MISCELLANEOUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2980, 17 June 1899, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

— » Tornadoes, accompanied by heavy rains and floods, have ravaged large districts of Nebraska, Missouri, and lowa, causing damage to agricultural and other property estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. A. very remarkable phenomenon, said to be without precedent, occurred when, at a point about ten miles to the north of Coleridge, a tornado overtook a prairie fire, and swept it diagonally across the wealthiest part of Nebraska, completely destroying everything m its track. The front of this awful stream of fire measured nearly a mile across, and it raced for 28 miles before it burned itself out. The farmers whose lands and buildings lay m its path lost almost all their possessions, they and their families barely escaping with their lives. In one instance a woman 'and her little son of five years old were trampled to death by a herd of cattle stampeding before the flames. The cattle themselves were overtaken by the fire and.perißhed. In Eastern Nebraska enormous clouds qf daat raised by a, t,qr-

nailo hid the sun, and the darkness which resulted was almost that of night. The town of Newmangrove, m Madison county, was deluged by a shower of mud which lasted for an hour. Meanwhile Chicago. suffered from a premature heat wave. A t Melbourne a few days ago Frederick Beeson met with a shocking accident, his left arm being torn to pieces. Beesoon at the time of the accident was engaged m arranging the gear of the machinery m a foundry, which grinds the moulding sand. Besson had fixed part of the gear, and was m the act of tittiog the leather belting to the driving wheel, when the projecting lacing caught : . his shirt. He was instantly thrown ngainst the wheel, while his arm was carried forward with the belt, and crushed m a fearful manner as it passed round the wheel. The belt continued to revolve with Beeson hanging to it, until his cries caused the machinery to be stopped. He was then released, and his left forearm was found to be hanging to the elbow by only a few tendons, while the bones and muscles were crashed out of all human semblance. No time was lost m conveying the unfortunate man to the Melbourne Hospital, where the shattered member was amputated at the elbow. The future of Africa looms largely before the British public. Sir Harry H. Johnston, the distinguished explorer, who has just published " A History of the Colonisation of Africa by alien races," looking far ahead, and estimating the resources and prospects of the different races, languages, and creeds, has made up his mind that Paganism will disappear and Mohammedanism gradually lose its savou--. While there will no doubt be efforts to throw off the Christian yoke by Arabs and Hamites, the explorer questions whether there will be any universal mutiny of the black man against, the white. "The negro," he says, " has no l>iea of racial affinity. He will equally ally himself to the white man or the yellow race m order to subdue his fellow-black, or to regain his freedom from another negro race. There may be here and there a revolt against the white rule m such and such a State ; but the diverse civilisation underwhich the African will be trained will be sufficient to make him as dissimilar m each national development as the white man has become m tturope." The Geographical Society at Brussels received the first report of Lieutenant Gerlache, commander of the Belgian Antarctic expedition. Reuter sends extracts which gives an interesting account of the expedition. It left St. John's Bay on January 14tb, 1898, and on the 2laL explored the South Shetland Islands. On January 15th, m 55 5 south latitude, and 6519 west longitude, soundings to the depth of 404,0 metres were taken. The Belgica left on the 23rd for Hughes Bay, discovering a strait separating the lands to the east from an unknown archipelago. The land to the east was named Danco Lind. Magnetic observations were made, and interesting botanical, geological, and photographic results were obtained. On" February 13th the Belgica | proceeded m the direction of Alexander I. Land, exploring the belt of bank ice towards the west. On March 10 Ui the ship became faßt m the ice m lat. 71 34, long. 89.10. The sun disappeared on May 17th, and there was continual night nntU August 2lßt. M. Danco died on June sth, and his remains were deposited m a tomb of ice. The Belgica left her winter quarters on February 14th, 1899, but again became layt m the ice m 103 west longitude. She reached open water on March 14th. The expedition made successful magnetic and meteorological observations, and obtained collections of pelagic and deep-sea fauna and samples of submarine sediments. On February 26th Black Island waß explored, and on the following day the Belgica entered the Cockburn Channel, arriving at Punta Arenas, m Patagonia, on the 28th of that month.