HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17537, 14 May 1925, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. 1,000,000-YEAR-OLD TREE. A fossil tree, seventy feet long, and estimated by scientists t<. be at least 1.000.000 years old. has been unearthed, in the. Asansol mining area of Bengal. The fossil has been transferred to the Indian Museum, Calcutta, where it will be studied by geologists. SWALLOWED A TABLE KNIFE. Depressed because she was unable to feed her young child. Ethel < "aine ( thirty-tAvo), of Aston, wife of Thomas Francis Caine, general labourer, swallowed a table knife and died at the General .Hospital. A verdict of "Suicide whilst of unsound mind " was roturned. DIED WATCHING A CORPSE. In a village near Cherbourg a widow. Mine, le Cauf. offered to keep watch during the night beside the body of a dead neighbour. When another neighbour entered next morning she found that Mine, lc Cauf had fallen dead over the. body of her neighbour. SHOT GIRL MYSTERY. Found shot with a humane killer was the jury’s verdict at an inquest at Wells. Norfolk, on Mabel Violet Howell. aged twenty-four. Miss Ilovvell was found dead at Shoreham House. Wells, the humane killer by her side. Mr Marghctts, of Shoreham House. to whom Miss Howell was keeper, stated that he had never had an angry word with the girl. He was away from home at the time of the tragedy. A FIFTEEN-MILE TUNNEL. Britain will possess the longest tunnel in Europe, if not the whole world, when the scheme for carrying the waters of Loch Treig and Loch Laggan to a hydro-electric station at Fort William has been completed. The new tunnel is to be driven under Ben Nevis, and wall have to be blasted all the way through solid rock and granite. In places the tunnel will run 2000 1 1 under the mountains. It is to be fifteen miles in length or two and ahalf miles longer than the Simplon. A grea t volun available by means of this tunnel. Loch Treig alone, it is estimated, can supplv more than three times ds much as all the resources of the Metropolitan Water Board. The. inlet from the loch -will be 100 ft below its surface. LONG-LOST TREASURE FOUND. FroiVi Rraunau. in Upper Austria, it is reported that the River Inn has cast on its banks several pieces of oldfashioned silver and gold plate, part of the treasure of the reigning house of Bavaria at the middel of the 17th century. When the Elector Maximilian, overwhelmed bv the French and Swedes, fled to Austria with his treasure, one of his rowing boats as as wrecked, in May. 1648. and eight oarsmen were drowned in the Inn. The treasure was lost. It is supposed that one of the plate chests is now disintegrated. and the contents arc being carried down river. C OYSTERS GROWING ON TREES. Natives of the West Indies tell travellers. when thev make their first trip to the land where flourishes the mangrove tree, of oysters which can be purchased on branches so many to the branch. The oysters grow on trees. Most of the islands in the South are fringed with mangrove trees. Some of them grow in the salt water, and their branches droop until a part of them is submerged. Oysters wiil cling to anv surface in the water to which thev ran fasten themselves, and as thera are feAv shelves or stones along the shores, they attach themselves to the branches. When the natives go oyster gathering they lean over the side «>f the boat, find a branch to which oysters arc clinging, and cut it off. BRITISH MUSEUM DUE TO LOTTERY. The British Museum owes its existence to a lottery, for which the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor and the Speaker of the House trusters. The librarv and collection which Sir Hans Sloane. the well-known doctor, had got together was ofLred i » the country for a nominal £20.000. The Treasury at the time did not care to advance the money, and the House «t Commons chose to order the issue <>f i State lottery (26 Geo. IF. c 22 U 100.000 tickets at £3 each were issued. £20.000 being spent in prizes. var>*ing from £IO.OOO to £lO. The remaining £IOO.OOO was placed to the credit of the British Museum Purchase Fund. and the * Sloane and other collections bought ROYAL MEAL STORIES. An excellent story is being circulated concerning an incident at King Edward’s luncheon table in which the present Prince of Wales is said to have been prominent. It seems that the Prince avhs present at a luncheon given by his grandfather and that. several guests being present, the youngster *was not encouraged to share in the con\ ersation. He endeavoured repeatedly to attract the King's attention, but for some time no notice was taken of him. and he sought refuge in silence. Ultimately. King Edyrard. taking advanage of a lull in the conversation, inquired what the young Prince desired to say: It is too iate now." was the reply. King 'Edward persisted m his inquiry, whereupon the Prince replied: "There Avas a caterpillar in v«.ur salad, but you’ve eaten it n-uv. s*» it *s too late." fhis reminds one of the story of the daughter of one of Queen Victoria’s advisers who avhs invited to luncheon with the Queer.. During the meal an illustrious person, negotiating a pigeon after the German fashion, took up one of its bones with her finger and thumb. The little visitor regarded the proceeding with Avonder-diiated eves and. to the horror of the other guests, burst out: "Oh. piggy’-'viggy; piggy-wiggy: " ou arc oiggv-wiggv : Ihe chrontcicr docs u<'t inform us as to the fate of the precocious child: but there Avas a humorous allusion to the possibilitv of fmr languishing for some time in a dungeon deep. FATHER'S FIGHT FOR lIIS BABY’S LIFE. A father's graphic story ->t his efforts to save the late of his baby was told when the inquest <>n the two victims of the Stockwcll fire tragedv* was held. The fire in the house in which there were eight people. Avas evidently caused by Nicholas Alters, aged eightv-four. upsetting an oil lamp. Alkers and Frederick Poole, aged three, wore killed Reginald Poole, father of the babv. wh«» was rescued bv firemen in an unconscious condition, and had been for some time in hospital. sa ; d he tried to get air for himself and the babv at the window, but was driven bark bv smoke and flam?? When ho ter A*io!et as— 1 elei r lumped from a window sixteen feet above the ground, called to him to throw the baby down, he had not the. strength to answer her. and just shook his head. He then lost consciousness. A' idcntal death wa the jury s wr-