HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19800, 18 November 1919, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

An Irishman and a Scotsman were! fined at Durham (England) Police Court for playing roulette on the local racecourse on the miners’ gain. day. When tho Chief Constable applied for the board and stand to lie confiscated, a woman stepped from the body of tho court and claimed tho apparatus as hers. Sho said they were going back to Ireland, and promised not to play the game in England any more. The board was ordered to be returned, unci tlio woman gave a contribution of 10s to tho poor bos. B *‘ a ™ e King George 111. in Cockspur, London, underwent a muchneeded ''spring-cleaning” recently, and tne unusual sight of the Monarch at Ins toilet attracted a small, but interested, crowd. Tlio first spectators \ collected when two men mounted the pedestal and polished the Royal riding boots. They showed intelligent interest while the horse was being groomed, and were gently am need as the Monarch’s various articles of attire underwent a thorough titivation. When, however, one of the cleaners mounted the horse in front of King George and commenced to wash the Royal face the crowd were moved to laughter. Disappointment was expressed that no attempt was made to brush King George’s hair, Discovery of an ancient buried Eskimo village near Point Barrow, the “Corner of the Continent,” was made recently by W. R. Van Vallin, who has returned to America after spending nearly two years in the Barrow country for tho University of Pennsylvania Museum. Eighty well-preserved frozen bodies were found in the village. Their clothing and the shape of their heads and other parte of their bodies differed from the clothing and bodies of tho present-day Eskimos. Remains of several of the Eskimos were shipped by Van Vallin to the museum. Evidently ancient village was overtaken by sonic catastrophe. Non© of the present natives of the Barrow section know of the existence of the lost village. The career of a bogus V.C., who had created an atmosphere of romance round himself, was ended at Nottingham recently, when Private Frederick Mellor, aged twenty-four, was sentenced to sis: months’ hard labour for obtaining £IOO by false pretences. He bud posed as a bachelor of arts and music, an Army surgeon, and the. son of a Birmingham magnate. He faked a glowing newspaper cutting about himself, was photographed in a cap and gown, and had largo posters printed announcing forthcoming recitals in the cathedral. He was wearing an Oxford blu© rowing badge and was in possession of a V.O. ribbon when he was are' rested. “My father, who was a groom, died three years ago,” ho admitted. “Mother lives at Tamwortli, and takes in lodgers. I hod a good time out of the money. The whole thing wus don© for swank.”. One of the most sensational feats in tho records of aviation was performed in Paris on August i by a young French pilot, M. Charles Godefroy, who had ueen demobilised from tho French air service two days before. Flying a Hebe Nieuport machine, he approached the Are de Triomphe from the west, up the Avenue de«la Grand Amec, and passed beneath the arch njv a speed of about 90 miles an hour. The width of the aperture being only about 43ft, and the span of the aeroplane from wing to wing about 22ft, there was a margin of little more than 10ft on _ either side of tho machine. ’The difficulty of the achievement was ‘increased by the fact that tho arch forms the converging point of a dozen or sc* radiation- avenues, and is thus the centre of various eddies and air currents. Tho fact was mentioned at the Court at Auckland recently that a man was paying thirty shillings a week rent. “Thirty shillings ?” asked Mr E. O. Gotten, S.M. “ Yes sir,” replied tho witness; “it was twenty shilling at first, but has boon increased twice, and is now thirty shillings per week.” The man explained further that with £1 per week wages, and 30s going in house rent, he found it hard work to maintain his family, especially as one child was paraJyiecf. Ho neither drank nor smoked, and although his daughter was working sho could not keen herself and provide the whole of her clothing. “ Girls’ clothing in town is very expensive now,” ho added. A clause m the will'of tho late Louis Herman, an American handkerchief; manufacturer, who left estate worth £200,000, stipulates that “during jiis minority my son shall be free front the influence of his relatives.” Further it makes a condition of appointment ol a guardian that ho sha 1 ! not allow tho son to visit or reside with any relative during the boy's rainentv. If ho fails to carry out the father's wish the boy# loses the income from £30,000, and tho reversion .of iho remainder of the estate on his mother’s death. The first of a scries of automobikt thief-catching stations to bo erected at every highway from San Francisco lias been built and equipped on tho Jtuiiporo Boulevard. It will house officers armed witii sawed-off shotguns and equipped with high-powered automobiles and. motor-cycles. Whenever au automobile theft is reported, the news will bo flashed to al] sub-stations (luarding ingress and egress to thccitv.If the theft occurs at night, an electric sign hearing the word “•Stop!” will he swung over tho road, and all motorcars will ho inspected before being allowed to proceed. A London correspondent who recently visited the Russian General, Denikin, said of tho latter: “In manner ami speech he is directness and simplicity itself, a man of the people. His rich idiomatic Russian, with iis slow, gentle intonations, is quite distinct from the language of the in teligentsia or the aristocracy. Ilis big brown eyes light up suddenly under bushy eyebrows into a kindly, humorous smile, anil give one. tile impression , of a nature rich, generous, brave, and absolutely straightforward.” An interesting device which is calculated to prevent thefts of motor-cars was exhibited to a large company representative of the motor trade, motor insurance companies, tho police and others at the .premises of Messrs Morgan and Co., Limited, .Long Acte, The invention, which is described as the “Brice” ami-thief device, consists of an alarm boll, which is fitted in a concealed position under the car, and is covered by a Yalo key box. When the, owner desires to le.avo his car unattended ho unlocks the box, places the driving wheel of the alarm in position by moving a lever, and locks tho box again. Should tho brakes be taken off and the car begin to move, tho device immediately comes into action and the alarm is given. It cannot bo moved without sotting the Loll ringing, and tho alarm continues su long as the vehicle is in action. Although many times reported sun It, the German cruiser Goeben is still afloat,, and seems to be the world’s unfiinkablo ship. Early in tins war this cruiser, together with Hie Breslau, made a dramatic escape from the British and French warships into the Dardanelles. During her pvar, career sin* has run on mines half a -dozen limes in the Black Sen, been battered and disabled by Russian guns and attacked by, British submarines, j None of these agencies, however, Ims managed to send her to the bottom Last vear she ]p,| a. flotilla, in an attack on" tho Allies at the mouth of the Dardanelles, where she ran on three mines and was beached. Then British airmen proceeded to drop bomba on her. A week laterhowever, sho showed"up at Constantinople under her , own steam. The last attempt to sink her was on August 10, when the Turks , tiled, hut were frustrated by British officers. Hence the old Goeben still remains afloat.