The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-09-04 00:00:00

SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1880.

istellaneatts ittelligtact.
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES.—The number of
pilgrims visiting Lourdes this year is reported by the
Univers to be greater than on any previous occasion.
Every day trains laden with sick and halt, blind,
maimed and paralytic, arrive at the station from
every part of France. As soon as a train comes in
the worst cases are at once carried up to the now
famous grotto, masses are said, fervent improvised
prayers are offered up, and then the miracles begin,
or, at all events, are announced. Reports fly about
of pilgrims blind for years suddenly recovering their
sight, of paralyzed limbs being restored to vigour, of
consumptive patients who before could barely draw a
breath walking up the steep path to the grotto with-
out a sign of distress, of sores pronounced incurable
closing up, and of pilgrims who on arrivat had to be
themselves carried up to the miracle-working waters
remaining to perform the same kind office for their
suffering brethren.

THE DUST or SAN FRANCISCO.—HoteI clerks, says
the Francisco News Letter, do not as a rule, bear the
reputation of being the most courteous of the human
family. The amount of provocation they receive
should, no doubt, be taken into consideration when
their shortcomings are noted, still they are at times
gratuitously and unnecessarily rude in their intercourse
with strangers. A recent visitor from Australia was
rather Wren aback the other day by the politeness of the
clerk who presides in the office of one of the hotels, where
he ha-I taken up his quarters. The day after his arrival,
which happened to be one of the windiest of the season,
he went out for a stroll round the streets of 'Frisco to
see the sights and exhibit his linen•covered helmet.
He returned to the hotel rubbing his eyes and very
much disgusted, and remarked to the clerk: "You
have a great deal of dust here in an Francisco."
" Y-a-s," drawled the clerk, I suffer from it myself."
"Weak eyes?" inquired the stranger. "No, sir."
"Your lungs are affected, then ? " "Not much,"
Yawlled the clerk. "In what way then do you suffer
from the dust ? " asked the somewhat surprised
Australian." "By hearing about sixty times an hour
every fool who comes in here say, 'You have a good
deal of dust here in San Francisco."

A REMARKABLE Swlm.—A Hungarian officer
named Szerkremesky has just succeeded in swimming
across the Platte p See, from Fuered to Siofsk. The
distance actually traversed was twenty English miles,
and the time occupied in the task was 17 hours.
DuriDg the whole of the time the swimmer did not
appear to suffer from exhaustion or fatigue, and fre-
quently conversed with the occupants of a boat which
accompanied him. The only refreshment taken by
M. Szerkremesky was a little wine. Large sums were
betted, both at Vieurla aid Berlin, on the success of
the affair.

THE DARING SWALLOWS.—German newspapers
remark that the migratory birds have this year com-
menced their journey southwards earlier than usual.
An old German proverb assigns the Bth of September
for the beginning Of the swallows' exit—" Maria
Geburt ziehen die Schwalben fort." But already by
August 10 it was observed all over North-Western
Germany that those of the house-swallows whose
broods wera fki.lly fledged were visibly preparing for
their flight most of the other swallows had already
preceded them. On August 24 a large flock of storks
coming from the north-west arrived in Berlin, visibly
tired b 3 a long flight, and continued their journey
towards the south-east.
YOUNG LAMES ABOUT TO BE MARRIED !—Here
is a curiosity of advertising, extracted from a circular
of a New York dentist to young ladies about to be
inarried :—" Having heard the happy news of your
approaching marriage I have the pleasure of offering
you my services in setting your teeth in complete
order, as per annexed schedule of prices. This opera-
tion, which is useful in all ordinary events of life, is
indisponsAble under the present circumstances. The
first Impressions of married life are ineffaceable, and
their consequences of the greatest gravity. I, there-
fore, cannot too strongly advise you to laave your
teeth thoroughly cleaned by a skilfuland conscientious
practitioner."
POISONOUS MELONS.--,-The American papers report
a strange case of poisoning in Falls county, Texas,
Six white men, citizens of the neighbourhood, were
riding along the road, when, observing a farmer at
work in his water-melon patch near the roadside, they
called to and obtained permission from him to get
down and help themselves to, melons. One or two of
the largest melons were selected, and the men pro-
ceeded to eat, Very soon they became very sick.
Three of them died while attempting to climb the
fence, and one fell dead while trying to mount kkis
hoxse, The theory is that the melons were grown on
a cotton patch where Paris green had, been used to
kill boll-worm.

A NEW MACHINE F 0,7, SKIMMING MILK.—The
Konigsberger Lang 14;0 `Forstwirthsthaftliche Zeitung
gives us s,;;; account of a new machine for skimraing
milk by heat; it was exhibited by Herr Carl Becker
at the Dusselldorf Exhibition, but the opiuion of the
judges is not yet known. The fallowing is the work-
ing method of the 4PPEYOUS ::—The Inn is heated in
a hot water boh to 45 deg. Reaumur, and kept at
this temperature for at least two hours. It is then
cooled, by means of cold water, to 15 deg. Reaumur,
and the cream is removed and made into butter in the
usual way, The advantages of this plan are said to,
great simplicity and little cost, and the butter Aud
buttermilk and cheese are improved by tl;ke, process.
The apparatus itself is simple, and c.aii 'he set up in
any dairy. The receptacle fox hot water is filled with
boiling water up to au iudioated point, the milk is
placed in covexed paps above it, and when sufficiently
ll;),ated the water is drawn away, and cold water sub-
stituted‘

THEN AND Now.—Few people who study statistics
seriously talk of the good old times of °Ur fathers and
our forefathers (says the Echol, The facts are too
strong for them. An int,Lrestiug instance of this Is
given in the revolt oçthe tinited States Inspector of
Steam Vessols. It shows. that hi 18511 before the pas-
24ge of the laws regulating stet= navigation, there
Were at 1,70 steam,bots on the Western waters,
out of which 66 were lost, with the destruotion of
livos, This is compared with the retur•u for 187,9,
when there were 4,300 steamboats oz the waters of
the United States, of much larvr capacity, and carry-
ing five times the number of pas,senge.rs, and only 19
boats were lost, with
4k IN.ul/..T.r,1,N0 BIAgX.--A correspondent of Notes
097. d. VtiPies, as.ya, z---"It may be as well to chrontolo
(4'e fact that the Bible on which Her Majesty Queen
Victoria took the Coronation Oath is in the possession
of the Rev. J. M. Sumner, rector of Buriton, Hants,
This interesting relic came to, him from his father, the
Right Rev. Bishop Sumner, of Winchester, to, wham
it was Own after the coronation.
WILY A `,` TUT ON" FOI,L Iclas.,—Ange/ina
" 'Well; Henry, if you are going to send me a brace of
grouse, clOn't keel 4 them till they are bad before you
let me tatVe.Oep, as, you, did the last time you had A
4.Y's ia°°4l'g' Bad! You don't mean
B.ay they we•re bad :—" Yes, they
were as bad Aa—well, as bad as a kiss from a person
d3.63.l%)ike."—[G-ets one from a person she ctega.,—
t
LOCAL OPTION.—Sir Wilfrid lAwson has given
notice that early next seqsi,gihe will move, "That, in
the opinion of this. Ilouse, the resolution passed by
the House, on the 18th day of June, 1880, which
atud the justice of local communities being iu,-.
trusted with the power to protect themselves, from
the operation of the liquor trate, ought without
kf the government in ral
delay to be embodied
giving effect to the said resolution."
LAarr WINTER' FRoTs.—Frona all wtei of Rhenish
G,Tilapy and the adjoining recio,vis
there come reports
about the serious damage dcm(7l last winter's frosts
to the vines at Vq fuilt trees, the extent of which is
only now being realized. Thus in the district around
Fulda over 55,000 fruit trees have been killed, being
about one-fourth of all in the district. The vines
seem to have fared better, Thvitock has suffered in
many cases, while the root la still vigorous, But the
injury even to, the vines will be felt for some years.
The rosis also have suffered greatly, The tea-rose has
almost disappeared throughout the Rhine valley, and
eyen the common dog-rose
lAA been quite destroyed
in many Places. Strangely enough, as it would at
most, while
first appear, the vieela
n n places escaped with minor open eloyated s.lopcs d valleys suffered
A32olv.Efsric QUERY.-'-When are the tealthhlge like
Tleihns of Queen's evidence !--Al(twly they are be-
trayed.—Fun,

Es4,io clr, THE, SPANISH ARMADA, _Another relic
tW 'Spanish Armada has been secured at Slains by
the efforts of Mr. David Ritchie and the salmon Ashermen. It is a large gun raised up out of the place
where one of the ships belonging to the Armada was
wrecked, and, strange to &AY, Though it has been in
that place for upwards of two hundred and ;dusty
years, yet it seems as good as ever. The length of the
gun is Bft., the diameter at the touch-hole 13in., and
the diameter of the bore at muzzle 4in. It appears to
be loaded, partly with nails. One of these is in a
complete state, well made, arrow-shaped. A slight
rubbing with a piece of cloth makes it shine, which
leads to the supposition that it is made of hammered
iron. Several guns from the same place have been
raised and presented to the Queen, and another is in
the possession of Lord Abercorn.—Eclinb-urgh Daily
Review.

ON HE NAIL.—In the nailmaking districts cf ast
Worcestershire the nailers have refused to strike.
Query : How can a man be a nailer without striking?
—Funny Folks.
WEEKLY REVIEW O,F VIE CORN
white, with 60s.
prioes
quoted for uew hOme-grcrwn wheat h_e be.,n 425. to
455. for red, and 445. to 48s. per qr. for white,
These are yery moderato
for really fine samples.
last few days that no further relapse will take place.
quotations, and an impression has ariseu during the
small recovery is
Some, indeed, are
are, firstly, that
not improbable'ThereastTst the
a stocks of wheat in
prices are low ;of opinion
of this
secondly, a
millers' hands re greatly reduced; that
our
'n the hands of the bakers is re-
'
110,11 est practical limits; thirdly, that
duced to the
gthraensauryppalo inii
very bare of old wheat, and that in con-
;d f
all Europe is
there is no, reserve to fall back upon; and
sequenc the,
lastly, at the crop in Russia and in some parts
of Gerraany is a poor one. That any important
adsane is possible in the face of good average crops
in the greater part of Europe and of the•existirig
abundance in America is doubtful, but if the trade
feels convinced that it is safe to buy, the hand-to-
mouth policy which has been po7guiid for so very lorlg
will terminate and a fair degree of activity Will
characterise the trade. A desire will be shown to
acquire good working stocks, and to acoomplish this
some very large purchases will ba,va to be made. The
process will, no doubt be a slow one, but there are
evident signs that n a few days there will be a con-
siderable amount Of business doing hi, wheat. To
establish an advance will, however, be difficult, as
any tendency to improvement will be speedily
checked by the 4q.ziaatch of more liberal supplies from
foreign perU. 'arnlers, also, will soon have ta send
consid,eral* cilai]a,i4es of produce to market in order
to meet the heavy cucpendi,tura incurred durint the
progress of the harvest. flour the trade lam, een
dull, and the quotati?ons have had a downward
! tendency. The top prices of town-made have been
reduced 45., or to, 435. per 2801b,--.4e/Ca Weekly Me&
sower.

FRENCH WINE HARVEST.—The splendid weatlle'
which has now prevailed for several weeks is havia,g
the happiest effects on the prospects of the vineyal?
and it is expected that the yield will be above tile
average in the Charentes and a portion of Gironde,
and, moreover, of excellent quality. Not only has
the phylloxera manifested no fresh energy, but mairtY
of the vines seem to be recovering, which is partlY
attributed to the excessive severity of the last winter.
In the Midi and Burgundy districts the vine cropg
look exceedingly well; and in Champagne, also, the
quality is excellent, though the quantity is rather
deficient.

EXPENDITURE OF AMMUNITION IN THE RUSSO'
TURKISH WAR OF 1877-78.—The Russian ArtillerY
Journal states that during the Russo-Turkish war of
1877-78 the twenty-three divisions of Russian
infantry expended 2,984,012 Berdan cartridgo,
9,914,026 Kruka, and 22,315 Peabody-Martini car;
tridges. The rifle battalions also expended 1,322,346
Berdan cartridges' and the sappers 83,643 Kruka Car'
tridges, making atotal of 4,306,358 Berdan, 9,997,669
Kruka, and 22,315 Peabody-Martini cartridges ov
pended by the foot troops clf the army. The cavairj,
used 1,687,610 Berdan, 108,416 Kruka, and 121,020,
revolver cartridges; while the artillery expende2,
from their 9-pounder guns 92,201 shell, 31,3_,W
shrapnel, and 252 case; from the 4-pounders 41,410
shell, 22,068 shrapnel, and 283 case ; and from the
3-pounder mountain guns 350 shells, 382 shrapnel, an,°
50 case. The Journal further adds that the greatob
number of cartridges expended on any one day by any
one regiment was 94 per rifle shot away by the 1400
regiment at the battle of rifle,
on the 30th
of August 1877, while the third battery of the 31st
brigade of artillery expended ammunition at the rate
of 180 rounds per gun at the storming of Nicopolis.--
St. James's Gazette.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL. -The Wochenblatt fu'r
Architekten mid Ingenieure discussing the questionof
the cost of Cologne Cathedral, says: "The sures
which between 1821 and the present time have been
contributed to the cathedral building fund, both frog!
public and private sources, amount to 18 millions el
marks (2900,000). This amount has been prat)?
evenly expended on the erection of the towers and
the additions to the church. If to this we add tbe
moneys contributed during past centuries, and
notably what has been sunk in the colossal founda'
tions and spent in purchasing various necessary par'
eels of ground, it will appear that the cathedral as it
now stands represents about 40 millions of marks
(22,000,000)."

ACCIDENT TO COUNT ANDRASSY.—The Hungarian
papers give particulars of an accident in which the'
late Austrian Foreign Minister narrowly escapecll
being killed. He was visiting his elder brother,
Count Mano, at the family estate of Betler, where
he had not been for 40 years. Some ironworks on tha
estate were being inspected, and'_a journey had to,,br.,'
made down a cutting in the face of a precipitous dm
in a wagon drawn by a rope worked by a stator
engine. The Count had his sister-in-law and another
lady for travelling companions. The seat of the
wagon broke down, and the whole party would po"
bably have been killed had not Count Mane, who _WO
watching the descent instantly stopped the engine. :PI
Count was flung into the cutting, and just escape'
being crushed between the wagon and the side of the
cutting. The ladies fell on to the rails. The whole
party escaped with a few trifling bruises and scratches,
HINT TO CLUMSY YOUNG at a dinner'
party you happen to upset a glass of claret over your
fair neighbour's white satin dress, smile pleasantlY
and say, "Ah ! it is always a sign of wet when the
glass falls." You will be forgiven, and in all proba'
bility invited by her papa to dine with him on Sundar.
—Fun.

PICNICS IN KENTUCKY,—DOWII in Old Kentuclrf
picnics are given upon a very extensive scale; thel
feasts are called Carbecues, and when one is arrang
for, as many as 6,000 revellers gather together at 06
place appointed, where a trench about twenty.tvl
paces long and four feet wide and deep is dug al'
filled with brushwood and charcoal, and at daybrer.
the giant fire is lighted; then sheep and beeves ov,
spitted and laid across the pit to be roasted, unet;
the care of a cook and his attendants. Anybody
has not tasted barbacue'd meat has lost a treat, e"
brown and juicy are the viands thus prepared.
VALUE OF LAND IN LONDON.—A freehold plot of
,ground in Budge-row, Cannon-street, with a fronts
to the street of 18ft. Gin., and containing about SP
square feet (with an old house on it, shortly Cow
down), has been sold by auction, at the Mart, 0,1
£6, ual to £7 10s., a square foot, or at the raw'
of over £320,000 per acre.
DrrEamumnoN OF GUNPOWDER. The chrogtl
which take place in gunpowder after a certain lrapse_te
time, and which have been noticed to have been so grr,
as to cause a decrease in the velocity of the ball piecordisb
to the age of the cartridge, has been found by M. pothl
to be due to chemical decomposition, due in
probability to the presence of metallic substance"
such as copper and zinc. M. Pothier placed a cert-'_,
quantity of powder, the analysis of which has Der'
carefully made, in contact with copper, zinc, ir°l
tin, andlead, and after the lapse of a stated interP',
made a fresh analysis. New products have br:i
formed, containing salts of the metals experimenn
with, together with sulphate of potash. It was fouL
that zinc had the greatest power of affecting If
powder, and particularly if damp; next came copr''
lon, tin and lead had less effect.

GOOD NAME FOR THE POMPADOUR SPECIZLW'
Beauty-spots.—Funny Folks.

rec'e'nOtul;
troiFed CatONwbeisTtlmol.n n n
l when t'le ques:;fit-
Haal, action that eis
in dispute was as to the quality and crinditioll;'
gas-pipe that had been laid down maw; years belroe.r;
a witness stated that it was an old pi.r2el and there'flie
out of condition. The judge rema&ing that "
do not necessarily get out of condition by being °,',l
the witness promptly answered., •` They do, my 1°
if buried in the ground."
AMERICAN Hoil,sizs.—A gentleman who has la
come over from California gives a very favoursr'd
account a the state tf agriQulture out there, 2,14.
speal,A moat highly of all live stock (says a CO'
spondent of Land and Watcr.) He attended sonleAti
their large agricultural society meetings, and a enf
show in the city of Marysville on the Yuba river, „.
which he gives nu astonishing report. They use oxe;
also, mules, for ploughing, and various prizes or “I'ljo
miums," **he called it, were given to the best aidoi.,t
accu "
P,tomed to this particular work, also for the 1,
" wan "of horses. The chief excellence of the
fornian horses consists in their fleetness and powers
endurance.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The folios/lief
are the average prices of British corn for the Weis
ending August 28, as received from the inspeip
and officers of Excise :—Wheat, 465. id. ; ba4',l4
Ms. Bd. ; oats, 245. Bd. per imperial qr. Correspon`4 ;
week last year :—Wheat, 488. id.; barley, 295.
oats, 245. 91.
.400
A GOOD MEMORY.—At some of the Awen.
hotels many hundreds of persons are simultanecAsof
dinitiQ in one room. At the entrance the hats, eze•tce
tlAeglifests are deposited with a person in attendwle
to receive them. The clerk does not check or arrsl.
them in any particular order, and he invariably ~4e
stores them each to the right owner, as they er;, t
from the dining-room The difficulty of the I
tit
naturally depends on the number of hats in charg°,,j
the same time. The most remarkable case whiclaM
come under the notice of the writer is at the
Avenue Hotel, New York. There the attendant, y_ir:t
is on duty several hours a day, has sometimes as
as 500 hats in his possession at one time. A mai°:"Lp
of them belong to people whom he has never
before, and there is a constant flux of persons in !bra
out. Yet even a momentary hesitation in selecP"'
the right bat rarely occurs.
PZECTRIO RAILWAY.—If travelling by Oectrico,,o
to be adopted in this country, would not the amide'
be shocking p—Judy,
TIME'S CHANGM—Vire referred the other dlire
the remarkable returns presented by the Lances?
and Yorkshire Railway (says the Echo). Those of re
London and North-Western tell the same tale. The
d o
has been a great increase of passenger traffic an„,'o4l
22,400,000 passengers, more than 19,000,000 "
third-class. Now-a-days the third-class traveller±A
Liverpool or Manchester, say, has a cushioned n,
and his compartment is carried by the same
and springs as that of the first-class passenger.
a contrast to the treatment the democracy receivfo
quarter of a century ago, when on some lines. tAI
were conveyed in "trucks " without a seat or a. I'l-'6/
LORD BAAVONSFIELD'S DINNER.—The Court, Jovrlitot
says:-,Lord Beaconsfield came down to Vile OLE'
of Lords on Tuesday night to speak on the del4al
on the Employers' Liability Bill. He cllned at,?4,1
past seven. While in the House of COramons
Beaconsfield's mode of dining was very pectic.
He used usually to take his seat at an empty ti,
without making any sign whatevej to the V 731. riee
The chief waiter, knowing from long experle
what he liked, would then bring him a 1)1,3,1*.114
soup, followed in due course by some simple "'so)
and lastly by dessert. The whole was washed
with a bottle of claret of the brand known
l
Rose. Such was, as N rule, Lord Beaconsfie his
repast in the Commons dining-room. Since 04
elevation to the House of Lords he has dined a1j,...,
invariably at his private residence, where, no do
the sama sort of proceeding takes place."
Go'
A NARROW ESCAPE !—An accident which oe
very near having a fatal termination happene,
Mont Blanc last week. A party, consisting 0-i;io
Gorloff, a Russian tourist, a member of the raolog
Alpine Club, two guides, and a porter, after 13.08.01
the night on the Grand Mulcts, attempted tlie e 9
of the mountain by the Dome du Gouter. When 00 pe
had almost reached the summit, the last ran
and dragging the others with b.im, shot
ever-increasing velocity down a steep 'Ace slope, Yr,, of
terminated a thousand mares below on the Glacie,:fels
Taconay. As they flew over a :Lass of snow wrdlitt
bridged a crevasse it gave wa
, 'beneath their we!,and they were precipitated into a chasm 40ft. ,
Fortunately, however, the, snow they carried ,:dIY
them broke their fall, arta nobody was killed, the?,
the two guides were rather seriously hurt. Theyll.'
trived with mucl:; difficulty to extricate thew,
s'',
from the crevap.se.and to regain the point frau sc t„'e
they had fv,ll9n, but not deeming it prudent f b
o
circurnatences to persevere in their enterprise* o'
party directed their steps in the direction,;it
Chamouniz, which they reached without further
culty in, the course of the afternoon.
•00t
ARBITRATION IN PRANCE.—From the IIISCOIA
ed issu of the Conseils de Prud'hommes, which 04:000'
all cases in dispute between employers and. eralllZtisti
it appears that during 1878 there were 30,860 ljec
before the Court, of which 22,358 were fbn the!l,,ig
of wages, 4,656 for dismissal without reotice, 2;41,
bad treatment, 1,525 for apprenticeship, Iwo jje9,
for sundry complaints. Conciliatic,n had ezeieoy.'
results in the majority of cases. Pi.i tting aside,q4i
which were settled privately, no fev.rer than 18,'"
of 25,544 (or 72 per cent.) were sati,sfactorily -
by conciliation. There were 7,2Y0 complaints
had ultimately to be adjudicated upon. of
4,410 were withdrawn at the I.ast moment,_,,otic
were adjourned, leaving but 2.,T86 for trial. -r4°re
appeal was given in 49( of the number; 100 1‘1.8,„
ferred to the special tribunals of commerce, a
confirmed the verdict in 59 cases and quaslotel
while in 18 others conciliation was again effec
the agency of the Court.

(fel

ctl