Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1889-07-03 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1889.  NOTES OF 'FHB WEEK. Dr. Brouardal has given some remarkable particulars relative to his investigations in connection with the great fire which burned down the Opera-Comique and caused the loss of so many lives. He says that he examined the of 21 women and six men found hourrllet7d together in death close to the refreshment-bar of the theatre. The clothes on the bodies of the victims were neither burned nor torn, but the high temperature had an effect on the gloves worn by some of the deceased persons, slightly cracking them on the outside, although they were intact underneath. From experiments made with similar gloves, Doctor Brouardel 'thinks that the victims were in  a temperature varying from 110 dog. (Centigrade) to 140 deg. (Centigrade). At 150. deg. (Centigrade) of heat, gloves of the same kind as those worn by the deceased persons became carbonised. The doctor believes, from his researches, that nobody was literally "roasted alive," but that suffocation by oxidised carbon first supervened. This gas emanated from the burning wood, and caused the death of most of the victims, some of whom were absolutely uninjured in appearance. These investigations were borne out FT the result of the official post-mortem examinations, inasmuch as the blood in the bodies of the persons found by Dr. Brouardel was quite red, and not black, as would have been the case had they died from excess of heat. In some cases the black marks having been washed off the bodies, a healthy reddish hue became apparent, which made the deceased persons look as if they were quietly sleeping. One doctor, iii. said, maintamed that a girl whose flesh was in this condition was not dead, but in a trance. In conch/. sion Dr. Brouardel observes that all those who succumbed to the influence of oxidised-carbon died without pain.  Is the physical strength of Americans declining? The 4uestion is answered in the affirmative by Mr. William Blaikie, a well-known American writer, who supports his views by some remarkable facts. A hundred years ago or less, 80 per cent, of the population of the United States were fanning, hunting, or fishing. Now, hardly 40 per cent, are engaged in these healthful occupations. Moreover, machinery and modern methods of agriculture have alike tended to render the farmer's life less conducive to the development of the bodily powers. The old farmer, for example, bore hard on the plough-tail, trudging for miles over the rough furrows; or swung a keenedged scythe into the thick gram or grain. His descendants, on the contrary, sit up on a horse plough in a slouching position, with the chest often sunk in; or take their seat on a mower or reaper, and get pulled along. So it is with nearly all other agricultural operations. The natural remedy for all this is physical training in the schools and colleges; but with the exception of a.few of the universities and large colleges, the American schools have either very poorly equipped gymnasiums or none at all. The playgrotutd of the schools in New York are described as miserable, cramped, bricked-over places, no more like such playgrounds as those 4 Eton, Rugby, flarrow, or Westminster than is postage stamp is like a tablecloth. Mr. Iliaikie doubts whether there is one boy in ten or one girl in 20 in American schools who is deep-chested, erect, well-knit, and strong all over. Nor are there, lie believes, five boys in an average class of 60 in any public school who could run half a mile in three minutes aad is half without being badly blown. That these views are not exaggerated seems probable from the fact that the examiners at the great military college at West Point find a majority of the applicants unfit for admission, and sometimes are even unable to pass a solitary one.  Jacques Meyer, the swindler, who was condemned the other day to twelve months imprisonment and a fine, has been indirectly the cause of the death of one of his victims---General Elzear de Negrier. At the trial of Meyer, the Gescral stated that he was much annoyed by the 1,88 of the £6,000 which he handed over to the swindler for speculative purposes. General de Negrier met Meyer at the Deux-Mondes Club frequently, and was dazzled by the day dreams of El Dorado which were conjured up before his delighted vision by the suave and skilful sharper. Ever since the trial the deceased officer complained of violent headaches and of great difficulty in breathing, and the other morning he was found at the foot of his bed by his valet, who was bringing in the morning coffee. The doctors said that the deceased had succumbed to congestion of the brain and the rumours of suicide are not believed. M. Elzear de Negrier was the cousin of the valiant soldier who distinguished himself in Tankin, and his father was the General de Negrim who was killed on the Place de hi Bastille on