NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 279, 24 November 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

CALLED HIS OWN BANNS,

The Rev. Tudor Thomas, vicar'of Holy Trinity, Gravesend, recently called his own banns. Mu. Thomas was married to Mrs. Shurey, widow of Mr. Charles Shurey, of Blackheath, at St. George's, Hanover Square. FISHING SPARROWS. In the Surrey Commercial Docks there are thousands and thousands of small fishes, and recently from the deck of the steamer Anglos, sparrows were seen hopping about oil the pieces of timber which float in the do-.-Ka, one sparrow amongst them was especially expert in seizing small fish; after beating them on the wood with its beak, it would fly away, apparently to feed its family with them. One sparrowdid this six times. , WAVERLEY ABBEY. Waverlev'Abbey, which has just celebrated its eighth centenary, gave its name to the famous Waverley novels, but bevond the name itself there is no connection between the Abbey and Sir Walter Scott's romances. Waverley, however, lias its own important place in* English monastic history. It was the chief of all the Cistercian abbeys in England, which included famous names like Tintern and Fountains. The Cistercians, if - they contributed little to the sciences, as compared with other orders, helped considerably "■ the development, of domestic industries farming in particular.

AN OLD ESTABLISHED DOG MARKET.

Club Row, Betlmal Green, o£ which it has been aptlv said that there is nothing; in London quite so like the Mouski in Cairo, is one of the oldest of metropolitan open-air street markets. As regards its main feature, the selling and buying of (logs, a large encaustic-tile painting on a public house in the neighbourhood, entitled "Club Row in Olden Days, serves to show that as it is to-day so it was a century or more ago. There are the same cloth-capped muffler-throated men with big dogs on lead*, and smaller dogs stuffed in" their coat pockets, as .may be seen any Sunday 'morning nowadays. Nothing seems changed, says the "Daily Chronicle.

BABY UNHURT IN LEAP TO DEATH. n A livc-week-old baby's remarkable escape j from death was described at a Margate v inquest recently on Miss Hannah Zinuner, ) aged 32, of Burma Road, Stoke Newing- c ton, who leapt from a top-storey'window } in Godwin lload, Margate, with her sister's child in her arms. Mrs. Alder, Misb Zimmer's sister, said she heard Miss Ziinmer get out of bed and' pick up the baby. Miss Zimmer tried to get out of the win- J (low. There was a long struggle, but Mrs. Alder could not restrain the woman, ' who leapt out. She was found lying in ) the street, and died soon after admission to hospital, but the baby was lying by her side, unhurt. A verdict of suicide during temporary insanity was returned. J AN ANCIENT COURT. J The death of the official verderer of _ the New Forest calls attention to one of j the oldest of the many legal bodies that . remain as links with the past. The Vet- . derers' Court, which has its home in a ■ delightfully old-fashioned house in Lyndlmrst, meets every six weeks. It is composed of six verderers, elected by those who possess common rights in the New Forest and is presided over by the official verderer. who represents the Sovereign. To-day this little court deals with the rights' of the commoners for the most part, and such offences as pony stealing, damage to trees and undergrowth, illegal trapping or shooting of deer and other game, and similar offences. RACE FOR LINER. An exciting race for 35 miles in a taxi lo catch an Atlantic liner at Liverpool was won by the taxi with five minutes _ to spare. ' Mrs. Torkington, an American woman, of Maryland, who had been.visiting Bury, left there by train in the company of a friend who was making the journey to Liverpool to see her oft. As the train was approaching Wigan, Mrs. Torkington discovered that she had lett her passport and ocean ticket behmu. Thereupon it was decided that her friend should alight at .Wigan Station, charter a taxi to Bury, and then attempt to catc.l the liner. Meanwhile Mrs. Torkington proceeded to Liverpool and waited on the landing stage. Five minutes before the vessel was due to sail her friend arrived with the all-important papers. BRIDGE MYSTERY. The London City Police are investigating what is thought to be an attemptluckily unsuccessful-to set fire to staging on Blackfriars Bridge. In the early morn, ing one of the workmen engaged in painting and repair work on the bridge found a large tin containing magnesium powder on a plank of the staging 20ft or 30ft below the roadway. A fuse of string was charred, and had evidently gone out-before reaching the powder. The tin had been lowered to its position by a cord. Mr. Percy Beaumont, of W. G. Beaumont and-Son, Bow, the contractors, told a Press representative that this was the first attempt to fire staging leported to him. "We frequently have had lines cut—both wire and rope," he said, "and lines-are oftet untied. We take the greatest precautions to prevent such troubles." About fifty men are engaged on Blackfriars Bridge, and similar work is being carried on at Southwark and Tdwet Bridges, and at Holborn Viaduct.

PARALYSED DRIVER IN CRASH. Seventy-six years old and paralysed in the legs, Charles Cornwallis Knapp, a retired civil engineer, of Old Byfleet, Surrey, was fined £2 and had his license suspended for twelve months by the Woking Bench for driving a motor car in a dangerous manner.' Vice-Admiral Caulfield, of Midlnirst, said he was driving his motor car along the London-Portsmouth road, and on reaching a part of the road which was being made up near Eipley he stopped to allow traffic in the opposite direction to pass. Knapp's car crashed into him from behind., afterwards mounting the path, narrowly missing the ditch. "I was flabbergasted," said witness. _ "A Scout rushed up and said, 'After him and take his number.' I said, 'By Gad, I will, when I get a chance.' " When he caught Knapp he found the old man was hardly able to speak, and was absolutely unfitted to be in charge of a car. Knapp's defence was that although he was paralysed in his legs, he had driven a car and motor cycle for 28 years. He had only had the car for three weeks, and in attempting to' apply his footbrakc he put his foot on the accelerator and crashed into the Admiral's car.

DEMAND FOR DOMINION TOBACCO. Canada's tobacco exports are growing steadily, and last year, nearly 7,000,0001b of Canadian tobacco was put in'../ British pipes and cigarettes as compared with about 173,0001b it! 1921. An important factor in tlie expansion of the British market has been the preferential tariff of 49 cents per lb granted by the Mother Country. MAYOR AS BARMAN. The Mayor of Barnstaple recently acted as barman at Barnstaple Guildhall and iadled out beer, specially brewed by corporation officials in accordance with an ancient, secret recipe, from massive silver bowls into silver loving cups for distribution among the assembly Great crowds tried to got hi. This function, known as the Toast and Ale Ceremony, murks the opening of a three days fair. LONDON'S FInThIDDEN DOME. The English possess the second largest dome in the world, but hide it so that its line exterior is not to be seen, ihis is the dome of the British Museum Library. A visitor tried to find * ghmpsc of the dome from outside. But it was nor until, from the top of Drury Lane, footing towards Bloomsbury, he saw an aw against the skyline, and discovered it JO be a segment of the dome. PURSUED BY HIS BAIT. A West Somerset fishermen dug out » wasps' nest, after poisoning the wasps, and took it home to use the grubs as bait. He put the nest iiiside the oveu ready for the next time he wanted to go fishing. A few days later he heard a buzzing coming from the oven. When he opened the oven door thousands of wasps flew out. The fisherman made a beelinc for the door, with his dog and eat close oil his heels. THE OSTRICH POLICEMAN. A policeman at Tower Bridge l'olico Court said that lie saw some boys playing cards and went home and put on an ohi coat and waistcoat and blackened his face, He then went back, and when he got near them a woman standing by shouted "Hi, boys! Here comes the copper." Mr. Campion, the magistrate: How did she know you were a police officer? Policeman: I had my uniform trousers on. Mr. Campion: You were like the proverbial ostrich. Because you had blackened your head you forgot that the eagle eye of a woman would pick out your police trousers.

A FAMOUS PUGILISTS' RESORT. Long Reach Tavern, on the Thames; below Woolwich, has witnessed more historic prize-fights than any other house in outer London. The table Which used, to serve as a stretcher for the victim of a knockout' may still be seen there, and the tiny cove is pointed out where a boat used to lie hidden ready to Convey the principals across to the Essex shore when the alarm was given by watchers on the river wall of the approach of the police. Old residents love to tell how Jem Mace went there to fight his great battle with Joe Goss, and how none recognised him until He put his huge blackpickled hands up to his face to hide a grin. • , BEER FOR BOAT CREW. The Rev. Dr. Courtenay Weeks, at the opening of the national conference of the Baud of Hope Union at Northampton, read-a letter from the secretary of the Oxford University Boat Club condemning the use of alcoholic drinks in training. At the time of the last boat race, he said, be wrote to the secretary of the Oxford crew asking him whether alcohol was obligatory in training, and, if so, what were the physical indications on which it w-as based. The answer was that it was not obligatory, but was customary. "I personally," wrote the secretary, "am an abstainer, and took no alcohol during training, and No. 7 was also an abstainer. The rest of the crew had half a pint of beer at luncheon and a pint at dinner, followed by a glass_ of port. I .don't think any physical indications whatever were concerned. The training diet of the crew is entirely the result of tradition handed down from previous crews, and I am confident that it is a thoroughly bad one." FAMILY WIPED OUT. By the death of Mr. Albert Victor Wynbloom, at his home, Uplands, Lou£ttton, Essex, a sequence of tragic evcutj was made complete. In six weeks % happy family of three has been wiped out. First the mother, demented by the knowledge that her brilliant son was dying from tuberculosis, died, then tlic son, and now the father. Mr. Wynbloom, a consulting engineer, had been bedridden . for some time when, early in AuguEt, news came of the serious illness of his 22-year-old son, Malcolm, who was combining a hbliday with a course at the Electro Technical Institute at Grenoble University. Mrs. Wynbloom left her husband's bedside and hurried to Prance, and kept watch over her son day and night, until on August 12 his condition - was pronounced hopeless. The distracted • mother disappeared and her body was 3 recovered from the River Isere. The ton : died four days later, and the double . funeral took place at Finchley Cemetery. PLAGUE OF RATS. > "I only spoke of the last twelve months \ to the rural council. The plague of rata " has existed for two or three years," eaid Mr. A. Ashdown, of Ongar, to an "EvenI ing Standard" representative. He complained of the rats at.the local council i meeting. "In addition to annoyance, their i depredations have cost me a considerable - sum of money," Mr. Ashdown said to- ;- day. "Only a month or so ago I paid 1 £7 10/ for having a floor taken up. Eight - dead rats were underneath. Rats do not i run about my premises, because there is r nothing on which they can feed, but they I, run up and down between the vails and h make so much noisj that my wife and I >• and the children are awakened, and my :• assistants complain that they cannot sleep, o I 'let rooms above some of my shops, but o the tenants have all gone because of the is rats. A shower following a dry spell brings it 'hundreds of rats to the roof of rny shop, .c and you can watch them climbing down n the drainpipe. Ido not think a great deal p of the council's idea of getting a film and le lantern slides showing the habits of rats ;o and mice."

WORLD'S OLDEST TUNNEL,

Just over 96 years ago Georgo Stephenson, the pioneer of the British railways, drove the first passenger train on the Leicester to Desford originally known as the Leicester and Swannington Railway. The departure of the train was the signal for the ringing of bells, playing of bands, firing of cannon, and great public rejoicing. Contrast the event with that of a recent Saturday, when the last passenger train was run. All the coaches were filled with passengers eager to make the trip, but beyond the letting off of a number of fog signals there was little excitement. Two passengers who arrived just before the train departed, were eager to secure the last ticket, and this was decided by the tossing of a com. li.e first ticket, issued in July. 1832, 11 at present in the Leicester Museum, where the last ticket will also be deposited. Gkufield tunnel, through which the line passes, is so narrow that all compartment winsenders putting their heads out. I'tou Saturday night to Monday the tunnel has curiously enough, been regularly closed »y white padlocked gates. It is not generally known that an accident, on this historic railway was responsible tor the invention of the first railway engine whistle. A train ran into a horse car crossing the line. George Stephenson, as one of the directors of the line, was told of the occurrence and conceived the idea of making a whistle to be blown by the steam of t ho engine. Orders were given, and the first, railway whistle was made by a. LplccslaJ; musical instrument maker, .... „