The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-03-23 00:00:00

ANOTHER EXPERIMENT WITH MR. M`DONALD'S
FIRE PLUG.—Yesterday morning another most satisfac-
tory experiment was made by Mr. M`Donald, to shew the
efficacy of his new plan for extinguishing fires without the
aid of hand-worked engines. The place selected for this
trial, (which is, we understand, the last he intends mak-
ing,) was the front and gable ends of the Adelphi Hotel.
Mr. M 'Donald having got the apparatus of his plug at-
tached to the mains—which, by the bye, did not occupy
him long—turned on the water into four different hose,
when from each a powerful column of water was pro-
jected fully 30 feet above the coping stone of the building.
Our attention has been directed to an account of some
similar experiments given in the Manchester Guardian
of Saturday last, where it is stated that a gentleman named
Rose, late superintendent of the fire brigade of that town,
claims to be the inventor of this exceedingly simple, highly
useful, and moderately cheap apparatus. This, we are as-
sured, is not the fact, as it is to Mr. M`Donald's skill and
ingenuity that the public are indebted for an improvement
the necessity for which was so long and so severely felt by
the public. Mr. Rose states that he had invented this
plan long ago, and that it is so simple that any person
might have done so. Granting him that both these state-
ments are correct, the entire story reminds us of Colum-
bus and the egg : any person could invent a machine when
taught how to do so.
FIRE IN BRUNSWICK GRAVING DOCK.—On Wed-
nesday, a smithy in the Brunswick Graving Dock was
discovered on fire, caused by some bundles of oakum
having ignited. It was speedily extinguished without the
aid of the engines.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY.—In opposition to the earnest
entreaties of the Catholic Bishop of this district, and the
clergymen of the town, St. Patrick's Day was celebrated
on Wednesday last by a public procession. The proces-
sion, however, was but a miserable affair, consisting of
only about one hundred and seventy persons, exclusive of
four bands of music, numbering sixty-two performers in
all. Most of the men were gaily dressed, with sashes,
&c. Supposing that each of the musicians received 10s.
for his day's performance, and that the cost of the sashes,
ribbons, loss of time, and other incidental expenses,
amounted to one pound a man, here we have a wilful
waste of £2OO. This calculation is "a very low one, and
we believe it could be proved that nearly-X3OO have been
wasted in this foolish and useless display. After the pro-
cession was formed, it moved up to the top of Falkner-
street, where the bands of music, banners, and other pa-
raphernalia were left while the members of the societies
attended St. Anne's Church, Edge-hill, to hear high mass.
The Rev. Dr. Moriarty officiated at the altar and preached.
On Sunday evening last, some of the benefit societies at-
tended a meeting, and passed a resolution that they should
not walk either to or from the church in procession.
This being conveyed to the bishop, the use of the church
was granted; but, whilst the strict letter of the resolu-
tion was not broken, the spirit of it was, and the persons
who were instrumental in thus breaking faith with their
bishop, in acting contrary to the express desire of their
pastors, and in opposition to the wishes of the magistrates
and the people of Liverpool, ought to be scouted by all
the lovers of order and the friends of humanity.—Li-
verpool Journal.

EXTRAORDINARY INQUESTS.—On Saturday last an in-
quest was held on the body of Michael Judge, a child
belonging to one of those poor, almost destitute. Irish
families who are thronging here from that unfortunate
country. The circumstances attending the death of the
child attached a peculiar interest, which otherwise it would
.not possess. The child, it was alleged, died from thirst
on board the Rover, steamer, during the last passage of
that boat from Sligo to this port. The evidence of the
child's mother, Mary Judge, was as follows :—I am the
wife of John Judge, and I am lodging at present in a house
in Upper Frederick-street. The deceased, whose name
was Michael Judge, was our son. He was two years old.
On Tuesday morning I and my husband, and three chil-
dren, (the deceased one of theni,) left Sligo as passengers
on board the steam-packet Rover for Liverpool. During
Tuesday night deceased became very cross, and cried for
a drink of water. I then asked some of the hands for a
little water ; but they positively refused to give me any
without I paid for it. They were selling the water to the
rassengers at the time. I had no money to purchase it
with, and the deceased, therefore, only got a little that
was given to him by one of the other passengers. He
kept calling out all the time for a drink, even up to his
death, which took place on Wednesday morning. We
arrived here on Thursday, and went to where we are now
lodging, taking our deceased child with us. Mr. George
Wood, surgeon, deposed that the child died of a disease
in its bowels, which disease, he stated, was the result of
natural causes. Verdict accordingly.—An inquest was
also held on the body of John M‘Gibney, an aged man,
who resided for some time past in a cellar in Rose-place,
and who died on Thursday morning last. The deceased
was very weak for some time preiious, caused by want of
food, and yet, strange to say, lie never applied to the
Parish-office. His daughter deposed, that for some time
past he was too weak in body to go out to earn any money
to purchase food, and that they lived by parting with their
little effects, and on the kindness of their neighbours.
He gave her all the food he could afford, and went short
himself. Death from natural causes.
ARRIVAL OF TIIE SARAH SANDS.—The Sarah Sands
arrived in the Mersey on Wednesday last. We subjoin a
copy of her log :—The Sarah Sands, screw steamer,
Thompson, left New York on the 24th of February, at
three p.m., light wind from S.W. On the 25th, at four
p.m., one of the air-pumps levers broke short off, discon-
nected, and run under canvas for the next four days, but
the winds being light ahead, made little progress. On
the 2d of March got up steam, which carried the vessel to
long. 48, when she encountered a succession of heavy
gales from S.S.E. to E.S.E. On the 7th, during a gale
from the south-east, lost bowsprit and foretopmast, and
being afterwards set to the north-east by the currents,
bore away for the North Channel ; previous to entering
which, finding the port air-pump lever cracking in the
same place where the other broke, disconnected for twenty-
four hours, and put two preventer plates on it. On
Sunday, off Inistrahill, was in company with a fleet of
inward bound vessels, and since then beat down channel
against a strong gale of wind from the south. Spoke the
Achilles, from New Orleans to Liverpool, in lat. 45 39,
long. 57 22. The following is a list of the passengers :
William Glasgow, St. Louis, Missouri ; Francis Leland.
Samuel Ibbotson, Thomas W. Cook, New York ; Francis
Guazzesi, London ; Lazarus Arnold, Philadelphia ; Jose
A. Bentiz, Valparaiso ; J. E. Wittereen, Antwerp • Adrian
Caire, Paris ; Antonio G. Buiz, Santander ; P. L. B.
Leniz, New York ; Thomas and Mrs. Ferguson, Belfast ;
Elizabeth Bishops, Coventry •, Edward Hope, Providence,
N.S. ; and Richard Long, Manchester. The following
are the captain's observations on the vessel :—The Sarah
Sands, which left this port on the 20th January, and New
York on the 24th ult., arrived this (Wednesday) morning
at ten o'clock. bringing a good freight. This being the
first voyage of this vessel, great interest has been excited
to see the result. The outward voyage was very severe,
and the wind adverse. The machinery was new, and the
principle untried. She also had occasion to stop the
engines for about thirty hours to adjust thelp. But with
these disadvantages she accomplished the voyage in twenty
days and ten hours. On her homeward passage also the
weather proved most boisterous, and prevailed from the
eastward. When only one day out the air-pump lever
broke, which detained her four days, and the same cause
also detained her again, when near home, being nearly
six days without steam altogether ; but with these disad-
vantages, she performed the voyage within twenty-one
days. Her consumption of fuel is very small, and the
machinery, with the above exceptions, worked admirably.
Her experienced commander, Captain Viompson, speaks
in the most glowing language of the success of the experi-
ment ; he says that at the highest speed the machinery
always worked steadily. The ship is perfectly easy, and
could carry any amount of canvas and stays in the worst
weather. The success of this vessel, which combines
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