The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-09-17 00:00:00

li,l isallantous afntelligena.

ciINGULAR CAUSE OF A FlRE.—Sorne time ago the
,ension bridge of Mr. Roebling, crossing the
_.aieghany, near Pittsburg, United States, was almost
destroyed by fire. At first it was found impossible to
discover how the bridge could have caught fire.
Further investigation has led to the conclusion that it
arose from the fact that thousands of sparrows had
been in the habit of building their nests of hay and
straw in the interstices of the woodwork of the under
portion of the structntei The conflagration was
caused by sparks from the chimneys of the steamers
plying upon the river beneath lodging in and kindling
some of these nests.
A VERY OLD WOMAN !—The Allgemeine Deutsche
Zeitung of Brazil states that at the beginning of
August there died at Piomba, a mulatto woman, at
the incredible age of 187 years. Her name was
Joaquina Caramona. She was born in the year 1694,
under the Government of Don Fernando Martins
Mascarenhas Lancastre. When 100 years old she lost
her sight, but recovered it somewhat later. She re-
mained comparatively strong and in good health up to
the day of her death, which was prematurely brought
about by a fall from a bench.
How A TERRIFIC CYCLONE STARTED.—Observer
saw the storm start near Ponca, Neb., and in
Dakota. Two clouds approached each other, and
when they joined a funnel was formed and the work
of destruction commenced. Great trees, two feet in
diameter were twisted off where the cyclone passed
through woodland and property in its path was
destroyed. It *as three hours moving over a dis-
tance of twenty miles. It crossed rivers and sucked
up the floods, and after reaching some distance on the
lowa side of the clouds parted and continued their
course to the southeast. This was the stout which
reached the northwestern line on the night of the 6th,
and its accummulation of water was dropped along
the line between Grand Junction and Tama County.
A GALLANT RESCUE.—On Tuesday afternoon two
little boys named Murray, aged nine and 13 years,
the sons of a lady staying in Ventnor, were sailing
in a small skiff off the Esplanade at Ventnor, some
distance from the shore, when the youngest acci-
dentally fell overboard. The eldest boy immediately
dived after him, and eventually succeeded in bring-
ing the little fellow safe to land. The plucky act was
witnessed by a large number of promenaders.
TRY rr YOURSELF.—It is said that American
women are the laziest in the world. Let's see (says
the New Haven Register). An average American
woman appears in about five different costumes a
day, makes calls in the morning, drives out in the
afternoon, dances every evening and passes the rest of
the time in designing costumes and devising the
means to get them. If you call that laziness try it
yourself.
REGIMENTAL DISTINCTIONS.—The Standard says
that some delay is expected to occur before the issuing
of the General Order conferring upon the new
Territorial Regiments the titles of old, and at present
unrecorded, engagements which it is decided to
commemorate. It is found that the official records at
the War Office are in some instances defective, and it
is thought desirable to make an exhaustive search
through the whole range of our military history during
the last two centuries, in order to ensure full justice
being done' and to guard against any errors being
committed that might have the effect of detracting
from the value of the new honours which it is intended
to add.
AN EXTENSIVE WARDROBE.—The wardrobe Of
Queen Elizabeth must have been about the most
varied and extensive ever recorded in Royal annals,
to judge from a list of her wearing apparel recently
gathered from the State papers. When the Maiden
Queen was sixty-eight, and might therefore have been
supposed to have outlived some of her youthful vanity,
she possessed 99 complete official costumes, 102 French
gowns, 100 robes with trains, and 67 without, 126
antique dresses, 136 bodices, and 125 tunics, not to
mention such trifles as 96 mantles, 85 dressing-gowns,
and 27 fans. With all these dresses, however, it is
curious to note that Queen Bess only owned 9 pairs of
shoes. When she died, in 1603, 3,000 articles of
apparel were found in her wardrobes, duly cata-
logued.
OLD-FASHIONED SPORTING.—They used to get up
some curious matches in days of yore, and this was one
of them (says the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic
News). Townsend, champion pedestrian, who had run
four miles in 21min lOsec., pitted himself against a
man named Drinkwater, to pick up with his mouth
300 stones, placed one yard apart, and take them to a
basket at the starting-point, before Drinkwater could
pick up 300 similar stones with his hand. Townsend,
who had fastened a pad on his knee, so that he might
not hurt himself when kneeling suddenly, began, picked
up the first seven or eight, and then went to the last stone,
returning to the 150th. Drinkwater worked straight
ahead. The task is harder than at first sight appears,
for each competitor had to run twice 300 yards, twice
299, twice 298 (more than a mile the three), twice 297,
and so on. The spectators were fogged, and could not
bet readily on the result, as they were unable to calcu-
late speed, but Drinkwater was generally judged to
be getting on the better of the two, and was favourite
half-way through. Townsend, however, won in a
canter, finishing quite fresh in Bh. 11m., while for the
last hour and a half Drinkwater "ran against nature."
THE NEWSAGENT'S FESTIVAL—The festival of the
three quires.—Moonshine.
THE LABOUR MARKET.—There is a strong agitation
among the miners of Lancashire, and it has been re-
solved at a delegate meeting to ask for an advance of
wages' to commence next month. In the Manchester
district a reduction of wages was made with the re-
duction of the price of coal a few weeks ago; since
then the trade has considerably improved, and the
colliers consider that the improvement is such as to
warrant an increase of wages equivalent to the
amount- taken off. In South Yorkshire trade has
revived, but many miners and their families are emi-
grating from that district to America.. In the Pot-
teries the glass workers, potters, and other workmen
are fully employed. At Birmingham and Sheffield
there is less activity, but there is no reported slackness
of work. Shipbuilding and marine engineering con-
tinue active, but awing to a wages dispute on the Tyne
the trade is somewhat hampered. The cloth market
is fiat; fortunately, the manufacturers are well en-
gaged on old orders. The wool market has, on the
whole, a more cheerful tone.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending Sept. 10, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 545. sd. ; barley, 345. 6d.;
oats, 245. 4d. per imperial qr. Corresponding week
last year :—Wheat, 425. 2d. ; barley, 355. Id. ; oats
21s. Bd.
A PATRIOTIC MAIL CARRIER.—One of the post-
office agents who was making a trip through the
Northern part of the Lower Peninsula this summer
came across a mail route through the woods from one
hamlet to another, with a weekly average of two
letters and one paper in the bags. The carrier wore
a coon-skin cap and rode a pony, about as fat as a
case-knife, and he took things so easy that the agent
saw fit to question him a little: "My man, do you
realize that you represent the United States?"
"Wall, I kinder reckon." "And you feel the
responsibility, I presume?" "Bet yer goggles
dew." " You know you must brave all perils to get
your mail safely through." "That thar' hose
an me ar' good for anything twice our size,
I reckon." "If attacked by robbers, what would you
do ? " "Bury 'em I " "suppose you were offered
money to give up the mail bag ? " "No danger o'
that, mister. I don't believe the hull county could
scrape up fifty cents." "There are awful fires in these
woods sometimes." "K'rect. I've seen bars roasted
alive when they wasn't within a mile of the flames."
"Well, now, if you were to find yourself surrounded
by a fierce forest fire what would you do ?" "Fire
all round ?" "Yes." "No chance to burrow under or
fly over ? " "No." "Wall, mister it would be
kinder tuff, but I'd remember that I represent the
government. I'd kill my hoss, eat the mail, and die
shouting: 'We have met the enemy, and he is
our'n ! "
—Detroit Free Press.
"How THEY PARTED."—A new song is entitled
"How they Parted" (says the Norristown Herald).
We have not read it, but no doubt they parted in the
usual way—about two a.m., after kissing each other
"good night" at least thirty-seven times. "Well, I
guess I must go" he says, with a sigh, about two
hours before he 'does go. Then, after another half
hour's conversation about one thing. and another, he
presses her hand with much preesiveness, says he
really must go, and—lovingly lingers another half
hour. Then he says he didn't know it was so late,
picks up his hat and moves towards the door, where
he puts his arm around her to prevent her from falling
in a swoon, and kisses her five minutes in one inning
and—still lingers. Then he gives her one more kiss
just for luck and reluctantly steps down and out into
the black, lonesome night, and calls around the next
night. That shows that they parted years ago—if we
have not been misinformed.
NEW CALEDONIA.—The departure of the Com-
munists from New Caledonia is stated by Consul
Layard to have had a disastrous influence upon the
trade of the little colony, these persons, 6,000 in num-
ber, having all been provided with rations clothing,
boas, &c., supplied to the authorities by local establish-
ments. Mr. Layard expresses a conviction that if the
island should cease to be a penal settlement, not a
single person who could leave it would be remaining
there at the end of a year. The only cultivable land,
he states, lies on the seaboard—the interior being
nothing but a continuous serrated mountain chain;
and, with the exception of a few small patches here
and there, the whole of the coast is utterly barren and
worthless. Of the four hundred colonists whom the
French Government some time since induced to settle
at Moindon, giving them rations for some months to
assist them to make a beginning, not one, we learn,
now remains
DOGS AS SENTRIES.—A curious experiment it is
stated, is being tried in several corps of the Russian
army This consists in the introduction of dogs in lieu
of men as sentries. For this duty the wolf dog of the
Ural Mountains is found most suitable, as this animal
will growl at the presence of an intruder, instead of
barking outright, and thus inciting all the dogs in
camp to do likewise.
"ODD, INDEED • "—lt is singular that SO many,
who are remarkable for the noise they make in church
when shouting "Amen," should be so singularly silent
and quiet when they are asked to contribute towards
the maintenance of their church—Fun.
AN AMERICAN VIEW OF THE SITTATIO'S.--The New
York World says:—" It is impossible to resist the con-
victionthat, unfavourable as may be the condition of
trade, things are not nearly so black in England as
her pessimistic politicians take a gloomy delight in
painting them. During the generation which has
lived and laboured under the free trade system the
population has greatly increased, while at the same
time a vigorous and prosperous emigration has been
thrown off. The level of material comfort of all
classes is much higher than it was forty years ago,
ai showcwnhyr
oauns
otgdhchiatpat
lo,owo
urphtoi
arell eiwtiti
political,
ey, t
ptaaaertrtie livingeon ffeeec ot
nha
oanbn
inde
etep
eeav rlerrthp.haraponTbs
lheenvemreo
There
and the income tax returns and the savings bank de-
rthitsr
atore bine
without pain, but whenever English landowners and
English manufacturers come to recognise facts as
they are—to get a wholesome idea of the year of our
Lord and the time of days into heads which might be
put to better purpose than banging them against
stone walls—they may find before them a future
offering ample compensations for a decidedly unsatis-
factory present.'

suspepsl
All(

A MARRIAGE BENEFIT S ETTA —A society with
thin title has been established in ."ty years
of age.
hiladelphia. It
OCI
71.
consists of unmarried men over tweak
They pay an entrance fee and an man& l subscription,
and when any one of them desires to it married he
receives an advance in proportion to his ,subscription
towards the establishment of his househol6.•
WILL SHE NEVER—?—"I see no use i.tl People
making wills when they have no intention of Llying,"
as a man of fifty said when his hale old grandtekotha
completed her ninety-eighth year ?—Fun.
BROW( CORN.—"J. H. D.," writing to Land and
Water, says ;—" With the failure of the wheat crops
and the prospects of a great rise in bread, I matt oalll
y cote readers' attention to a cheap and wholesome sub-
stitute for corn flour. A process has been discoveredl
in Amen by which the finest and most delicious;
flour can be made from the broom seed to the extent.
of half its weight, and leave the other half a valuable
Lod for cattle. The average yield per acre is three
hundred bushels, Aid in many instances five hundred
bushels. Nor does exhaust the soil as does Indian
corn, from the fact thaA,it assimilates its food from a
cruder state and feeds fi.vona a deeper soil. It belongs
to the same genus as the ii‘7oet cane, commonly known
as sorghum, which is rap*:lly growing in public
favour, and from the seed of N.olich a most nutritious
flcur may be obtained. This is surely worth the
attention of our farmers if it ea.ll be grown in our

climate."
How Do THEY Do IT 7—No city has' more neatly
dressed, pretty girls, who may be seen go to their743B*
daily work between seven and eight in thS ormngt
than New York (says the New York Graphtcj. Ana
it must be a source of wonder to their more fortuna:te
financially fixed sisters of Fifth avenue, if ever tfre"
do wonder over it, how so many of these working girl.%
manage to dress themselves so elaborately at so early?
an hour in the morning. Hair in good order, collaredi
and cuffed and elen gloved as they are, how do these'
girls who must arise at six and hurry
.through their
breakfast often preparatory to a long trip to their
place of business, manage to eitv it? Woman's dress-
ing as a rule is no trivial affair, Woman's clothes as
a rule cannot be pitchforked on lila A man's.
STORAGE OF SUNSHlNE.—Profeeesor Sharpies (to
Sambo recumbent in the open, under direct solar in-
fluence). You lazy fellow! How can 3rou lie there,.
idling your time away, basking in the sum Y—SanabcP
(who has heard a lecture on "Conservation ot Force").
No Sah. Not idlin' I Inciusserus all de while, Sah.
Busy absorbin' de sun's rays. 'Berry hard at \work,
Sah. 'Torage ob Energy, like de Coal.—Punch.
SALMON FISHINGS.—SaImon are increasing in num-
bers in the Tweed, but trout and grilse show no im-
provement. The best fishing just now is got at the
mouth of the river. Prices on Saturday were—Salmon
and grilse is. 6d. and trout is. per lb. It is a rather
strange fact that almost without exception all the
trout caught lately in the lower part of the Jed show
signs of disease in the tail, some fish taken being tail-
less. The tails look as if they had been frizzled m
fire.
THE RHINE.—A letter from Strasburg states that
at four o'clock on the morning of the sth inst. the swollen'
waters of the Rhine began to fall. The flood was..
within 10 centimetres (nearly four inches) of the
greatest height the river has reached during. the
present century—viz., on June 15, 1876. It is re-
markable that the 111, the river which joins the Rhine
at Strasburg, was quite unaffected by the swollen con-
dition of its great neighbour, its waters remaining at
about their usual height.
A LONDON TH.EATRE Bus.—Park Theatre, Cam-
den Town, London' was destroyed by fire early ors
Sunday morning. At the close of a performance of
La Sonnambula on Saturday night, after the audience
had departed, one of the employes noticed smoke pro-
ceeding from a store-room behind a disused stage box.
The opening of the door gave egress to the flames,
which quickly took possession of the entire building.
The efforts of the Fire Brigade were powerless to stay
the fire, and the theatre was totally. destroyed; but
they prevented it spreading to the neighbouring build-
ings. The character of the conflagration may be
judged when it is said that although it occurred in
Camden Town, yet as far away to the south-east of
the metropolis as Denmark-hill the lurid glow of the
burning building in the sky attracted attention, and
people there could see distinctly something like rockets
shooting upwards every now and again as beams and
masses of other inflammable matter fell into the
heart of the flames.
THE CZAR'S DAILY MEALS.—The Czar Alexander
111. prefers the national Russian cookery to the most
elaborate foreign dishes, and his daily meals-, the
American Register tells us, are served in complete ac-
cordance with old traditional customs. Every dinrser
is preceded by the " Zukuska "—caviare, herrings
sardines, smoked goose, sausage, cheese, and butter,
&c., served on gold enamelled plates, and placed on
small tables in different parts of the dining-room to
whet the gliests' appetites. The Czar's favourite soups
are " shti, ' which is composed of stewed beef and
mutton, flavoured with garlic, beetroot, herbs, and
spices—a well-known Russian dish—and " okroska,"
a mixture of pears, apples, plums, and oatmeal, with
small pieces of meat, herring, and cucumbers floating
in the decoction, which is served cold. Another
favourite dainty is pork boiled in milk, and served
with a highly spiced gravy.
HEARD A LECTURE. "How did you like the
lecture ? " "Oh it was beautiful !" "What did he
say?" "Oh he said so many beautiful things ! " "Tell
us some." "Oh, he said—he said—but I can't tell it to
you as he said them." "Tell them as you can under-
stand them." "Well, he said—he said—oh, I can't!"
"Tell t s one thing he said." "Well, he said that the
wsthetics of existence enabled us to—to—oh, I can't ! "
"Tell us what you think he meant." "Oh, go along!
Why did'nt you go and hear him yourself ?"—American
Paper.
THE VISIT TO MICHAEL DAVITT.—In the recent
interview between Archbishop Croke and Michael'
Davitt it seems that Davitt was delighted to hear that
the prospects of the harvest in Ireland were promising,
and the news of Mr. Dillon's release from prison was
hailed by him with great pleasure. In the course of
the interview the Land Bill was discussed, and Devitt
expressed himself much pleased with many of its pro-
visions. Davitt admitted that everything was done
by those in authority in the building to make prison
life tolerable to him. He had been provided with books
and writing materials, he is permitted to employ him-
self in cultivating a garden which he has all to himself,
and he lives apart from the other inmates of the
prison.
A LONG TRANCE.—A singular case of trance is re-
ported from Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S., where for
thirty-six days a young Hungarian has lain motion-
less, unconscious, and yet alive. He came into a
bar-room one evening; suffering from a heavy cold, sat
down by the stove, dropped asleep, and has never
given a sign or look since. He can take a small
amount of food, and seems in quite a healthy condi-
tion, but all efforts to rouse him have been vain,
though he has been subjected to all sorts otexperiments.
Once, however, when shocked by a powerful galvanic
battery, his eyes opened with a dazed look, but closed
again immediately.
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GIRLS.—The northern
young women at White Sulphur Springs wear no
veils or gloves. They are dressed in a sort of out-
door uniform and in their reckless disregard of wind
and weather look like a pack of college lads. The
southern young women never venture out unless
shielded by veils, parasols, and gloves. You can tell
a southern young lady as far as you can see her by
the ghastly pallor of her complexion. To be pale and
delicate is regarded as essential to a ladylike appear-
ance. To see these rosy-cheeked, strong, sturdx,
northern girls chasing over the hills on horseback, or
sharing in the field-snorts of their brothers, is to the
most of them a nover experience. Then when they
see these same young ladies come into the ball-room of
an evening in correct toilets, completely transformed
from the hoydens of the day, they are still further
surprised, for there is no concealing the fact that the
Yankee girls, with their fresh colour and their ener-
getic ways, are the belles of that old southern resort.
THE Lux.—here is more than one legend of the
Lilies of Clovis which gave to France the most
ancient European coat of arms (says the Gardener?
Chronicle). To the heathen Clovis before conversion
and baptism has been attributed a banner of toads..
This banner probably was chosen for him long after
his period, to typify the gross errors of Paganism.
In a series of tapestries, illustrating a legend of the
lily, Clovis the heathen rides forth to battle armed
cap-d-pie attended by his standard-bearer. On the
standard are emblazoned three toads, and the breast of
an attendant officer is embroidered with the same
device. Three toads were emblazoned on all his
banners and pennons. The pure and spotless Lily of
Clovis, the Christian champion typified the purity of
the faith he had embraced. 'file "Noble Chroniclers
of France" commence with a long account of the mar-
riage of Clovis to the Christian Princess Clotilda. After
his marriage he soon experienced saintly aid. A battle •
was impending near Cologne. St. Remy prayed for vic-
tory, Clovis and his soldiers reverently resting on their
arms—keeping their powder dry. Suddenly the king
looking upwards, saw his banner miraculously altered
and the arms therepn transformed—the banner became
azure, the toads diAppeared, and instead of them he
beheld the fleur-de-lis. He pushed at once against the
foe, with the miraculous standard, the liflambe, borne
in front; but he and his soldiers struck no blows that
day, for they found the enemy in dire confusion, fight-
ing one against another. France can never have a
purer emblem, and Napoleon himself honoured the
Lilies. When Edward 111. laid claim to the crown of
France, he purloined the Royal arms of the Kings,
and introduced them into the English shield, quarter-
ing the lilies with the lions. The same emblem and a
similar claim found favour with Henry IV. who in
1405 followed the example of Charles V'. of France, a
quarter of a century earlier, and reduced the number
of fleurs-de-lis to three—the shields and Royal seals of
, both countries having been originally semee-de-lys.
The lilies were erased from the English shield in 1801.
The fleurs-de-lis were borrowed from France by Scot-
land, as a Royal cognisance, at a very early period, in
token of alliance.
THE FEAST OF SARDANAPALUS.—III the French
Academy an interesting paper was read the other day
on the great inscription of Assurbanhabal relating to
the feast of Sardanapalus. The events recorded in
this precious document refer to the second half of the
seventh century before the Christian era. The date
furnished by the cuneiform texts is also confirmed by
an eclipse of the sun which is known to have occurred
on June 20th, B.C. 661. After having made an expedi-
tion to the country of Gamboul, which he pillaged and
massacred, Assurbanhabal returned from Nineveh
with an immense booty. There he had to deal with
an unnatural brother called Samul-Sam-Yukin (Greek
Samouch6s), who, while outwardly praising the
Assyrian monarch, secretly compassed his destruction.
Assurbanhabal marched with all his forces against the
rebel. The sedition had become very serious, Samul-
Sam-Yukin having organised a rising of the Egyptians,
Arabs, and Phcenicians. The result, as shown by this
inscription, interpreted by M. Oppert, proves that the
popular tradition handed from Greek times concerning
the tragic end of Sardanapalus has been confounded
with that of the "now veritable brother" Samouch4s.
It was the latter who was cast on to a funeral pile by
his revolted subjects, and not Assurbanhabal, alias
Sardanapalus, who did not die until much later. In
this memorandum of past ages oontinued mention is
made of a goi Nebo, to whom the Assyrian King
addressed supplications and received encouraging pro-
mises, reminding us, as the French commentator says,
of a psalm ot David.