NEWS OF THE WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 21724, 19 May 1934, Page 7

NEWS OF THE WORLD

PIGEON’S RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY A blue-pied hen pigeon belonging to Constable Eames. of Newport, Isle of Wight, took part in a race from Oxford on April 22, 1933. It had been missing ever since until a few weeks ago, wn® it arrived home, ousted another bird from its old nesting,box and settled down- contentedly. Its identification rings had been cut off and the bud had evidently been kept in captivity, but even after 11 months it had seized the first opportunity to return home. LATE TSAR’S HANDKERCHIEF The loss of a handkerchief bearing the monogram of the late Tsar of Russia was reported to the London police recently. The handkerchief is a white and pink sauare of linen bearing the monogram “N.” It .was being taken by Mr E-. Long, of Queen’s Club Gardens, Kensington, to Victoria, when it apparently dropped- from the large envelope in which he was carrying the relic. Mr Long lost at the same time some coloured ribbons, which, it is believed, once decorated the Tsar’s charger. These were found by, a railway employee at West Kensington Station and returned to Mr Long. MEASLES IN GREAT BRITAIN 14ft. DEATHS IN ONE WEEK Measles were taking a heavy toll in Great Britain in March. No fewer than 141 persons died of the disease in cities and towns during the week ended March 10. This was 11 more than in thfe proceeding week. Fifty-five people died in London, 12 in Liverpool, 11 in Middlesbrough, .eight in Leeds, eight in Manchester, four in Willesden, four in Newcastle, and three in Bristol. There were 3297 cases in London County Council infectious diseases hospitals—an increase over the previous week of 257. HISTORIC WIRELESS STATION CLOSING OF POLDHU IN CORNWALL. Unusual interest lies in the announcement that the famous wireless station of Poldhu, near the Lizard, Cornwall, has been closed. It is stated there is no further use for the station; as research work is now being centralised. Thirty-three years ago, Marconi and his staff started some of their most important pioneer work in wireless at Poldhu. Marconi himself, waiting in Newfoundland, then received the first trans-ocean wireless message. From colleagues at Poldhu he heard three dots in Morse—the letter S —the signal for which it had been agreed he should listen.' He returned in triumph, and next year was able to send messages to a steamship 2000 miles away, The station at, Poldhu received the S.O.S. from the sinking Titanic in April, 1912, and from there Marconi spoke the first telephone message from England to America.

DARBY AND JOAN FOR 70 YEARS MET DURING THE GREAT . EXHIBITION A remarkable Darby and Joan partnership, unbroken alter over 70 years, exists in Southampton. The couple are Mr and Mrs James John : Kingsnorth Chatfield. of Freemantle, who were married in 1863: , ' Mr Chatfield, who is 91, is a native of Maidstone. “Bess”—as he affectionately -calls his wife—is three years his junior, and was born at Rottingdean, near Brighton. They met on a day’s outing in the year of the Great Exhibition. Now they live with a married daughter in a cottage overlooking the great new docks at Southampton. The walls of the little room in which the old couple spend most of their days are almost hidden behind scores of faded photographs depicting events and people connected with their lives. There is a remarkable portrait gallery of their progeny—lo children—five of whom survive—time grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. “I’ve been a rolling stone all my Dfe,", Mr Chatfield stated in an interview. “I began my career as a printer’s devil at Brighton, and among other jobs I have had are those of ironmonger’s assistant, laboratory assistant, wine cooper,, cellarman, insurance agent, and boardinghouse proprietor. “Bess has been a wonderful wife, and all our years we have been as happy as two turtle doves.” INVENTION OF MOTOR-CAR SECRET TRIPS MADE AT NIGHT The 100th anniversary of the birth of Gottlieb Daimler, inventor of the motor-car of that name, was celebrated on March 17 at Schorndorf, near Stuttgart. As a boy Daimler showed a marked technical talent, and at 19 became an apprentice in a tool machine factory in Grafenstadt. Alsace. From there he studied’ at the Polytechnicum. Stuttgart.

to-day’s University of Technology, spent some years in England, and finally became director of a-factory at Deutz, near Cologne. There, with Wilhelm Maybach, he built the first 100 h.p. gas motor. Although it caused a sensation, ft was only a signpost for Daimler. H a motor could produce power fn a workshop, why could it not also propel a vehicle? , ' In 1832, Dataller went to Cannstatt, now a suburb of Stuttgart, and established his own workshop. Maybach soon followed him and the two worked bn the idea of an ■ automobile. Work was carried on behind curtained windows and with such secrecy that the police descended on the shop, believing counterfeit coins were being made. On August 16, 1883, the first combustion motor appeared. It had a horizontal. air-cooled cylinder and a wrought iron flywheel which turned at f!00 revolutions a minute. A second motor followed in November of the same year, and a third in 1884. which was later built into a bicycle—the world's first motor-cycle. The first use of the motor for propulsive purposes was made by Daimler for a boat. A trusted workman carried the motor down to the Neckar at night, where it was mounted on a skiff and the first trip began, which lasted until dawn, when the motor was hurriedly taken out and brought back by stealth to the factory. . Nivht also cloaked the first trips with the “horseless carriage,” but gradually Ihe local inhabitants became accustomed to the now vehicle. By 1890 the Daimler ■ Motor Comnanv had been founded and the great inventor’s patents began to be used abroad. In 1893 Daimler built his first “saloon.” the first taxicab in the world, which was put to service in Cannstatt. In 1893. Daimler cars won the first prize in the world’s first long-distance race from Paris to Rouen and back. Kind fate allowed him to enloy this S triumph before his death two years later* on March 6, 1900. „ His native town will unveil a monument to his memory in connection wi.h memoral ce’ebrations to be held from April 21 to 24. •

OVER 100 DESCENDANTS Mrs Betsy Houghton, the oldest inhabitant of Irthingborough, near Northampton, who lately celebrated her 98th birthday, is a woman with a remarkable family record. Her decendarits number over 100 and include five generations. There are 37 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Two sons and daughters are still alive. MANY CHEAP PICTURES The report of the Artists Benevolent Institution mourns the bad state of the market for pictures in Great Britain. An English writer says: “When pictures of sorts are so common and so cheap it is not strange that there, is no market for the artist. It is thus also with music, which has become so commonplace that the ear is staled with vain repetitions of meaningless noises. The Artists’ Fund paid £IO,OOO last year to help needy artists. LEFT AMONG THE LUGGAGE WOMAN WHO FORGOT HER BABY A woman in a train between Mlada Boleslav, Czechoslovakia, and Prague suddenly gave a scream and pulled the communication cord. When the tram stopped she rushed to the guard’s van and began searching frantically among the luggage. She found what she was looking for—a perambulator. Inside it was her three-months-old baby, sleeping peacefully. Greatly relieved, the woman explained that whgn she gave the perambulator to a porter to put it on the train she forgot to take the baby out, and only remembered it after the tram had started. GIRL STOWS AWAY ON SHIP DISHEARTENED BY UNEMPLOY- . MENT A girl of Newcastle, England, disheartened by failure to obtain work, attempted jto stow herself, away on a steamer in* the Tyne. ■ Concealing herself on top of the boilers, she lay hidden for hours until, parched with thirst, she was obliged to reveal her presence. She then pleaded with one of the officers to find her a job on the ship, and suggested masquerading as a man. “The girl told me that she left home because she was dissatisfied and could not get work,” the officer said. “When she understood that there was no work for her on the ship, she went home and said she would try again to find employment, on shore. It was fortunate that we found the girl before the ship sailed.” • BISHOP’S WALLET STOLEN TAKEN DURING A WEDDING While officiating at the wedding at Virginia Water of Lord Martin Cecil, son of the Marquess of Exeter, and Miss Edith Csanady de Telegd, the Right Rev.. Percy Herbert, Bishop of Blackburn, missed his wallet containing £7. The bishop gave evidence at Chertsey when Harold Ernest Shapeley, aged 24. was sentenced to six month's imprisonment for stealing the wallet.’On two other charges of theft, one of which related to a funeral, he was sentenced to a further six months. * ... The verger of the church stated that the bride had just advanced to the altar rails when he saw Shapeley m the bishop’s vestry and ordered him to leave. He heard of the bishops loss next day.

35-YEARS OLD VOW PILGRIMAGE MADE TO WELLS' Eight Bristol men, all of them more than 60, have Just completed a 25-mile pilgrimage over the Mendip Hills to Wells in fulfilment of a vow made 34 years ago. ... At Passiontide in 1900 a party of nine set out to walk to Wells to take part in-Evensong at the cathedral. The Journey was accomplished on foot, and the party agreed to meet at the same time each year and repeat it. In Passion Week every year since that day they have fulfilled their vow. One of the party has since fallen by the way and not all the rest are still able to walk the whole distance, but the last few miles are still covered on foot fcy the eight pilgrims. Now their vow has just been fulfilled for the 35th time. 45 YEARS OF SHORTHAND OFFICIAL WRITER AT OLD BAILEY Many famous trials are recalled by the death at the.age of 58 of Mr George Galloway, who, as official shorthand writer at the Old Bailey, London, had taken part in more celebrated cases than any other man in his profession. Mr Galloway had been a shorthand writer for 45 years, 25 of which were spent at the Old Bailey. He had vivid memories of Crippen, Stinie Morrison, Seddon, the poisoner. George Smith, of brides in the bath notoriety, and other noted figures. He provided the transcript of the evidence for prisoners appealing to the Court of Criminal Appeal. . In many of the big financial cases Mr Galloway and his assistants would} have the transcript ready for counsel, engaged in the case the same evening. The last case he supervised was the longest. This was the fire conspiracy trial last summer. Which lasted 33 days. The shorthand note in this trial reached the huge total of a million and aquarter words. CHILDREN’S HEROISM IN FIRE THRILLING RESCUE OF INFANTS Two children, aged eight and nine years respectively, behaved heroically by rescuing their baby brother and sister from fire which broke out in a flat at Brighton, England. . The flat belongs to Mr and Mrs Fred Garrett, who went out for the evening leaving their son William, aged eight, in charge of his two-year-old sister and his eight-months-old brother. Cyril Aggett, aged nine, went to the Garretts to play, taking with him his four-year-old brother. White the five were playing a candle fell on the couch, and in a few moments the room was in flames. , , , , . Cvril and William tried to beat out the‘blaze without success. Then William snatched up his baby brother mm dashed into the street with him calling “Fire!” He was followed by Cyril carrying his brother. A neighbour then rushed in and rescued the little girl. Just then Mr and Mrs Garrett returned, and thinking the children were in the flat became frantic with anxiety. To their relief, William then appeared from a neighbour’s house and cried; “It’s all right, mam. we are all safe in here.” Cyril was badly burned about the hand and was treated in hospital.