The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-10-04 00:00:00

SATURDAY, OCT. 4, 1884

MERIOUS ACaIDENT AT a FIRE.—A fire, which resulted
en serious damage, broke out at a late hour on Saturde
night in London at the yard of the Thames Shipbuilding
Company (Limited). A strong force of the Metro-
politan Fire Brigade was got to work under Mr. Camp-
bell, the superintendent of the Whitechapel station,
and eventually, by the help of six steamers, the fire was
conquered, though not before great damage had been
done. Unfortunately one of the men of the fire brigade,
missing his footing, fell down into a dry dock, suffering
very serious injuries. It was ascertained that one of
his thighs was broken, and it was believed that his right
eye was injured. The fireman was picked up and con-
veyed to the Poplar Hospital. The injured man, whose
name is Watson, is attached to the Bow station.
BROADLANDS.—Broadlands is now the property of Lord
Mount Temple, the step-son of Lord Palmerston, and
his enthusiasm for the public good induces him to open
his park to the people. Mr. Cowper Temple, as a member
of Parliament, moving unknown among the amalga-
mated saddle-backs, or stiff necks, from distant fac-
tories, used to hear them say, "Ah ! this is all very
well, but we know what he does it for." Now Lord
Mount Temple hears them say," He must be a kind
man." Another observation which the noble owner of
Broadlands has the opportunity of sometimes hearing is
this: "I say, though, ain't it a shame one man
siteuld have all this? Eh, governor?" His lord-
ship's answer usually is, "If it were not so,
recollect you would not have the opportunity
of seeing the place in the way it is now kept."
Lady Palmerston, having good taste, greatly improved
the outlook from the house and surrounding gardeits
by opening vistas through the park, especially where
timber stands thickest, and thus she extended the view
to various salient points—to Toot-hill, which is covered
with masses of Scotch firs, and to Yew Tree Wood,
named from its great yews. One of her strokes of
genius is amusing. An upright cup.ressus contrasting
with some spreading cedars near it, formed a con-
spicuous object from the house. Every one admired
the tree. But what if anything should happen to it?
So a similar tree was cleverly planted exactly in a line
with it, so that the two trees look like one tree from the
windows, and the loss of either would not be Observed.
The wools of the estate, which are generally on high
ground and seen from the park, are well worth ex-
ploring, especially Nightingale Wood, with its 300 acres
of oak trees. The beeches here are brown with the
heavy crop of mast.—" The Gardeners' Chronicle."

GRANITE DISCIVERIES IN NEW BRIINSWICK.—A.
--`OSt important industry has sprung up in connection
iiith the red granite found near St. George, Charlotte
county, New Brunswick, which is said to equal Aberdeen
granite for monumental and all useful work. It takes
a beautiful polish and resists the influence of the
weather in a remarkable degree. There is a large de-
mand for it in Canada and the United States. Very
superior granite is found in Hampstead, in Queen's
county.

PRI'CES OF LAND.—The great land sale of last week
as that of the Henlow Grange Estate, by Sir j.
Whittaker Ellis. The estate, situated between Hitchin
and Biggleswade, contains 2700 acres, and is said to be
worth £6OOO a year. Profiting by the example of
recezt sales, the vendors divided it into lots, of which
the theee most extensive, including the mansion and
park, were not sold. Three other lots, of from 277 to
386 acres, secured from £42 to £55 an acre. The
heaviest prices were, as usual, given for the smaller
I..ts, the sums varying from £65 to £B2 an acre.
THE MINERS' STRIRE.—The miners who have been
on strike thirteen weeks, in the South Stafford and
East Worcester districts against a reduction in wages,
held a mass meeting on Saturday at Cradley-heath, at
which it was stated ti;at during the last few days one
of the employers had sent for his men to work at the
old rate of wages, and others were likely to take a
similar course next week. It was resolved to continue
the strike, and the miners now feel certain they will be
victorious.

LAKE SUPERIOR COPPER MINES.—It appears from
official tables that the product of the Lake Superior
copper mines for the months of April, May, and June
was considerably larger than for the corresponding
time in 1883. Since January 1 the production of
mineral has been 19.334 tons, as against 16,441 tons for-
the first half year of 1883. Calumet and Hecla show
an increase from 10,125 tons to 12,301 tons. Last year
:he lake mines produced about 60,0001b5. There is
good reason to expect that this will be increased to
70,000,000 in 1884, seeing thlimproved communica-
tion opened up by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
THE WHALE FistrErt. v.—All the vessels of the Dundee
whaling fleet, with one exception, have now arrived at
Dundee, three having been docked on Sunday night.
The result of the season's fishing at Newfoundland has-
been a catch of 34,000 seals, at Greenland 17,000 seals
and 136 bottlenose whalea, and at Davis Straits, 73
whales. Seal fishing this season has been under the
average, but whaling has been much above the
average. The total value of the catch this year is esti-
mated at £190,000. ,Two of the vessels which arrived
brought home the crew of the steam whaler Narwhal,
wh:ch was severely crushed by the ice and abandoned in
Davis Straits.
ADVANTAGES OF ROUGHING IT.—A new feature, Or
rather experiment, in the training of lads has become
of late popuhir in some of the middle States of America.
It is to send the young man fresh from college, perhaps,
and elated with scholastic or athletic honours, to herd
sheep or cattle for a year on a Western ranch. At
first thought, this treament seems rough, almost brutal.
But it usuall:- proves wholesome, as a cold douche to
an enervated body. A lad subjected to this treatment
for a year, tried daily only by the courage, common-
sense, shrewdness, and down-right force that is in him,
comes back with "much of the nonsense taken out of
him," and with a broad outlook over the world, and a
firm comprehension of reality and of conventional
falsities, which years of town life woula not give him.
Added to all this is the thorough strengthening of his •
physical forces in the pure air and hard outdoor work.
Ms.ny a petted, weakly stripling might be saved from
death, or an inefficient, sickly life, by a year of exile on
the prairies.
INSURANCE IN CANADA.—The annual report of the
superintendent of insurance in Canada which has just
been issued shows that during the past year the number
of companies has increased one. The net amounts
insured at the end of the year were 572,264,041 dols.,
or more than triple the figures of 1869, the earliest
year with which comparison can be made. Of this
insurance about two-thirds is held by British com-
panies, and less than one-thirteenth by Americans,
while the remainder is held by Canadian. The loss rate
of the year is 63-14 as against 63-01 in the previous
year, and reduces the general average of the 15 years,
to 77.67.
A POLITICIAN'S IDEAL OF A HAPPY LlFE.—Like- a
sensible man, the London correspondent of the" Liver-
pool Post " says, Lord Randolph Churchill is quietly
spending his time in Scotland, shooting. He is not par-
ticularly fond of sport, knowing two ways of spending
a holiday infinitely preferable to his mind. One is to
go to Paris and live a boulevard life—a course he
pursued last Easter when worn nearly to death by the
labours of the session. The other is to go down to-
Brighton and stay in bed for twenty hours out of the
twenty-four. He told me once that his idea of a happy
life was to go to bed in a quiet room, stay there through
the day reading and dozing, dine in slippers and dress-
ing-gown in the evening, and as soon as convenient
thereafter go back to bed.
LORD HOUGHTON ON THE SCOTCH ESTABLISHMENT.—
Lord Houghton, speaking at a bazaar held in Gosford
House, the residence of the Earl of Wemyss, in support
of an Established Church, defended the Church and
State connection, and expressed gratification that
during Mr. Gladstone's visit to Scotland there had been
no feverish excitement by the Free Church party, or
unscrupulous action by the United Presbyterian Church,
urging the Premier to disestablish the Church of Scot-
land. He hoped the Church establishment would long
continue, and that the Queen would attend the services
of the Church of Scotland when in the north with as
much reverence as she did those of the Church of
England, of which her Majesty was the temporal head,
and show as much honour to the leading ministers of
the Church of Scotland as she would do the most dis-
tinguished prelates of the Church of England.