HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1756, 1 November 1905, Page 14

HOME AND FOREIGN NEWS.

FOREIGN TOWN IN SCOTLAND.

‘ During" the past year a whaling industry of considerable importance has sprung up at West Loch Tarbert, in. Harris, but it is entirely in the hands of Norwegians. The Harris men have devoted themselves to the manufacture of tweeds, and have neglected the industry which is proving very profitable to the foreigners. Every part of the whales is turned to account, though the oil is the chief source of profit. All the workers, with the exception of the manager, are ignorant of English, and the whaling station is quite a little foreign town. A BALLOONIST BLOWN IJP. The following probably refers to a well-known aeronaut who touted New Zealand some 15 or 16 years ago, and was* the first man who exhibited in this colony the use of the parachute in descending from a balloon: — A most remarkable accident occurred on Aug. 31 at- a balloon ascension at Greenville, Ohio. An aeronaut named Baldwin was blown to pieces by dynamate in his balloon while he was at a height of about 1500 ft. The occasion was a fair at Greenville, which is a county seat, and Baldwin was to let off small explosions of dynamite from various heights. __ He carried several pounds of the exposive with him, and by some accident the whole exploded at once, wrecking the balloon, and blowing Baldwin to pieces. The force of the explosion was so great that portions of the man’s body were afterwards picked up thousands of feet apart. The incident took place in sight of Mrs Baldwin and the balloonist’s two children, who were ing the ascent.. Baldwin had made many ascensions previously, discharging dynamite with success, and was well known throughout watching the ascent.

GERMANS AND SHIPBUILDERS. It was the Germans who wrested the blue ribbon of the Atlantic from the English lines, and they have given us another example of what they can do in shipbuilding. In the presence of the Emperor and Empress at Stettin another big liner has been launched and added to the large fleet of the HamburgAmerican Line. The new vessel will be called the Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, and when completed will have a carrying capacity of 16,000 tons. She is 700 ft long, and has a beam of 77ft. Her engines are of 17,200 horse-power, sufficient to drive the monster through the water at a speed of eighteen knots an hour. With passengers and crew she ' w ill be able to accommodate 4000 persons. A novel arrangement on the ship is an electric lift and a restaurant, where passengers can dine at will. In the latter case, travellers would only pay the bare passage money when, buying their tickets. In referring to this new vessel, however, one must not forget the fact that when the new Cunard bur- - bine liners are ready the blue ribbon of the Atlantic will most probably revert, rfgain to an English line. ASIATIC CHOLERA IN EUROPE. The spread of Asiatic cholera in Europe is creating some alarm in England. People recall earlier visitations of that terrible plague, and point out that each of those began in the same way : as the present outbreak. In Prussia already many deaths have occurred, and other countries of Central Europe have had a 'proportion of cases. 1 The British Local Government Board Has issued a circular to certain port sanitary and riparian canitary authorities of British out that “the authorities of British ports trading with Baltic and the North Sea ports should be on their guard against the importation of cholera into their districts by means of vessels coming from such ports.” The Board’s cholera order of Novem-ber-1896 is to he enforced if necessary. Every vessel. coming into the Thames from ports which are infected, or suspected of being infected, with cholera are stopped at Gravesend, and visited by one of the medical officers of the port of London Sanitary Authority, who are' always on duty. Every person on board is medically examined, and if all are found to be free of disease they are allowed to go on. But their names and the addresses to which they are proceeding ai*e taken, and the medical officers of these districts are able to keep them under observation for some time. A PRISON REVOLT AT LADYSMITH. There has been another siege of Ladysmith. This time it has not been Briton V. Boer, hut prisoners v. warders. The gaol contains 120 prisoners, of whom quite one-third have a “dangerous” reputation, and it is inadequately staffed, there being only three Kaffir warders, two white warders, and the gaoler. Four of the prisoners arranged that one morning, a* soon as they were released from their cells, they should revolt. Those who could use firearms were to obtain them, and the others were to he content

with pikes. Thus armed, they hoped to <>vcrpo\ver the warders, shoot the man at the gate, and make a dash for freedom. But for the falling-out of two of the confederates at the last moment the scheme would in all probability have succeeded. Two prisoners on being released from their cells made a dash for the office, and having secured a rile and revolver apiece, they locked themselves in, and began to hunt for ammunition. The Natal police cam'p were immedia'tely informed of the occurrence, and sent down reinforcements, while the gaol staff kept the other prisoners in check. Directly help arrived an onslaught was made on the office, and an entry was effected. Thereupon the prisoners retreated to an inner room, and although uncertain whether the desperadoes had found such ammunition as was kept in the office, the second retreat was invaded. After a struggle the door was broken in, and a fearful fight took place between the convicts and the police. At length the two prisoners, who had not loaded their weapons, were overpowered and securely bound, when they confessed their plot, which would doubtless have succeeded had they been able to find ammunition. MARRIAGE AS A HOBBY. A yorng lady possessed by a mania for marrying is the latest “freak” in the American courts. She is Mrs Hepler, dainty and fascinating, and generally all that a man could want, so her husband said. Of husbands she has eight. They all admire her clear complexion, regular features, good figure, and nice wifely ways. The only approach to a fault lay in her cooking, which was weak. It is alleged that within the last four veans she lias been married in four different churches in one neighbourhood by four different ministers —one Baptist, one Methodist, - one Presbyterian, and one Episcopal. One of her eight “husbands.” a Mr Elmer Smith ,admits that he has known of her getting married to other men in the neighbourhood, hut thus explains why he has not brought legal action: “Yes, I heard of the different marriages when they occurred, or soon, afterward, in each case,” he told an interviewer. “I went to one husband after the other, and I could not get them to stand up and swear in a case to be brought. Some of them were willing to see her go on marrying, as they were disposed to do likewise themselves. Having been deceived, they did not seem to feel like going to the expense of a divorce.” Unlike many who have been marriage pluralists, Mrs Hepler is hot accused of anything hut bigamy. The men she married say “There is nothing bad about her. It is just a hobby.” BLACK WOMAN LIVES AS A MAN. At tihe Mansion House on Sept. 9 1 Alderman Crosby, the presiding magistrate, was informed that owing to unforeseen circumstances the charge against “Paul Downing,” aged 30, of not being responsible for his actions, could not he proceeded with at present. The story is a strange one,, being another of the many remarkable instances of a woman adopting man’s clothes and working for a living as a man.

“Paul Downing” was ai’rested earlier in the ‘week in Chatham-place by the City police as being a person of unsound mind. Smartly dressed in a jacket suit, brown leather leggings, white shirt and collar, and white felt wideawake hat, “he” was noticed running after the ’busses ci’ossing Blackfriax’s-bridge, mounting the step and engaging the conductors in conversation. His actions became so conspicuous that in~ quiries were made, which revealed that the supposed man was searching the ’busses for his lost wife. Being taken to Bridewell police-station “he” was questioned, and, from the story told and tne answers “he” made, it was discovered that the supposed man was temporarily insane. A search for property and weapons at Bridewell did not reveal the supposed man’s sex. and “Paul” was sent to the Bow Infirmary to await an appearance at the Mansion House. After having been in a male ward for three days, something prompted a fui’ther examination of the patient; an examination which proved that “Paul” was a welldeveloped woman about 30 years of age. The woman refused to give any other name but that of Paul Downing, and stated that she came from North Geoi’gia. She has a coal-black complexion. dazzling white teeth, is well built, and has a very pleasant manner. It has transpired that for some time past she has been working as a man in London, her last employment being with a Bermondsey undertaker, by whom she'was employed to do odd jobs, gardening, and stable work. “Paul’s” work was fairly satisfactory* but “he” oaid too much attention to the maids about the house, and so his service® had to be dispensed with. The woman, apparently sane enough in all other particulars, still persists that she is “Paul Downing,” that “he” is married, and that his wife went away on a bus, leaving “him” with a small parcel, covered in coarse canvas.

containing some male working apparel, as his share of a beautiful home. AN EXCITING MOTOR RIDE. An American lady, Mi’s J. R. M. Dillon.- and her mother, were recently on their way from Cherbourg to Paris to catch the liner St. Louis for New York. They had to take the express train from the Gare St.. Lazare. Mr Dillon and his children preceded them to the station and boarded -the train all right. The cabman engaged by the two ladies drove them in the meantime to the Gare du Nord, thinking they wanted the London boat train. When the situation dawned on Mrs Dillon she drove with her mother in all haste to the Gare St. Lazare, only to' find the Cherbourg express gone. She offered to charter a special train, but it could not be prepared inside an hour. Somebody then suggested to the American lady to hire the Mercedes motor-car which carries newspapers to the sea coast in two hours or so. Mrs Dillon took the hint, and drove off to the Mercedes palace, hut was coldly received there by M. Charley, who said that he only sold machines. Mrs Dillon wept, and M. Charley relented when he heard her story and saw the tears. The 49-h.p. machine was ordered out, the ladies went- «a board, and at half-past twelve in the afternoon they were flying from Paris at a terrific rate, piloted by Delaville, who rushed pn in a fearful storm of wind and rain. Cherbourg, which is distant from the metropolis 350 kilometres, or 217 miles, was reached at. five minutes past six o’clock in the evening. The average rate of travel was therefore almost 39 miles an hour. The liner St. Louis was still in the roadstead, and the ladies -were carried on board almost exhausted after the tremendous and exciting run. The Mercedes had done the journey in a little over five hours, with one stop for petroleum.

A MILLIONAIRE’S MARRIAGE. Severely simple was the ceremony at St. Margaret’s, Westminster, recently, when Mr Marshall Field, one, of the world’s richest men, led to the altar Mrs Delia Slpencer Caton, the wealthy Chicago widow of Mr Arthur Caton. Mr Marshall. Field is the head of one of the largest dry-goods stores in the world. He employs no fewer than. 10,000 persons, and there are branches of the business in New York, Paris, Calais. Chemnitz, St. Gall. Manchester, and Nottingham. Mr Field, who is over seventy, is remarkably well preserved, and a devotee of golf. He is probably worth £40,000,000, and Chicago contains many objects of Mr Field’s. munificence, such as the Field Museum and Permanent Exhibition, which Mr Field acquired from the authorities of the World’s Fair Exhibition in 1893. He intends to turn it into a permanent exhibition of arts, sciences, and industries. Mr Field was formerly a partner of Mr Levi Z. Leiter, the father of Lady Curzon. His employees call him a very strict disciplinarian, but he is also known as “Field the Just.” He confines his generosity to. public life. The bride is also a lady of millions, and is a leader of Chicago' society. She made a. striking figure in a lace-covered grey crepe de Chine gown, from the waist- of which to the hem of the skirt fell broad hands of velvet. Her glossy, black hair was crowned by a white hat, turned ux> at the side and trimmed with one white ostrich feather. A pair of pearly earings and a pearl brooch circled by great .blazing- diamonds were the raly jewels worn by her, and these were the present of the bridegroom. Mr Marshall Field’s son acted as best man, and Mr Augustus Eddy, the bride’s nephew, gave his aunt away. There were no bridesmaids, there was no choir, no peal of bells. Everything was simple. WRECK OF AN ELEVATED TRAIN. A terrible accident occurred on Manhattan Elevated Railroad on Sept. 11. Teii passengers were killed outright, and among the 40 who were injured one died shortly after admission to hospital, pid many others are in a serious condition. After 30 years’ immunity from' accident, the inhabitants had begun to think there was no danger in their much utilised elevated railway. The Manhattan Elevated trains are run by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, and the train in question was proceeding along the Ninth-avenue line, all its cars being crowded by people on their way to business in the city. The trains are run by electricity, the driver being seated in ai small compartment in the first car. At Fifty-third-street there is a junction line used to turn trains into the Sixth-avenue line when so required. It was at the junction that the accident- occurred. Shortly after seven o’clock the train arrived at the junction at a speed of about 15 miles an hour. Apparently the points were wrlongly ’placed, for the train commenced to turn out of the Ninth-avenue line into the junction portion which runs alonor Fifty-third-street into Sixth-avenue. The first car passed without disturbance, but it is supposed that the switchman made a belated effort to keep the train along its straight course down Ninth-avenue, for

the points suddenly closed, and the second car took the Ninth-avenue route, and broke away from its leader. The force of separation, however, threw the second car off the line, and it smashed into the low parapet with such force -that the car turned a somesault and landed on one end in the street below. This involved a fall of 30 feet, with the additional impetus of the speed at which the train had been travelling. The car was crowded even in the corridors, and the force of the fall. so smashed the framework of the vehicle that the passengers were jammed together in a heap of wreckage. The scenes which followed were shocking in the extreme. Scores of helpers, including all the medical force to he obtained in the vicinity, immediately set to work to extricate these who were still alive in the mass of struggling humanity. Ten were found to have been killed, but many others were carried in the ambulances to the Roosevelt Hospital, close by, and to similar establishments, where they were attended to. The accident had possibilities of an even more terrible nature, for there is considerable traffic at this point. Fortunately, apart fro-m the train itself, no- serious damage was done, and the fact that the car fell on its end reduced the chances of accident to passers-by. The thii’d car was jerked off the metals also, but shot straight across the street., which is narrow at- this point, and the end crashed into a corner building and rested there, so that the car hung balanced over the roadway. The passengers climbed out of the windows, crawled along the footboard, and gained safety. Eveix in their case the situation was most dangerous, and many suffered from bruises and shock. The terrible crash of the falling car startled the whole lxeighbourhood. For the first few moments there was an awful silence, to which succeeded a shocking chorus of groans. As- speedily as possible ambulances arrived from a dozen hospitals, but they were all needed, for there were victims in plenty. Every seat in the ill-fated train had. been filled, and passengei-s had been standing in the aisles. The switchman and three conductors employed on the train were subsequently arrested.

THE COST OF CHINESE LABOUR. An expei’t financial correspondent writing in the “Pall Mall Gazette” draws attention to the costliness of Chinese labour in the Rand mines as compared with Kaffir labour. “We used to hear,” writes the correspondent, “a great deal about the benefits which the mines would dei’ive from the employment of Chinese coolies, and we have accordingly tried to discover what the effect of this employment has been on working expenses. We have taken the average expenses of various mines for the year preceding the use of Chines©, and contrasted them with the expenses for June, when the coolies wei’e in possession. The results are staidling. “In every case where Chinese are employed thei’e hag- been a more or less serious inci'ease in expenses. Moi’eover, so far as we can trace, no provision is being made for the heavy capital change for coolies (at- least £2O per head), which must be wiped off within three years. How it is proposed to liquidate this debt we do not know, hut it has to come out of the industry in some -form, or other. As an indication of the actual working value of the Chinese, we have taken the results obtained by thi’ee mines using coolie labour in June last, and this is how they work out:— Tons Per coolie Coolies, milled, per mth. Simmer and Jack 4,585 ... 50,380 ... 11 tons. Glen Deep 1,875 ... 15,300 ... tons. Angelo 1,582 ... 12,052 ... 7£ tons. This gives an avei’age of, say, tons per coolie per month. Now, in the report of the Rand Mines, Limited, for 1903, the chairman gave the average number of Kaffirs working during the year as 8,898. The number of tons milled was 1,447,502, so that the work of each Kaffir represented thirteen and a half tons per month. Other things being equal, therefore, the Kaffir apparently does nearly fifty per cent, more work than the coolie. “It must be evident from these figures, that the Chinese have not been a success financially or economically, and, with the social difficulties in' addition, the hope of any material improvement is extremely remote.”