CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15918, 2 May 1912, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

Mr J. D. Henry, the oil expert who visited New Zealand recently, was in London a few

ABUNDANT OIL.

weeks ago, and in the course of an interview with a representative of the London “ Daily News,” he spoke very hopofully of the prospects 6f many new oil-fields. He said that in various parts of the world the search for petroleum was proceeding apace, and was proving to be as pregnant with romantic possibilities as gold prospecting was. Very few poople had any idea of the quantity of oil that was waiting to ho tapped. Vast deposits were being discovered in all directions. One of the most sensational industrial developments of the next few years would he the opening of the Chinese ■ oil-fields, which gave promise of enormous production. There was reason to believe that Japan and some of the smaller islands of the Far East would also yield considerable supplies. In Africa, the fields of Somaliland offered excellent prospects, and it was expected that additional sources would be tapped in British Columbia. New Zealand appeared to have ‘‘a great and prosperous oil future, so great that in a few years the dominion’s output of oil might be more valuable than her output of gold.” The moment the winter snows had melted in North-West Canada, hundreds of drilling parties would get to work and any day might bring news of “ some find worth more in cash than a new Klondyke.” Dr Diesel, the inventor of the wonderful engine that bears his name, had predicted that Britain would distil the oil that she needed from coal. Mr Henry said that ho did not think that Dr Diesel had taken into account the inevitable expansion of oil production. Oil prices would come down as new sources of supply were tapped, and the facilities for transport improved, and the users of power in Britain would not find it necessary to undertake the distillation of coal. The oilfields of the British Empire would be able to provide all the fuel that the Mother Country required. Mr Henry is an enthusiast, but his dreams seem very likely to come true. His recent .tour of the Empire brought him into touch with oil-fields that represent a practically unlimited supply of the new fuel.

A story of magnificent heroism on the part of a woman in a lonely

A CANADIAN HEROINE.

lighthouse off the Cape Breton coast is told in the “ Standard of Empire.” Mrs Peter Borgne was the wife of the keeper of the Bird Rock lighthouse, in the Magdelene group. She lived on the lighthouse with her husband and baby, the sole connection with the outside world being the visits of a supply ship four times a year. One evening a few weeks ago, Mr Borgne slipped from the stairway of the lighthouse and fell into the sea. His wife tried to throw him a lifebelt, but a storm was raging and the unfortunate man was drowned. Mrs Borgne was left with her infant to face the duty of keeping the light and the foghorn going and for eleven days she served the passing ships faithfully in spite of cruel sufferings. Then she managed to attract attention and the Government steamer Seal found her on the verge of death through exhaustion and suffering. “For the first day or two I thought I would go mad,” she told her rescuers, ‘ 1 but I forced myself to keep up, realising that the light must not go out nor the fogbell be silent. My poor baby suffered terribly. There was food enough, but I could' not take time to cook it, for the weather was the worst experienced for years. The baby cried constantly. I had to hold her in my arms for warmth. It was frightfully cold. Every time I crawled up the tower to attend to the lights I carried the baby with mo. Day after day I prayed for help. For five days and nights I did not close my eyes. On the sixth day, when I awoke after a brief sleep, I seemed to hear a voice whispering, ‘ Have courage.’ Every hour I could see the baby’s face grow paler and thinner, and when slio slept I feared she was dying. Only the knowledge that the lights were burning kept mo sane. Finally, I became so weak that I remained beside the lights constantly, believing that if 1 went away I would not have the strength to return to them.” The woman was watching the sea hopelessly when the Seal appeared close to the lighthouse. With the little strength that she had left she tolled the lighthouse bell in an agonising fear that the ship would pass. Presently she saw that a boat was coming and then she collapsed completely. Her baby was living and quickly recovered from its privations. Probably the Canadian Government will grant Mrs Borgne a pension.

A UNIQUE LIBBABV.

111 the cabled list of the names of those who went down in the Titanic was that of James Carlton

Young, of Minneapolis, a man who held a unique place in literature. He was not an author, but he was known to all the greatest modern authors of all nations, and he possessed probably the most remarkable library m the wnrld He gathered together the best books'of the best writers, and every book on his shelves contained the author’s autograph and a signed and dated inscription written by the author liinwelf Mr Young’s aims are desenbV, Win a letter he wrote to an Ausf W friend last November. “As you know,” he wrote, “ I am not a colrL i n the ordinary sense of the 1 I am striving to bring together WO uhrary of current literature which i a . ~ re present the best of the world’s 1 -fprature—the host of all countries— 1 1111 V yolumo characteristically inscribI ea I c j'y t he author in his own handwrit- • tho selection of the books being t 0 tlie most competent judges I lett obtain in the various countries. < f u English ‘Who's Who’ has bec-n ell ougb to say that my library is i’ o 0“ st important one of its character thS Sdstencc.” Many years ago Mr |’ « went West,” and made a torou =■ dur i ng the past twenty

years he had devoted his millions to building up his library. He undertook the task “ for tho glory of literature,” and he received sympathetic assistance from many groat men. He said himself on one occasion that “ the greatest have been tho most amiable and interested.” He was writing a history of the unique collection, and ho had worked so hard at this task for some mouths that he was compelled last December to seek rest in Europe. Apparently he was returning by the Titanic to take up his burden again. Writing recently of the progress of his history, ho remarked that it was a great pleasure to have books that had been inscribed by great men who “ aro in the Land of Dreams.” “Their work is finished for ever,” he wrote; “they will never more inscribe.” Mr Young’s work also is over, and he has gone to join his great friends in the Land of Dreams.