The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1888-04-10 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

NOTES AND COMMENTS.  The discovery of the body of Hugh Todd in the Devonshire Dock on Friday morning, and the inquest which followed, possess some noteworthy characteristics of their own. The Barrow docks .and channel have given up so many dead that such a discovery unhappily cannot be described as a rare occurrence, and the circumstance in consequence loses much of its horrifjing effect on the public mind. ILL the present case, however, we have *the ghastly fact revealed that the liody has been in the Dock since the 24th of January last. On that date while search was being made to recover the body of another man who had been reported missing, a cap was found floating in the water and oh enquiry t was found that it belonged to Todd who was also then found to be missing. The search party then prosecuted their secrch for both bodies and the body of one of the missing men were recovered, but that of Hugh Todd could not be found and after several days' dragging operations it was concluded that the body was not there and the search was abandoned. The discovery on Friday, however, proves that the conclusion was an erroneous one, and the great length of time during which the body ha ct been in the water caused the body to be much decomposed. In the opinion of the Coroner the deceased had beyond doubt committed suicide, basing his opinion on the fact as disclosed by the evidence that the occurrence took place in the daytime, that deceased had been in a depressed state of mind, and on the circumstances of the case generally. The jury, however, would not ga the length of committing themselves to that opinion, and recorded 9 verdict of "Found drowned."  The following story comes .from Moscow. Last Monday a beautiful young woman rented a room at the house of a tradesman of the town. Half an hour later a detachment of police, led by an officer of the genclarmeri, arrived at the premises and tried to force open the door of the new lodger's room, which was fastened securely. Whilst the police were thus engaged the girl jumped out of the window, which was on the third floor, and fell into the court yard below mortally injured. The trunk in her room was found to contain six dyiamite shells, alleged to have been destined for the CZAR'S assassination. The girl was identified as daughter of an official in South Russia.  The blizzard from which New York recently suffered did not destroy the peculiar sense of hnmcnr which is the hall-mark of American literature. A facetious American says that in New York, when it became possible to traverse Broadway in passages cut through the snow, Notices were found on the side of the snow-wall— " Visitors are requested not to pluck the daisies," "Kindly take it away—there is lio charge," while in one place a pair of dilapidated boots were inserted in one side of a heap of snow and a shabby hat on the other side, ard over all the inscription, "Here lies a New York alderman." Strange to say, no one seemed in a burry to disinter this civic father from his snowy grave.  '1 he Barrow Football Club have still three fit tr.ircs before them before the season closes. The season has been a long one, commencing on September 10, and c 1( sing en the 21st April. A great change has come over the fortunes of the club latterly, and some very creditable victories have been obtained, notably against Askarn, Kendal Hornets, Broughton Rangers, Warrington, and Leeds Parish Church. Without at present gicing an analysis of the club's doings, it may be intetesting to note that up to Saturday last, the first leant played 32 matches, 15 of which have been won and 14 lost, three drawn games having been played. The Barrow Club have only been beaten five times n their own ground, viz, by Tottington, Kendal Hornets, Salford, and Mosley. Two matches were cancelled on account of the weather, both away.  The report of the Director of Army and Navy Contracts on the publication of prices of aczepted tedders was ist•ued as a Parliamentry paper on Saturday. An opiiiion had been obtained f-om the majority of Chambers of Commerce and from a large number of the leading manufacturers as to the desirability of publishing the prices. There were 70 Chambers and 103 firms written to, the latter being selected-61 by the Director of Navy Contracts, and the remaining 42 by the Directors of Army Contracts. Replies had been received from 48 Chambers and 102 firms, and communications from ten other firms who were not applied to. Of the 112 answers received, no less than 101 were in favour of secrecy. While admitting, therefore, the value of iublicity in the abstract, the conclusion arrived at is strongly opposed to the publication cf prices as being prejudicial to the interests of the country.  A petition has been presented to the Health Committee, numerously signed by the residents in the neighbourhood, praying for the removal of the urinal at the corner of Rawlinson sal Greegate streets, on the ground of it being a public nuisance.  In the event of the petition being ussucce,,Nl understand that the School Board "ill be , tioned to take steps in the matter on behcf o'll scholars and teachers attending the flawil street Board School.  The Corporation has recently made an ordr,, several plots of vacant land in the towt fenced in, and this order has been, or 4 t complied with in many cases. There are, how! plots of land which have been without some time, notably the plot of land at the 4,1 Ramsden and Church streets. It is to hehoptiT order of the Corporation will be attended to try owner or owners of this piece of land, I,ltt. great eyesore in its present condition, atd 1411 weather is an intolerable nuisance to footpakti the rain washing on to the pavement sand in no small quantities.  The poll of the ratepayers as to the piz.44 not by the Corporation of the Barrow s* Art has created an unusual amount of in!, the town, and there will be much mirky( part of those most actively engaged j hook against the scheme to know the result, ist, expected will be made known during to-day, the voting papers having becs yesterday. We have heard of complaints ft, parts of the town, from ratepayers, that had no time to consider the question, and called upon to vote upon a matter of khow practically nothing. This has sekt many cases in the ratepayer not voting mil therefore the vote is not expected to be 414 It is somewhat difficult to discover thee*, the Sckool of Art caw have with politic are informed on very good authority that as, have treated the question in a political!, view, voting against the purchase On 14 those at the head of the proposal being 044 them politica)ly. This is strange, yet true,