General News.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2056, 18 April 1887, Page 2

General News.

Since last Now Year’s Gay there have been 200 deaths from typhoid in Melbourne, out of 979 cases reported and still the disease prevails. Eaglehawk, Victoria, was visited by a terrible storm on April 3. The wind lifted the roof of a house in Hagar-street, causing the chimney to fall on one of the inmates, Hugh Turner, who was sitting in the back room. He had bis leg broken by tbe falling bricks, and an infant child was killed. At the new Argus mine a sensational incident happened. A man was being raised in tbe cage when the storm blew the roof off, and put the lights out. Tbe engine driver with great presence of mind, stopped the engine and blew his whistle for help. At the Virginia mine the chimney was blown down, and a number of houses unroofed, there being in several cases narrow escapes from injury. The Bible Christian Church,at St Mungo, near Eaglehawk, was lifted up bodily, and lodged 20 yards from its original position. On the Avon river, Christchurch, the other day, there was a young ladies' boat race aud the spectators were much interested. The race was between the Misses Clissold and Miss N. Beeves and Miss Robinson. The former rowed in a pair inrigged and the latter sculled in an outrigger. A double sculling race took place in Wellington lately. The fair contestants were Misses W. Moorhouse and H. Moorhouse (nieces of the late W. 8. Moorhouse, for many years Superintendent of Canterbury) and Misses Richardson (daughter of the Minister of Public Works) and Williams (daughter of T. C. Williams). The latter couple won alter a hard fight. A new way of smoking hams is to smoke tbe barrel, in which tbe bams are to be pickled, by inverting it over a kettle containing a slow fire of hard wood for eight days (keeping water on the head to prevent shrinking) ; in this barrel pack the hams, and pour over them, after it is cooled, a brine made in proportion of four gallons of water, and eight pounds of saltpetre boiled and skimmed in the usual manner. They may bo cured in eight or nine days, and may be left remaining in the pickle for a year without damage. A fashion writer says that dresses are to be full this year. That’s proper ; we should like to know what satisfaction it would be to a young man to sit with his arm round an empty dress. A young lady about to bo married, being on friendly terms with the clergyman who was to perform the wedding ceremony, made him promise that on her first Sunday at church after her marriage he would preach an appropriate sermon. The promise was given, and on the Sunday appointed, he preached from the text in the Psalms, “ Abundance of peace so long as the moon enduretb.” The red color of bricks is due to the iron contained in the clay. In the process of burning the iron compounds are changed from the ferrous to the ferric condition and rendered anhydrous, thus developing the color Certain clays, like those in the vicinity of Milwaukee, for instance, contain little or no iron, and the bricks made from them are light or cream colored.

A new food for cattle has been patented in Germany, which shows to what lengths food reform may ultimately extend. It is stated to consist of wood sawdust mixed with certain chemicals and “ other matter,” the composition forming a “ very nourish ing and wholesome ” food for pigs, cattle, and horses -English Mechanic. An English gentleman has secured the services of thirteen clever boys drawn from all ranks of society. These are now being educated in a most peculiar manner for work among the . poor of the east of London. The boys are taught whist, billiards, fencing, gymnastics, and secrets of skilled labor, the dignity of which is impressed upon them with the necessity of helping others less fortunate than themselves. There is a prisoner in the Darling, hurst Gaol, Sydney, 101 years of age. A patient at Glasgow Maternity Hospital has been delivered of prematuro triplets. They aro being reared iu an incubator, and, as tins is tho first time the experiment has been tried, doctors are watching it with interest The incubator consists of a wooden box, in which the children are placed, while the lower part of tho box is occupied by hot bottles, to raise the temperature to the requisite height. The Committee on Agriculture, of the Lime Kiln Club, to whom was submitted the inquiry from the Secretary of Slate of Illinois “ Has tho turnip been properly encouraged in this country ?’ reported through its Chairman as follows :—“ Dis committee didn’t jump on dat query wid boaf feet all to once. We went slow. We looked into two city directories an’ three histories, an’ we talked wid seberal farmers who knew de turnip from his infancy up to ole aige. It am our conclushuu, based upon pashient investigashnn, Uat de turnip bas had a Far show in Je United States. He has, indeed, bin ’lowed to crowd de onion into do back townships, an’ to hustle do squash about in de liveliest manner. Fur a wegotablo which contains ninety per cent, water ’an ten per cent of slush, de turnip bas got along fur betier dan could be expected by de man who grafted a cucumber on to a beet an’ made him. Of all the queer devices pertaining to a seafaring life tho queerest is Fie automatic fog bell that used to ri ig on Race Point, Capo Cod There was a big bell with a clockwork that would mournfully toll it whenever it was set agoing, the bell was under cover, b r projecting from the house wo a long, nicely balanced lever with a big >poug on ttie outer end There was a lime roof over the ipoage to keep the raiu ‘

off, but when a fop; c&me on the moisture would stluru'e '' o »;i mgr*, and tbe weight bearing the lever down would start (lie machine and set the bell to tolling. If tin- fog soon disappeared the sponge dr.ed out aud the lever slopped the bell.

One of tbe smartest things in adverlising that has lately been heard of, has been achieved by a furniture dealer at Providence, Rhode Island, who offered a bedroom suite to any couple who would come and be married in bis shop window. Tbe only difficulty be seems to have had was in making a selection out of the scores of couples who applied for the honor. The event finally came off with the utmost satisfaction to all parties, thousands of people witnessing the ceremony from the street and the interior of the shop. General Booth.the Salvation Army man, declares that during his visit to America he saved souls at the rate of one every two minutes all the time. This was pretty good f >r the General. It is not on record that the Almighty ever worked at such a rate as that. It puts the achievements of tbe Apostles rather in the shade, but the General is no doubt a big improvement on Peter and John, and, besides, they did not wear scarlet jerseys, and have the assistance of hallelujah lasses in poke bonnets—although they certainly did work miracles aud do one or two other trivial things.