The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-01-07 00:00:00

BURSTING OF A. CANAL, AT of.°

HOUSES FLOODED.
Shortly after four o'clock on Tutslay sauteing
the people residing in the vicinity of Dog Lin Lod
Powke Lane Old Hill, Rowl, y aegis, were startled
by a lend explosion, and almost humediAtely afte-
wards meny of them were further alarmed by
water roehing into their linaaes. It appears that es
lathy night some of the employes of the Birming-
ham Canal Cienapany noticed that the (Anil
embaekineut bet we-n Misers lingleye' irozwo ks
and Vie, Galen Colliery was subs-dig, and they '
luokily took the preeitatione of placilig plaeka ,
ra,..eetes under two b.iiiges, so that in ease et the
embsukatent giving Wee only the war between the
two bridgis couel eseepe. Some ironworker*
employed at Messrs. Ilingleys' works ewe that at
twenty minutes pat four o'clock yesterday in =dog
they heard an explosion. It was discovered that the
canal e nieankestaat, which is raised Heade twenty
yards from the iiiAliway, had b-en knocked down .
:or a distance of fifty yards, A great volume of
water rualied down the meadows into the etreets
and eventu-lly teed. d about fi ty hotisee in Dog
Lane and Powke Lane. Upon the people hearing
the great inrush of water intu their houses some of
!litena ran downe-Airs ant found their furnituVe
floating whilst other had an unexpal ed bath and Ifl
one or two instances had n mow escapes from
clrownieg The fellers at the Waite Don inn, in
Dog Lane, were goods I durieg the whole of yeeter-
day. Two dairies were also docreed, and eoueideraele
damage done, ad at a fares a distance of 150 yar'A
from tae eaeal coneidtreble difficulty ,ras ekpei-
enced in rescuing several cows which were tt-el op
in a stt ble. Gri.2at damage *as done to the whole ei -
the streets iu the neighbour,tood of the Canal and
up to Tuesday evening. Ina road in Dog Line
diode& the wae,r far a coneiderable distance being
a yard in depth. The meedowe for a die line Of
three quarters of a mile were also flooded, sod
eonsiderable danaze has been d ne to several Hese
of tickle Durine the day, the scene of the eliga;ter
vrte, itespected by aim') o the Ulna! Company's
enginoers, who cam., ;0 eunclusion tbae thni
.
explosion had been caue.id hi fire fiom the funeace
cinders depoaited near the embankment from
adjoining ironworks &elide( its wey tkren,i; the
emeanknient and eventually reaching tee censl
paddle. This is suppose Ito have become dry ore ice
atowing the water to come in oen:act with t le tire
causing the explosion. The exact amOu et of dentagf
ts nut known, but it is estimated by comnp4flt
judgea at reveral thousand pounds, prouably .glO,OOO
[he colliery pi...price w and irnti manufacturers in
the district will tam sustain heavy damage tbroagb
loss of trade, as they °is nimble to despite:3li tieir
she ninoditiee owing to the ettippege of the
traffic. There being no a-ailable bouts, the ruiners
at s.:.verat coltietiegWere compelled to case Work at
eleva o'ol,c'c, wad it is fearte I they will not he ade
to re,same I,r some tune, it being inti rutted alit
four or five weeks newt, elap,e b ,fore the real op-
tion of tr. Arrangements uave bean made by the
Geed Couipany for the etaplgnient of 150 men to
repair the gap in tha oalictl. Owing, to the etopige
of tratii Tho Birmingham Citual toe railway
companies have been compelled to cart goad • f. 'l4
the booze ;o bargee in ether d stricts.

THE MYSTERIOUS DEAT.I Ar 1.11, Wii—
HEsTH

On Wediieeley afteraeon Ala W. Tophiva
(Deputy Coroner for South Stetforiseire) resese
hie inquiry at the I;terd Oak Inn, Epee Street,
Blackheath, liewley ft,'•giß, respecting the 'de7ei.h ,;f
Sarah Ramey (22) a siagle winner), who. eed
resided at Olabory. —The Quronersaid ttie evidence
given by the Athr of th d :ceased at the ()parting
of the inqu at was to the effect thet his dale alter
left home in the latter pat of Novembsr with a
young man na. !tied ilialley, to whore she was ;gag-
ed to be memo I, for .h purpose of going to Bit•
minehatn. l'h ydi not rotu-n the Name . day and
subs-quently. He /ley s .w Debney and told hiia that
he took hi. daneliter to see Buffalo Bill a: Birmina-
barn. and it ceneeq genes of beiae taken ill in a
crewd he took her ie a cab to his aunt's tieuse.
Senetitne afterwards he was informed of decea,ed
dying at Blackheath. Dr. J. G. Belts ey, surgeon,
saie tie had in ide a p •st,eorteat exetnination of the
body of the deceased. He found that see had been
pregnant. an i had been delivered et least three
weeks. There A tae signs of inteinel violence Death
was duo to beet., peisenieg, whice hal beet c algal
by itiflienen stion. —ILI-belt Ha dey core dealer,
Old nry, said he was eneaged to be married to the
deceased. When he kri3e. (meal:ion ‘,l deo, ailed
he suggeet, e teat they should get ',levied, but she
sail she had no diaire to get nsarried. On Noyem-
bsr 23rd the decea.ed 'rent to Joneee, piedie-hon-e•
Simpson Street, Oldbury, and on tee tollewing dui
witness saw deeeased's father and iniortnen Ulo last
deceased was siaying at :tie eunt's house at
Bit niag-
ham.—The Oorone : r.Jat was an uht niti,
suppoger—Witnes,: Yee rise .11 said ab.. weul Inet
like her parents to know that she was ateri• g in
Oldeury.—Mbe Coroner: Why dein't Eve &stay eL
horne?—Witness repli d that she object,d to st,ty
home in conseauence of eer mother scolding eel;
Pilo deceased was wire° t by an old wouain. lie vv:
not inform td that tile deceassd had best, confined.
D ceased informea him about two or three or I ur
montes ago that she had had sine h rb tea, and
noticed au alters, be in her oundition after gee lert
the house at which eh° received the t.-a. At tie
deceased's request he tuek Is.r to ,ter els er'e h else
at Blackheath, on the 19t,i nit . wiser see die ion
the 21se—Mary Ate! Jones. of the B re-iu.Heael
Inn, 011 bury, said on November 23r1 the decimated
was brought to he" house. irld see complained of
being ill awl aeked to ho allo,se I to lie
Wittiest, ask,:d her what was the melt r eite
tine she replied, My mother has accus,d me of being
pregnant and I nave taken a bottle of etnff whice
I think has made me bad. Witness afterwerds sent
for a nurse. She sac not ewer.' of any coeiinem mar
takicg place—The Coroner: Hasn't your serveut
told you that she was preset,: in the room when tee
ehiel was hotuP—No Sir. She has not „a a child iu
me house —See thongnt the parents kuew what;
the deceased was staying The deceased eaid eh'
would sooner lie dowe down in the gutter and Ai' -
than go house. —Tee Coroner eaid he could not
help thinking the witness was keeping something
back.—Mary Jane Fisher, a dortie,tie s rvaet in the
employ of the last witu ss, stated tat she had not
informed any person that see was Lora of that she
saw a bhtld.—Th. Cotouer: De you mean to say
you didnot see the child pu into a basket? And
didn't you further say, "Don't break its legs"?—
Witness: No; certainly not.—Jane Sall, midwife,
Greet' Green said she saw the deceased at
prisoner's house. She did not see a baby. Site
received ss. for her servites.--Police sergoant Salt
/mid he had been unabl:, to find. the body of the
citild,—Tne Coroner said in his opinion the evidencs
was very unsaiefactory, He-wse conviuced that
the witness Jones, Fisher. and Hall had told .
deliberazel lies, and that all tho inisohief had taken -
place at prisoner's house. Opinioes were expressed
that unlawful means had been used to procure
abortion.—The jury returned a verdict "That death
had been caused by blood poieoning,'! and added
that in their opinion the evidence given by Jones,
Fisher, and Hall was very unsatisfactory, acd
recommended the Coroner to disallew heir '
expenses.—The Coroner said he believed the
deceased received some illtreatment at prisoner's
hones which was the cense of her death. The only
way in which he could show his disapproval of
their °enduat was by disallowing theie costs.

Printei sad Yablod by the Proprietor, ilEt)lttiE
HARRY YIELD, ht hia o.i.tees, 90, High suvet
,t3urbridge. in the Count; et Woeeeatts, ta whs.
pizioe ali lettere and ate= tuiutuukeitj,o3.4
Alan/teed
:begrdasc:Janits,r7 7, IVe.