The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-03 00:00:00

A STEAM CATAMARAN.

The New York papers state that the steam catama-
ran which is building at Nyack, on the Hudson, for
Commodore William Voorhis, of that place, will be
launched about the Ist of July. The hulls consist of
two cylinder of boiler-iron sift. in diameter in .the
centres and tapering to a point at the ends. They are
200 ft, long and, are placed 9ft. apart. They have four
water-tight bulkheads at equal distances apart, divid-
ing them into five compartments. A space of 25ft..
at either end is to be left open, while upon the
75ft. of deck intermediate is to be built a house
extending the whole width of the boat, which, by
the way, is to be 25ft., the beams projecting on either
side beyond the cylinders. The forward end of this
house is to be a ladies' cabin and abaft that will be
a saloon with a smoking-room at the after end. The
engine is to work up to 325 revolutions a minute. The
hub of the propeller is nOt to be submerged, and only
two of the blades will take the water at once.
Power is to be obtained from a Heneschoff coil boiler,
81t. Gin, high and 81t. Gin. in diameter, which con-
tains 1,2501 t. of coil, and will make steam rapidly at
small cost for fuel. When all complete and ready for
passengers the weight of this boat will he but 43
tons. Her displacement is 73 tons, and she has
476 horse-power, while the steamboat Mary
Powell, the fastest boat upon the river, has 881 tons
of displacement, with 1,500 horse-power. The new
boat is expected to travel 28 miles an hour. She is to
be used solely as a passenger boat, and will have room
for 400 passengers. Her cost is inconsiderable as com-
pared with that of steamers of the ordinary type, and
she can also be run forinuch less money. If she proves
a success the river service will be revolutionised, and
it is believed that boats of her type and of double her
dimensions can be built which will beat the ordinary
railroad time between New York and Albany.

The Electrician says the Volta prize instituted in
1852, for the purpose of rewarding the most important appli-
cations of the voltaic battery, has this year. been awarded
to Alexander Graham Bell for his invention of an articu-
lating magneto-electric telephone. The prize in question
consists of the Bur 4 of 60,000 f- A second prize Of 20,0G0fr.
has been awarded to M. Gramme tor his magrieto-olectrie
=aim

BURNING OF AN AMERICAN EXCUR-

• - SION STEAMER.
Under date June 29, The Times of Wednesday publishes
tho following telegram :

On Monday afternoon the steamboat Seawanhalea
left New York with 350 passengers for various land-
ings on Long Island Sound. A boiler tube exploded
when the vessel was off Ward's Island in the East
River near Hell Gate. The boat caught fire, and in
consequence she was run ashore on the bar near
Randall's Island. In a few minutes she was burnt to
the water's edge. Other boats rescued all the pas
sengers who could be picked up, but fifty are believed
to have been drowned or burnt to death. Sixteen
bodies were recovered.

MR. BRADLAUGH AND THE HOUSE
OF COMMONS.
In London shortly before eight o'clock on Monday
evening Mr. Bradlaugh addressed from 15,000 to
20,000 people assembled in Trafalgar-square, who were
called together to protest against his "unconstitu-
tional exclusion" from the House of Commons. He
first read the notice of motion given by Mr. Gladstone
in the House of Commons with respect to the Par-
liamentary oath, and then asked all those who
heard him—those who had come there, not for him,
but for constitutional rights—not for his right, but
for the right of every constituency to elect its own
representative=-he asked them to wait patiently until
Thursday night for the rediscussion of this question.
He wanted them all to set an example of obedience to
the law. It was only the coalition of Conservatives
and bigots who had broken the law, but it was his
duty, and it was the duty of the people, seeing that
the Government, responsible for the affairs of the
country, had taken up the matter, to wait patiently
for the solemn decision of Parliament. He asked
those who had met in that grand demonstration to
be as orderly as they had been . all through the
business, and when that meeting was over to go
back to their homes. He now asked the men of Lon-
don—and let them answer by a show of hands—a ques-
tion he asked the men of Northampton—Did they
approve the stand he had taken? (Here there
was a great show of hands, followed by much cheer-
ing.) He thanked them, and could only say they
strengthened him to do his duty. Even if the de-
cision were against him he should still stand by his
duty. As Mr. Bright and the Prime Minister said,
the day of religious tests in the House of Commons
had passed, and political duty was a man's true quali-
fication. (A voice, "Three cheers for Gladstone.")
Yes, three cheers for William Ewart Uladstone ;
three cheers for the man who, a religious man, in his
love of justice tried to deal fairly by one with whom
he had no sympathy; three cheers for the guardian of
English liberty, who would be no party to a bigot
cry against a constituency which elected an unpopular
man; three cheers for Mr. Gladstone that should ring
in the corridors of St. Stephen's. (Prolonged cheering.)

Evidently'under the impression that Mr. Bradlaugh
would proceed to the House of Commons, some thou-
sands of people who had been attending the demon-
stration in Trafalgar-square rushed down Par-
liament-street to Palace-yard. Before the police
could be called into requisition some three or four
hundred had rushed through Palace-yard, and into
Wustminster-hall. Chief Inspector Denning, however,
at cnce ordered out some 20 policemen who had been
in waiting in the room allotted to them, and at their
head charged the crowd in the hall and Palace-
yard, driving them through the gate; which were
at once occupied by the police, who prevented
all except the members or those known to have busi-
ness in the House from entering. Meanwhile an im-
mense concourse numbering several thousands had
assembled outside the railings, and it was not until
a considerable reinforcement of police from King-
street station had arrived that the crowd was re-
moved to the opposite side of the street. The police
paraded the paths outside the railings for nearly an
hour, keeping the way clear, and doing so with some
difficulty. Several hon. members left the House to
witness the scene outside. About half-past nine
o'clock the large crowd began to disperse peaceably.

MEETING AT NORTHAMPTON.
A lare meeting, convened by the Mayor, was held
at the 1 own-hall, Northampton, on Monday evening,
to protest against the exclusion of Mr. Bradlaugh
from the House of COllllllOllB as a violation of the
freedom of thought and the constitutional rights of
the people. The Mayor, Mr. J. Gurney, presided.
Mr. Manfield proposed—

"That this meeting declares its conviction that by refusing
to permit our duly elected representative, Mr. Bradlaugh,
to qualify in the manner presoribed by law, and by thus pre-
venting him from fulfilling, the duty intrusted to him by his
constituents, the House of Commons has invaded the con-
stitutional rights of the electors of this borough, and has
clone an injustice to our member by imposing upon him a
religious ten unknown to the law and has assumed to itself
an authority which, as claiming to exercise a veto upon the
choice of the electors of this borough by refusing to receive
their legally elected representative, is beyond the constitu-
tional powers of the House of Commons, and is consequently
dangerous to public liberty."

The speaker said the question was one of national
importance, inasmuch as it affected the rights and
liberties of every constituency throughout the land.
At the meeting held on Saturday they expressed their
continued confidence in Mr. Bra,dlaugh. That night
they were met to express their just indignation of the
conduct of some of the members of the House of Com-
mons and their determination not to have their rights
and liberties invaded. Mr. Labouchere, the senior
member, had proved a trusty and worthy member,
who could rise superior to circumstances, and to
whom they could safely intrust their cause. (Cheers.)
Nothing which Mr. Bradiaugh had done ought to
induce them to withdraw their confidence from him,
and if occasion arose they would return him again.

Councillor Purser seconded the resolution, saying
that the House of Commons would have no rest until
Mr. Bradlaugh was admitted. The resolution was
carried unanimously. It was also resolved that the
thanks of the electors of Northampton were due to
Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright, Labouchere, and other
members of the House of Commons for their power-
ful vindication of freedom of thought and constitu-
tional right. The resolutions were at once telegraphed
to Mr. Gladstone.

Resolutions against the exclusion of Mr. Bradlaugh
from the House of Commons were passed on Monday
night at meetinTs held in Manchester, Sheffield,
Leeds, Exeter, Norwich, Boicon, Darwen, Burnley,
Blackburn, Oldh,a D
m, North Shields, arlington,
Accrington, Dewsbury, and other towns.