The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-29 00:00:00

THAMES.

A FURY.—Ellen Pyburn, a tall and dissipated-looking
woman, was charged before Mr. Woolrych with breaking
a large pane of plate glass in the window of the Cape of
Good Hope public-house, opposite Limehouse Church, and
biting a police constable's thumb.
The landlord of the Cape of Good Hope said that a party
were quarrelling in front of his bar last night, and he re-
quested them to desist and leave his house. On their
refusal to do so he put them out. The prisoner, who was
very noisy and abusive, was among them, and she returned
to the door and was attempting to force her way in when
he pushed her back and requested her to go home. She
immediately took up a stone and emashea a large pane of
plate glass. The value of it was 40s.

Mr. Woolrych—Are you insured ?
Witness—Yes, sir, I am. I don't wish to hurt the pri-
soner. I should be sorry if she is sent to prison. She has
a large family. A good talking-to would be of service.
William Tyler, a police constable, No. 155 K, said lie
took the prisoner into custody. She made a most deter-
mined resistance, kicked, plunged, and repeatedly struck
him. She also got his thumb into her mouth and bit it
severely.

The prisoner, in defence, said she would own she broke
the window. She hed five children at home by the fire-
side. They were in want of food. She, went after her
husband :.,o ask him for money to buy food. The landlord
would not let her in the house for the purpose of looking
after her husband, and she broke the window.
Mr. Woolrych—You have committed two offences—
broken a plate of glass, and bitten the policeman's finger.
You aro sentenced to two months' imprisonment and hard
labour.

The prisoner—l will pay a fine.
Mr. WoolryCh—No ; I will not inflict a fine. You will
go to prison for two months and hard labour.

Richard Pyburn, the husband of the lest prisoner, was
charged with assaulting Tyler in the execution of his duty,
and was fined 10s., which he paid.

A SCHOOLBOY, in nine cases out of ten, when
asked how he is fed at school, will answer that the meat is
"bad," the beer "swipes," the puddings " stodge," the
butter "rancid," and the tea " wash,"—in short "beastly;
STRATFORD OR LONDON ? as the Site for the
National Monument to Shakspere,On Monday a
meeting was convened by the Mayor of Liverpool, in the
Town Hall, to consider an application made by Mr. Flower,
Mayor of Stratford-on-Avon, on behalf of what Mr. Flower
described as that "paltry little town." Mr. Flower pointed
out the claims of Stratford, as, in preference to London, the
proper place for a national monument to Shakspere ; and
he urged his audience to accept that view of the case, and
pledge themselves to assist the local Warwickshire Com-
mittee with funds. A motion to that effect was actually
proposed by a gentleman present, but it found no seconder
in the meeting. The theory that if a national monument
is to be erected it must be in the national capital, was very
ably sustained. In the end a vote was taken, to the effect
that a Liverp9ol committed should be appointed, with the
Mayor as chairman, and Dr.
. Collingwood as secretary, to
auree_.eih
sewhitcholceton
it would be well for that great
communeconsideritthye cototk

During the last few days a series of interesting tests
have been made by Captain Tyler, R.E., on the strength of
this great viaduct, previous to the sanction of the Board of
Trade being given to the opening of the line for public
traffic on the Ist of the new year.
As the works are now quite finished, the Thames bridge,
the largest and most interesting feature of the line, begins
to show itself to great advantage—its magnificent size and
width rendering it an imposing abject from the river, while
the open trellis-work of the superstructure, and the ample
water -ways the use of cylinder piers afford, give it an ap-
pearance of greater lightness than is usual with bridges of
the purejy girder form,
Looking at it only from the river, it is certainly to be
regretted that the brick piers formerly carrying the suspen-
sion bridge have been allowed to rema'n. But here, as in
most great undertakings, compromises between appear-
ances and economy have taken place, and in this instance
economy was greatly on the side of retaining the brick
piers. Yet, while retaining these below, we do not at all see
the advantage of the mass of brick and stonework, where-
with they are overtopped above. Mr. Hawkshaw,
whose design the bridge is, would have done better
had he trusted to the purely mechanical and prac-
tical nature of the structure, relieved only by the
colour in which it is now being painted, which, with
the lines of gilt bosses and handsome candelabra surmount-
ing the piers, appear far more suitable decorations than
heavy circular cornices for a bridge dependent for its effect
on its good and simple construction, and not on any recog
wised architectural features,
But it is as an engineering work chiefly that the bridge is
best worth notice, and presents some very curious features,
one of these being the enormous strength concentrated both
in the cylinder piers and in the girders in the smallest com-
pass. To understand this it is necessary to call to mind
that in the usual practice of building brick or atone founda-
tions the weight of the superstructure is spread over a very
large surface, whereas with these cylinder piers it is all
brought within two areas of not more than 14tt diem, each.
To make up for this difference in extent, the depth to which
the cylinder foundations are carried is far greater than the
brick piers—for while the ratter are made to rest on the top
of the clay, the cylinders go 201 t. into the clay, being sunk
on an average 401 t. below low water, thus obtaining for the
column of brickwork built inside them afterwards a founda-
tion as solid as rock itself, and one not likely to be disturbed
by any changes which may occur in the bed of the river by
the scour, which may be expected from the formation of the
Thames Embankment, the scour being a source of evil
which has hitherto proved fatal to the foundations of nearly
all our metropolitan bridges. Again, with the superstruc-
ture, it is usual to have one main girder to half a line of
way, or at least one girder to each line; and to brace them
together overhead as well as below, to form of the whole a
kind of skeleton tube. But in this case it was necessary
that there should not be any obstruction between the lines
of way, as points and crossings are required on very many
parts of the bridge; therefore only two girders could be used
to do what eight, or at least four, have hitherto been em •
ployed to effect. Two girders here carry four lines of way,
and as this causes them to be 50ft. apart, overhead bracing
becomes also impracticable, so that they had to be con-
structed of sufficient lateral stiffness to depend on themselves
alone, and of sufficient strength to carry the public foot-
paths outside, as well as the fo•ar lines of way within;
hence it happens that although the span is moderate, 154
feet, yet the quantity of metal required in each of these
girders amounts to 200 tons, and the skilful way it has been
massed together to afford the requisite strength, and ye
give little indication of it in its light and almost elegan
appearance, is certainly unsurpassed,

The result of the tee ts applied has proved most satisfac-
tory. When loaded from end to end on each of the four
lines of way with engines and trucks purposely filled with
stone and iron, so as to weigh four tons per foot, the greatest
amount of deflection in any girder was not more than three-
quarters of an inch, and in the cross-girders less than a
quarter of an inch, and the amount of vibration during the
running off and on was all but imperceptible.
To this satisfactory result the quality of the workman-
ship has tended in a large degree, the contractors, Messrs.
Cochrane and Co., for this and all the other bridges on the
line, having aided Mr. Hawkshaw materially in this design
of using two girders only to support such enormous strains
by at once abandoning the rough and unskilful way of con-
structing girders with plates punched and sheared by hand,
and substituting in its stead machinery designed for the
purpose of drilling and planning the plates in the most
accurate manner. It is not too much to state that the ac-
curate and finished character of the work in this bridge has
since caused almost a revolution in the construction of
wrought iron beams of magnitude.

Great praise is also due to the contractors for the skilful
manner in which the actual work of erecting the bridge has
been carried out, and not a single fatal accident having oc-
curred during its progress. All the ether bridges on the
line have been tested by the Government inspector with
similar severity and with the same satisfactory results as to
proof of strength. All the questions, in fact, connected
with the working of the line have been settled, and we be-
lieve it will open for public traffic on New Year's-day.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VEUVE CLIQUOT,
as described in Shaw's " Wine, the Vine, and the
Cellar."—A few miles on the Paris side of Epernay may be
seen a chateau, above the doorway of which is carved
" Mater Fifire," the mater being a lady of world-wide fame,
exceedingly rich, but still living in a small house at Reims,
as she did many a year ago ; and although above 80 years
old, it is said there is not a cuvee made without her opinion,
nor a transaction of importance without consulting her.
Others may have, and have, quite as good wine as hers;
for they have the same opportunities which she enjoys of
buying grapes or wine from growers ; while the preparation
of her liqueur is no mystery, and the fermentation must
everywhere go on in its natural course. The desire of her
house is not to make its wine better one year than another,
but to keep it as close as possible to its known standard pecu-
liarity year after year. if all seasons were alike, this would be
comparatively easy, but some are so bad that not a single
grape will be admitted into cellars of repute; and as two,
three, and more such years often succeed each other, her
and every other house are compelled to keep up stock in
the best way they can. The only plan of accomplishing
this is by searching throughout the district for the best wine
hat can be found in the cellars of growers or merchants, and
preparing them for their brand. Large firms such as hers,
and a few more, will make several cuveee of 5J,000 and
100,000 dozens, after a good vintage. Shortly after that of
1861, I saw in her cellar casks that reminded me of the
quays of the London Docks ; and as these had to be pre-
pared, with much liqueur, for the shipments to Russia, &c.,
and less for the portion for England, it may be imagined
what a serious undertaking it is, and how much experience
and discrimination are required, to amalgamate these vari-
ous qualities into a homogeneous whole. But it is just to
add that, in stating that she has no monopoly of the best
grapes, nor of the knowledge of fermenting or converting
them into wine, hers is the only house where no other kind
but. the best procurable quality is kept ; and therefore, any
one buying a bottle with her true brand on the cork, may
feel confident that it is the finest she can offer. She presses
her grapes less than other growers, disposing of the sur-
plus; while most houses retain theirs for further pressure,
and then sell according to the result; probably branding
with their own known brand that which proves good, and
with a " fancy " brand that which is inferior.
_ _ _

THE MISSING SHIPS.—Tive week; have now
elapsed, and there has been no intelligence of the
missing laden colliers which sailed from the Tyne and ad-
jacent north country ports in the last week in November for
London, and it is reduced to a certainty, it is feared, that
they have perished with their crews. The names of the
Tyne vessels that have, it is almost certain, foundered are
the Esther, the Brodricks, and the Lady Mary, of North
Shields ; and the Ann and Elizabeth, the Spray, and the
James, of South Shields. Another vessel, named the
Adorna, which left the Texel before the gale of the 3d Dec.
for the Tyne, has not since been heard of. If the Aherne
does not turn up, very close upon 60 seamen will have
perished with those ships. As far as can be ascertained,
either eight or nine laden colliers belonging to adjacent
ports have been missing the same time es the Tyne ships, so
that at the lowest computation it is feared 120 north coml..
try seamen and sailor lads have perished by their vessels
foundering at sea with them. This sad calamity is being
realised in all its bitterness by the bereaved families in the
northern seaports, for, down to about Christmas, they had
hoped against hope that those ships had been driven towards
the Dutch or Norway coast, and might turn up again,
Among the vessels included in the number mentioned above
are the Gem and the Cleveland, belonging to Whitby. That
seaport has suffered severely by.the gale. A vessel named
the George, belonging to that port, atter being abandoned,
has been picked up and taken into Gottenburg. As already
gales of
reported, several crews of water-logged and disabled ships
suffered fearfully exposureDbyeeember.
Thed
during the terrificisreported
to
have lost four of her crew, including the mate and his son,
by exhaustion, before a friendly ship came to their assist-
ance. It would appear that most of the vessels missing,
and of which there is little doubt nothing more will be
heard, had put into the Humber through adverse winds,
and that on Wednssday, the 2d of December, the wind
thesu firstred
having got round to the N.W., blowing fresh, they
had put out of that roadstead with every prospect of
a quick passage to London. But during that night or
Thursday morning the wind chopped round to the S.W.
again, and came on to blow a hurricane. It will be remem-
bered that the force of Thursday's gale was most severe in
the midland counties, and it would catch these ships in
Boston Deeps, the very worst place for laden colliers to en-
ceunter such a storm, and there is every reason to believe
that most of the vessels missing perished there or on the
edge of the Dogger Bank. It is to be feared many of the
families of the men that are supposed to be lost are in a
destitute condition, some of the widows being left with large
families.

BRITISH MUSEUM.--The national collections will
bo closed to the public from. Friday, the Ist, until Thurs-
tenlants their usual Christmas holidays.
IhBo6ikce and strong, moderate
inclusive, to afford the at-
dayH,
(tibreniinithaonf,BJla,neuaairsy,c
in price, and wholesome to use. These advantages have
secured for this Tea a general preference. It is sold in
Packets by 2,280 Agents.