The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-03-06 00:00:00

THE STOMI,I3RIDGE OBSERVER. T

THE LOSS OF THE PASSENGER
STEAMER, "HONG KONG."
The folio ing telegram was received last Friday at
Lloyd's, dat d Aden, February 26, 11 a.m. :
"The Hong Kong, steamer, from London to Japan, struck
on a sunken rock off Abdel Kuri and foundered. Second
mate and 18 Of the crew took to the boats, were picked up
and brought here by the Tiara, steamer, Captain and 17 of
the crew left the vessel and have not since been heard of. A
lady and five Children lost."
The owners of the Hong Kong, Messrs. Watts,
Milburn, and Co., have also received from nessrs.
James Buraess and Son a telegram, from Messrs.
Luke Thomas and Co., of Aden, in the following
words : -
"Inform owners immediately steamer Hong Kong struck
sunken ref off Abdel Kuri Islands and foundered. Lady
passenger, five children, mate, chief and third steward, cook,
fourth engineer, and butcher drowned. Eighteen men
arrived. Captain, 17 (second boat) missing."
The Hong Kong was an iron screw steamer, with
four bulkheads. She was 290 ft. long, 35ft. broad,
and 25ft. deep, and was built in 1871. Her gross
tonnage was 1,881, her burden 2,800 tons. She was
classed Al at Lloyd's, and fully insured. Her value
is estimated at about £40,000, and she carried be-
sides a valuable cargo. The Hong Kong was a fast
China liner, and had twice made passages with new sea-
son's teas which were claimed as the fastest, though she
did not start or arrive first. Her master was Captain
Conley, who had, till he recently succeeded Cap-
tain Symmington, been chief officer of the same vessel.
Both he and his officers were certificated. The Hong
Kong left Gravesend on January 24, and arrived at
Port Said on February 10. Here she was to disem-
bark Mr. Webster, of the Port Said and Suez
Coal Company, who was one of her passengers.
She left Port Said on the 11th, passed Suez on the
13th, and must then have made her passage down
the Red Sea and passed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The steamer was to touch first at Penang, after-
wards at Singapore, then at Hongkong, Yokohama,
and lingo. The last point on the African coast she
had to pass was Cape Guardafui, which is at the heel,
as it were, of the African boot, and is the north-
eastern extremity of Somali Land. Between that pro-
montory and the Island of Socotra in latitude
about 14 N., longitude about 53 E., ' lie a number
of islands and rocks. It was here she struck, and
it was not far from here that the same owners lost the
Singapore in 1873. It is not difficult to identify the
unfortunate family which has lost six members. In
the list of passengers furnished 14 the owners occurs
the name of Mrs. Jane Walton, with her children,
Alfred, Esther, Jane, Thomas, and Nellie, and accord-
ing to the brokers, the lady was going out to join her
husband at Yokohama. The other passengers were
only three in number, namely, Mr. Colding, Mr.
E. B. Peterson, and Mr. H. J. Lorne. The first
mate, who is described in the telegram as drowned,
was Mr. F. L. Murphy. The five others who
make up the total of twelve people known to
have perished were E. Pittman, chief steward; W.
Phelps, third steward: C. Stockting, the cook; W.
Smith, fourth engineer; and the butcher. Including
the captain, there were forty persons among the crew'
and there were nine passengers after Mr. Webster left.
The fuller telegram, that for the owners, tells us of
twelve drowned, eighteen saved, and eighteen who
escaped in a boat, but were not picked up by the
Tiara. This leaves one out of the forty-nine persons
in the ship unaccounted for, but it is possible that one
of the firemen was left at Suez, or, of course, that a
slight inaccuracy was committed in the hurry of des-
patching the news.
The Hong Kong was laden with a general cargo of
2,400 tons, which included 300 tons of gunpowder for
Japan.
The Somalis, on whose coast the missing boat is ex-
pected to be found, have been recently described by
Sir Bartle Frere. He says they are a handsome, active,
intelligent race,More akin to the Arab than the Negro,
and little known and much mistrusted in the last gene-
ration by our own naval officers. They are now dis-
tinguished in their employments at Aden as fishermen,
labourers, horsekeepers, &c. for their industry, in-
telligence, activity, and fidelity. Their occupations
in their own country are generally pastoral. It is
added that they have recently taken to importing
negro slaves at the rate of 4,000 per annum, that they
have always retained as slaves captives taken in war,
and "they seem to have been in the habit of keeping
in their country any stranger who once entered it,
and not allowing him to go away." Probably since
the British occupation of Aden this practice has been
checked, but it is satigactory to learn that a Govern-
ment vessel has gone in quest of the missing boat and
the 18 persons it contained.

The Times of Tuesday published the following :
Information has reached the owners of the steamer
Hong Kong in Greenock, that the missing boat of that
steamer, which foundered in the Red Sea on the 22nd
ult., has reached Aden; it contained the captain and
17 men. The first boat containing 19 persons, was
picked up, it will be remembered, by the steamer
Tiara. Twelve persons perished in the Hong Kong
when she went down. These were a lady named
Walton, five children, the chief mate, first and third
stewards, the cook, fourth engineer, and the butcher.

Captain Boyton's mission being to introduce it into
Europe. The dress is made of solid indiarubber, and
is in two parts, the lower being the r ant aloon s , to which
boots are attached, and the upper the tunic, with
sleeves, gloves, and helmet connected to it. The panta-
loons are formed with a waistbelt or hc.op of steel, which
is elastic, and has a rib of indiarubber running round
the outside. The tunic has a similar rib of rubber
around the inside of the waist, which is drawn over
and coutracts under the rib on the pantaloon belt, and
by its elasticity, gripping it tightly, forms a water-
tight joint. This joint is further secured by an outer
belt of rubber fastened with a buckle. Having put on
this suit in the order indicated in our description, the
operator next proceeds to inflate it, which he does by
blowing in turn through five tubes, fitted with stop
valves, each tube communicating with an air chamber.
of these chambers there are two in the pantaloons, two
in the tunic and one in the helmet. In the front of
the helmet an aperture is left large enough to show the
eyes nose and mouth of the operator, and the
act of inflating the helmet brings the edges of the rubber
in close contact with the face, so that there are only a
few square inches of exposed surface. The suit weighs
151 b. , and when fully inflated is stated to be capable of sus-
taining a weight of 3001 b., which allows for the weight of a
person saved by the wearer from drowning, besides which
the inventor has provided for the contingency of
damage to any one of the air-chambers. The suit
when out of use is packed away in an indiarubber bag
weighing about 21b. This bag has a compartment
round the mouth in which three gallons of water may
be stowed away. In the bottom of the bag are placed
provisions, signal lights, &c., and air is blown into the
water compartment, which expands the mouth of the
bag inwards and so closes the opening, which can
further be strapped tight. Equipped in this dress,
and thus provisioned and provided with a paddle,
Captain toyton undertakes to make any reasonable
voyage that may be suggested to him. As the dress
fits loosely and is put over the ordinary clothing, the
temperature of the body is equably maintained. With
a little practice, the dress can be put on and inflated
in two minutes.
Since his exploit off the Irish coast, Captain Boyton
has exhibited his powers of flotation in the dress on
many occasions and in various waters, among others
being those of Cork Harbour, Kingstown Harbour,
Dublin Bay, the Liffey, and, lastly, in the Thames,
making a voyage from Wapping to Lambeth. His
object is to get the life-saving dress adopted by the
Arctic Expedition, the National Lifeboat Institution,
and the it oyal Humane Society as adjuncts to their
present apparatus. For this purpose exhibitions
have of late been given by Captain Boyton at the
Paddington Baths, Queen's-road, Bayswater, and one
given on Wednesday evening was attended by a member
of the Committee of the Arctic Expedition, who was
present for the purpose of investigating the capabilities
of the lifetpreserving dress with the view of adopting
it. Mr. Plimsoll, M.P., who has taken an active in-
terest in the invention, was present during the even-
ing, and the Admiralty, the National Lifeboat Insti-
tution, and the Royal Humane Society were also re-
presented. Various aquatic feats were performed, which
fully demonstrated the adaptability of the new dress
for preserving life in water and called forth expressions
of approval from those present. The severer practical
tests to which we have referred, are, however, of more
value than those made in a swimming-bath, although
the latter serve to show the manipulation of
the dress and its applicability to its intended pur-
poses. A practical testimony to its value is afforded
by the course taken by. the United States Government,
who, we are informed, after giving the dress a year's
trial, have recently ordered 4,000 of them for their
naval service. It is also being supplied for constant
use in the American Life-Saving Service. Taking all
the facts connected with this apparatus, it is not pos-
sible to evade the conclusion that it would prove both
useful and valuable in the various departments we
have indicated.—The Times.

ENCOURAGING THE WORKS OF PEACE.
•
Amidst the din 6f war or preparation for war which
has come to be almost the normal state of Continental
Monarchies, it is refreshing to find one Sovereign at
least who has time to think of encouraging works of
peace (remarks the Daily News). An announcement
some time since made privately at Brussels, that Sing
Leopold was determined to found a valuable annual
prize for intellectual work of a useful character, has
been verified within the last few days by the publica-
tion in the Belgian papers of a Royal letter, addressed
to the Minister of the Interior, and laying down the
conditions of competition. The prize to be given is the
annual sum of £l,OOO, granted during the whole life of
the king, for an essay of such a character as shall
stimulate intellectual work in Belgium in the first
place ; and, in the second, shall call the attention of
foreigners to the development of art and science in
that country. For three consecutive years the compe-
tition is limited to Belgian subjects; but every fourth
year the prize is open to all the world. The subjects
are to be fixed accordingly • and those for the first four
competitions are duly laid in the Royal letter.
The first year's prize (due in 1878) will be for the best
original work on the national history; the second,
for one on national architecture ; the third, on
the . development of Belgian commerce • the fourth
(being that open to the world), on the best means of
forming and preserving harbours on sandy coasts. The
subject for the fifth competition will be announced a
year hence; and so on. Belgium is quite as much a
country of party Government as our own, and feeling
runs more warmly between the ins and outs at
Brussels than at Westminster; but it is pleasant to ob•
serve that on this occasion individuals and journals of
all shades of Liberalism and Ultramontanism unite in
praising the proposal thus officially announced by
their enlightened king.

INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY.
The Times of Wednesday says :—" The inability
of the aged of both sexes to withstand the effects
of the present inclement weather is shown daily in.
the obituary of Ths Times, but particularly so yester-
day, the 2nd inst., when the deaths of 30 persons were
recorded whose ages ranged from 70 to 99 years.
There were just half a score of ladies whose united
ages amounted to 875 years, giving an average of 87
years and exactly six months to each. The following
were their respective ages, viz., 80, 82, two at 85, 87,
three at 89, 00, and 99 years. There were also half a
score of septuagenarians whose ages ranged from 70 to
79. Their united ages amounted to 750 years, giving
an average of exactly 75 years to each. The same
obituary recorded the deaths of another half-score
of gentlemen whose united ages amounted to
761 years, giving an average of more than 76
years to each; the youngest was 70 and the oldest 84
years of age. The British Medical Journal states
that at the last Prussian Census there were found to
be living in Berlin 12,251 persons who were born before
the end of the last century. Among them, three men
and six women were 91 years old; four men and nine
women, 92 years; one man and five women, 93 years;
ten persons were 94 years of age; four women were
96 years old; two men and two women, 07; one man,
98 ; one woman, 99; and another woman, 101. Of
the persons between 90 and 100 years of age, five were
unmarried, five married, 57 widowed, and one divorced.
Apidow named Najelsky died on the 10th of February,
at Kamionken, near Lotzon, at the age of 103. She is
said to have been extraordinarily active even in her
hundredth year. A man died a fortnight ago at the
age of 105, at Horzitz, in Bohemia."

Holum TOOKE'S LAKENTATIOXILT- fwas the habit of -
Lord Eldon, when Atto:pnFral to close his
speeches with some remarks., " olvi? cha-
racter. •At the trial bf Ho IV° sp_ealtiittof his -
own reputation, he said: "It is the ittle. infieritance
I have to leave my children, and, by God'shelp; I will
.leave it unimpaired." Here he shed tears, an, 1° the
astonishment of those present, Mitford, the Solicitor
General, began to weep. "Just look at Mitford,"
said a bystander to Home Tooke; "what on earth is
he crying for ? " Tooke replied,
__"He is crying to
think what a small inheritance Eldim's children are
likely to get."
Da. JorirrsoN AND His PUBLISHER.—When Dr.
Johnson had completed his Dictionary, which had
quite exhausted the patience of Mr. Andrew Millar,
his 'bookseller, the latter acknowledged the receipt of
the last sheet in the following note :—" Andrew
Millar sends his compliments to Dr. Samuel Johnson
with the money for the last sheet of the Dictionary,
:and :t-banks God he has done with him." Johnson
replied be was happy to find Mr. Millar thanked God
for anything. .
'IRICKS—NOT BREECHE3 l—Gordon, Laird of Craig-
myle was once visited by the eccentric Duchess of
Gordon on some of her electioneeTing plans. She had
heard that the excellent and worthy laird was making
bridles on his property to 'build a wall. Her Grace
asked politely,, "Well, Mr. Gordon, and how do your
bricks get on.; The Laird of Craigmyle's thoughts
were much occupied with a new leather portion of his
attire, which he had lately had made; so, looking
down on his nether garments, he replied in pure Aberdeen
dialect, " Muckle obliged to your Grace; the breeks
war sum ticht at first, but they are doing weel eneuch
noo."
A SHARP REBUKE.—Dr. South, preaching before
King Charles, saw that potentate asleep; he stopped
short, and in an altered tone of voice, three times
called out, "Lord Lauderdale I" His lordship stood
and looked at the preacher, who thus addressed him
with great composure—" My lord, I am sorry to in-
terrupt your repose, but I must beg of you not to snore
so loudly, lest you should wake the king."
SERVED HIM RIGHT !—The Duke of Cambridge, in
his capacity of Commander-in-Chief, was on one occa-
sion passine, about among the men in barracke
at Dover, and was inquiring, as is his wont, if they
had anycomplaints to make. None had any grievances
to tell save one, who was known to his comrades as an
habitual grumbler, and who complained that the
rations served out to him were not fit to be eaten.
"Very well, we will see," said the duke, and ordering
the soldier's dinner to be brought, he sat down and
discussed the viands with an appetite that would have
done credit to a farmer. When he had finished he
sharply rebuked the astonished soldier, and told him
he had been well punished by the loss of his dinner.
A DIFFICULTY NOT APPRECIATED.—Dr. Johnson
was observed by a musical friend of his to be extremely
inattentive at a concert, whilst a celebrated solo player
was running up the divisions and subdivisions of notes
upon his violin. His friend, to induce him to take
greater notice of what was going on, told him the
performance was extremely difficult. "Difficult, sir,"
replied the doctor; "I wish it were impossible."
TESTING AN INVENTION !—The following anecdote
of the Iron Duke is recommended to the Secretaries
for War and for the Navy, who have spent enormous
sums in fruitless experiments with new inventions. A
man came to the duke. "What have you to offer?"
said the duke. "A bullet-proof jacket, your Grace."
—" Put it on." The inventor obeyed. The duke
rang a bell. An aide-de-camp presented himself.
"Tell the captain of the guard to order one of his men
to load with ball cartridge. The inventor disappeared,
and was never again seen near the Horse Guards. No
money was wasted in trying that invention.