The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-21 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY CASE OF

DROWNING.

We have to record anothei• death by drowning,
which took place on Friday evening last. It
appears that about half-past five o'clock, a launch,
belonging to Mr. Macey, left the Commercial-
wharf, Old Victualling-office, Plymouth, to proceed
up Catwater for the purpose of conveying one hun-
dred and twenty-three pads, containing about one hun-
dred mackerel each, on board the Royal William
steam-packet, Captain Swainson, then on the point of
starting for London. The launch was in charge
of Joseph Navaro, Joseph Ponsford, John Cockrem,
and another ; there were also on board Mr. J.
H. Thorn, landlord of the Brunswick Inn, Ply-
mouth, part owner of the fish ; Thomas Gilpin,
his assistant; and William Alcock Lafont, a young
man going by the Royal William to Wool-
wich, to join her Majesty's steam-frigate Rattler, as
purser's steward. When the launch reached the most
exposed part of Cat water, the wind, which was
blowing strong from the S.W., suddenly in-
creased, and the lee gunwale of the boat went
under water. It was extremely dark, and
those on board were unconscious of the fact that
she was fast filling. During the time she took
to heel over, they managed to get on the weather
side, and on her turning, they secured themselves by
the keel. Here they remained about half an hour, but
as the pads of mackerel became disengaged, there was
a chance of the boat righting, which made their situ-
ation more perilous than otherwise. In conse-
quence of this apprehension, Mr. Thorn, who was a
very good swimmer, attempted to make for the shore,
but being encumbered by his coat, he was no
doubt speedily drowned. The cries of the people were
at lenwh heard by the crew of the Maltese b Irque
Sarah, whose commander, Capt. Cafferero, sent a boat.
which succeeled in picking them off, and conveyed I
them safely to Plymouth. The launch is calculated to
cerry ten tons dead weight ; the fish were about five
tons. She, however, is rather sharp beilt, and beioo
crank under canvas, it is feared she had toe much
sail for the kind of goods with which she was
laden. A pumping engine is fixed amidships, the
weight of which contributed to keep her bottom
up. After the men left she righted, and
drifting on the rocks beat two holes in
her bottom. All the pads, except two, were washed
ashore en the beach, and the fish are little
damaged. Mr. Thorn was well known, he was about
thirty-seven years of age, and for a length of time re-
sided in Cornwall-street, in this borough. He was a
devoted and fearless fisherman ; and a persevering,
industrious, and highly respectable tradesman. He
has left a widow and two children to lament their
bereavement.—Devonport Telegraph.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT A COAL-PIT.—On Wednesday
last, a fatal accident occurred to one of the workmen
employed at the coal-mines, belonging to Mr. Fitzgerald,
at Pendleton. It will be recollected that some time ago
these mines were filled with water, in consequence of
which the works were stopped. In November last,
operations were commenced to dislodge the water, and
workmen have been employed in the task ever since.
Between nine and ten o'clock on Wednesday morning,
two labourers, named Pt ter Boardman and Thos. Jones,
were at work in the pit, at the depth of from eighty to
ninety yards from the top, when, from some cause whieh
is not known, Boardman fell through an aperture of
eighteen inches in width, at the side of the scaffold on
which he was standing, and was drowned in about two
feet of water which covered another scaffold below. Just
before he fell, the deceased had handed a nail to his com-
panion, who was suspended in the noose of a rope two or
three yards above the scaffold, and who immediately
afterwards heard a rushing noise. He called to the de-
ceased, but received no answer, on which he gave a
signal to the men at the top to lower him to the scaf-
fold, which was immediately done, and he there found
the deceased's hat, but was not able to see him. He was
shortly afterwards found immersed as above stated, and
quite dead. On Friday Mr. Rutter, the county coroner,
held an inquest on the body, at Pendlebury, when the
above circumstances were stated in evidence ; but no
reason could be assigned for the deceased's falling, un-
less he had done so in a fit, it appearing from the state-
ment of his mother, that he had been subject to fits. A
verdict of " Accidental death" was returned. He was
30 years of age, and unmarried.—Manchester Guardian.
MODE OF PREPARING FIRE-PROOF PAINT.— A
quantity of the best quicklime is selected, and slacked
with water in a covered vessel ; when the slacking is
complete, water, or skimmed milk, or a mixture of both,
is added to the lime, and mixed up with it to the con-
sistence of cream. When milk is not used, a solution
of rice paste is employed, which may be obtained by
boiling eight pounds of rice to every hundred gallons
of paint. When the creamy liquor is prepared, alum,
potash, and common salt are added, in the pro-
portion of twenty pounds of alum, fifteen pounds
of potash, and a bushel of ‘alt, to every hundred
gallons of the paint. If the paint is to be white, six
pounds of prepared plaster of Paris and the same
quantity of fine white clay are added to the above pro-
portions of the other ingredients. All these ingredients
being mingled, the mixture is strained through a fine
sieve, and then ground in a colour-mill. When roofs
are to be covered, or when crumbling brick walls are to
be coated, flue white sand is mixed with the paint, in the
proportion of one pound to ten gallons of paint ; this
addition being made with a view to giving the ingredient
a binding or petrifying quality. In applying this paint,
except in very warm weather, it is prepared in ahot state;
and in very cold weather precautions are necessary
to prevent it from freezing. Three coats of this paint
aro deemed in most cases sufficient. In another variety
of this paint oil is the chief liquid ingredient. To pre-
pare it forty gallons of boiled linseed oil are mixed with
slacked lime to the consistence of a paint; and to this
are added two pounds of alum, one pound of potash, and
eight pounds of common salt; or good wood-ashes may
be substituted for the potash. This paint is used in the
same manner as other paint; and any colour may be ob-
tained by adding the usual pigments to the composition.
The above is the composition of a Mr. Louis Pambecuf,
who first made it known in America.—The Builder.
TILE SCHOOLMASTER WANTED.—The following is
copied verbatim et literatim from a poor's-rate assess-
ment in Anglesey :—" We the Chirgewartens and Over-
sirs of the Boor of the baris of decleare the Sev-
ral Partiler Spicfied in the Rectud Colurn of the above
Read To be true And correct so for as we bin able Ascer-
tacion to which we have well use our besd Entevor.
Chirgewardence.

-} Oversairs."