The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-03-19 00:00:00

i isallantons ntriligract
HOME FOREIGN, AND COLOMAL.

AN ACTOR'S PRESENCE OF MIND.—An alarming
accident took place in London, at Drury-lane Theatre,
on Monday evening, the house being extremely well
filled, in consequence of the revival of the popular
melodrama, called The World. At the conclusion of
the first act of the play the immense act-drop fell for-
ward upon the footlights with a heavy crash. Many
of the audience sprang to their feet, and were pre-
paring to make their escape, when Mr. W. Rignold,
hastily stepping forward, motioned to them to remain
seated, and, assisted by several other members of the
company, lifted the heavy mass of canvas off the
lights, amidst loud applause from all present. The
footlights had been promptly turned out, and thus
very little damage was done. When order was re-
stored, Mr. Edward Stirling, the stage manager, came
forward, and merely announced that the act-drop
would have to be dispensed with for the rest of the
evening.
A FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT.—An accident has oc-
curred in London on the River Thames which termi-
nated fatally. Three young men, accompanied by
Thomas Lawler, belonging to the Royal Horse
Artillery, stationed at Aldershot, left Westminster.
bridge in a pleasure boat at four o'clock on Sunday
afternoon. 'While passing beneath Vauxhall-bridge,
the ebb tide running very strong, they observed that a
small boat, containing three persons, had got foul of
some barges, and rowed towards them. While attempt-
ing to get the boat down she capsized. Timot'hy
Leary, aged 30 years, was sucked beneath the barge,
but the others jumped into the boat which had come
to their msist%nce. The strong tide, however, washed
Leary away, arid as he rose to the surface of the water
Lawler and a companion clutched hold of the hair of
his head, and got him iato the skiff. On being landed
at Lock's Dock, Leary was found to be dead.

TASTEFUL INNOVATlONS.—Fashionable dinner-givers
anxious for novelty should adopt some tasteful ,
innovations introduced at a Parisian dinner recently
given by an American millionaire oh his fiftieth birth-
day. Before each lady was a perforated tortoise-shell
horse-shoe, supporting a highly polished elk's-hoof
filled with rare flowers, the menus were in the form of
a folding tablet edged with cardinal silk,
•and each
guest's place was marked by a coloured satin square,
hand-decorated, and holding an embossed card with-
the name engraved. All the bonbons were encased in
different hued silk trimmed with chenille and tied
with broad ribbons.

A USEFUL INVENTION.—A. stenographic piano has
been experimented on by the daughter of the inventor,
in the French Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, and
the Municipal Council of Paris with great success.
The system consists of a combination of signs through
which every sound is represented. The reproduction
is as rapid as speaking, and the same operator can
continue the work for hours. The signs used in this
system being printed by machinery, the reading is
immediate, and can be made by other people than the
operator. The State atenogTaphers ppropose to be
trained in the lof th instrument, tis an affair
of a few month* of practice.