The sun., 1908-08-23
THIRD SECTION.
HISTORIC MANSIONS IN PERIL
MODERN COMFORTS CAUSE OLD
ENGLISH HOUSES no BURN.

MANS Deterioration and Weman's Progress
in Observation-Disclosures Cure fer
Crime-Aonism's Prospects Brighter
Russia at Germanys Mercy, Says
MeDshikoR- Homes In MaFtelie
Towers-sideiishtae On Turkeys Hevolu-
tion-Mlrase Recalls Irish Legends
Europe Too Bothered by insect Pests.
LONDON, Aug. 12.-The destruction by
country mansions has drawn attention
to the lamentable frequency Of such fires
In recent years. Not to mention their
contents In the way OF works Of art, manu-
scripts, armor and all other things dear
to the heart Of the collector, these old houses
are In themselves national monuments
which cannot be replaced. Indeed the
late Lord Warwick. when Warwick Castle
was damaged by fire in 1871. pointed out
that though he happened to live there
his house was nevertheless kind OF ma
tional possession, and that the loss might
ftly fall on the country, and subscriptions
for the cost Of repairs came In we'll.
The third Earl Of Londonderry, who was
abroad when he heard Of the burning down
Of his country seat. Wynyard, made no
appeal to his neighbors, but recorded his
disgust ct the occurrence In the following
entry in his diary: Here I learned that
Almighty God, for reasons best known
to Himself, has been pleased to burn down
my house In the county Of Durham
Unlike Lord Londonderry, modern COM
mentators do not asofibe these frequent
country house fires to incendiarism. A
common cause. IL Ia suggested. IL the un-
skilful wiring for electric light that was
done years ago BY men who did not UNDER
stand their work. But, as In the most
recent case of Burley y-on-the-Hill, where
Winston Churchill acted as head fireman
in his pajamas, the most common cause
is believed to be the great oak beams that
run through 90 many Of the huge old fash
ioned Hreplaoos.
When these houses were built 10 was the
day OF large open freplsoes in which slow
consuming wood fires were burned. Acoi-
dents then were rare. But to-day modern
CRATES and Aues have been installed. SCOT
accumulates. great heat 10 generated, then
the FIRE Ii started by some old beam which
may smoulder. out Of sight and out Of smell.
for days before the flames burst out.
Hunt out these old beams and modernize
the electric light installation 10 the advice
given to the owners OF these old houses.
They seem. however. to take their losses
With strange equanimity.
The late Lord Crewe for example, when
Crewe Hall was blazing furiously, ordered
q footnian to place a table on the lawn and
bring him an inkstand and some telegraph
forms. He then sat down and wrote the
following telegram to Street. the Royal
Academician:
-. Il h,,vr tun
and build it up again.
He also sent a short wire to his sister:
'Youi always used to say this was q cold
house; you wouldn't say 80 II you could see
1t now ..t
The late w. J. Stillman, who was the
London Times correspondent at Rome dur
ing the period. recorded an interesting event
which occurred at the very outset OF the
career OF the late Marquis di Rudini as
Italian Premier and Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
A New Orleans mob had lynohed some
Italian prisoners who were charged with
murder. Rudini promptly instructed the
Italian representative at Washington to
demand the immediate bringing to justice
OF the lynchers. with the threat that other
wise the Italian feet should be sent to New
Orleans Informed of this. Stillman at
once conveyed a warning to the Premier.
telling him that this would probably mean
var, and that. moreover. the warships could
not 20 to New Orleans. as the Mississippi
did not admit ships Of their draught.
The warning was effective.
The blunder about the Mississippi recalls
the more fragrant error OF Sir Ellis Ashmead
d. lntx xch rxNr,naod that
the British feet should 20 to Poland.
The outcry daily growing louder In Eng
land against the excessive speed Of motor
cara lends interest TO the following passage
from the Annual Register for 1918:
new coach was started in the spring to
run to Brighton, a distance Of nifty two miles.
in six hours This, however be-
came alarming, particularly In the populous
neighborhood Of Newin ston. through which
II passed. and the parish officers there caused
information to be laid against the drivers
for driving furiously on the public road 30
as to endang the lives OF his Majeety's sub
jects.
The result Of this is to be read in Han
sard's Parliamentary Reports,' June 10,
1915
The Attorney General moved for leave TO
bring In bill, the object OF which was the
protection Of the lives and limbs Of his Maj
esty's subjects, by correcting ths enormous
abuses Of stage coach drivers. Within these
few days 1t would be hardly credible what q
number OF applications he had received on
this subject. Some accounts were enough
to freeze one with horror. A gentleman Of
verscity had informed him that on Tuesday.
May q. at half past s, the Trafalgar and
Regulator coaches set on from Manchester
and got to Liverpool twenty minutes after Q.
doing this journey In two hours and fifty
minutes. at the rate Of twelve miles an hour
Sophie Leppel Of London writes Of the
modern Englishman In the German maea-
zine, Die Weit-Warts. The TYPICAL John
Bull, she admits. IL still extant In all parts
Of Great Britain. but he is dying out
Those that remain are middle aged relics
OF passing generation.
Az for the younger generation, she has
nothing but soorn for them. 'In Germany
she says. 'an sduoatsd man is expected to
possess the manners Of gentleman, whether
born an aristoorat or not, and one rarely
meets with an exception. II Is different In
England. The average young plebetan
En- glishman can neither walk, eit nor stand