. Lamps as des-
cribed may be advantageously used in all places where
there is inflammable air.—Mining Journal.