Waihi Man in Other Parts

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1114, 8 October 1904, Page 3

Waihi Man in Other Parts

Some Observations

Entertaining Account oi Interesting Tour

A trip ti tho Old Country is no 'ordinary overt to tho avoragi New Zealandev, and tho personal experiences and observations of one who has had the good fortuno to (ravel and Bee the bigger cities of tho world are at nil times interesting, The return of Mr. fi. B. Cranwell last week from an eight months' tour abroad naturally aroused tho interest of his frionds in Waihi, aud ho is, as oao might i»y, brimful of intorosting information. In a chat with Mr. Granwoll a representative, of tho Tklkoraph gleaned some interesting data of the outßido world. Mr. Cronwoll journeyed Homo via Suoz. After leaving Freemautlo, ton days stoaming brought them to Colombo. Hero there was a teeming population of Cingalese, a large proportion of whom engaged in foisting on tho visitors miscellaneous articles, chielly of a Cheap .lack nature. Thoy bosiogced tho tourists direotly they landed, and followed them round lixo beoi round honeycomb. " Their zial amounts to persecution," said Mr. Cranwell. ■Whiloapoeding along in a rickshaw ho was followed by half a dozen or more of thoso gentry, excitedly offering thoir goods 4or sale. In the shops it was absolutely behad little ohanoe oi purchasing rfhat ho required, for the reason that half a score of attendants wero bartering at one time, and in desperation ho got out into tho street, followed by soveral gesticulating and jabbering vendors, Another characteristic of tho populace was their bogging proclivities. This, a guide explained, the tourists themselves wero largely responsible for, by the habit of somo of them of throwing money broadcast among thorn.

Tho pnssago through tho Suez Canal was most interesting, Tho syntom of signalling adopted by steamers passing through was similar to that ot the railways.

Port Said, which had anything but an enviable reputation, had been greatly roformed of late.' Tho system of coaling affordod an interesting spectacle. Huge pontoons laden with oorl, four on each sido of the steamer, rangod alongside, and the work of coaling was dono with celerity not equalled, it was said, in any part of the world. Tho natives, and there were scores of them, sang while thoy worked. At Naples tho pessongers had the opportunity of viewing tho French fleet whioh was harboured thore. President Loubet had just arrived, and in honour of his visit celebrations woro in progress, the whole town hoing en fote, and brilliantly illuminated. The great maritimo st'ike was at its height when they roached Marseilles, and in consequence scores of vossels wero delayod in port, Al Gibraltar amongst those who took passago for London wero an English Prinoosa and Sir Qeorga White. Duriug a thick fog in tbi> Bay of Biscay a sailing vessel narrowly escaped boing run down. Sho crossed tho hows of the steamer, tho latter observing her proximity in tinio to reverse ongines to avoid collision.

Tho first glimpse of tho English coast was a prolndo to the finest sconery of pastoral land that Mr Cranwell had seen—or likely to see, he added. The featured the Ihaiiics Itiver as the stoamer proceeded on its way was the innumorablo crafts that passed np and down, predominent Bmongst which wero barges. Tboro were hundreds of this type conspicuous by thoir brown sails. Landing at Tillsbury docks ho proceeded to London via railway. Approaching tho great city along the Blacawall portion of the line the view from tho railway, which is built up high abovo its surroundings, presented a .sea, as far as tho eye could reach, of house tops and chimney pots. London itself, tho visitor says, is indescribable. Its vastneas is appalling, Ho was greatly im» preised generally, and some of its foaturos wore particnlarp ftcikmg. He instanced the absolute clcanliuoss of tho streets and the sanitary arrangements, which appeared to him to be tho acme of perfection, Another foaturo was tho omuibus and cab traffic No olectric cars wore permitted in the oentral parts of the city, and tho omnibuses and cabs could be counted in thousands,

From tho top of an omnibus during a temporary block in tho trallio in sight ho counted fifty others. Later, whon visitinn American cities, he could not help notioiog tho great difTeronco there was in tho sanitary arrangements, cleanhnoss, order, and toads, of London, in those respects Amorican cities were fur behind London, more particularly in tho system of sanitation and good roads. Mr. Cranwell spent two months in London, and the major portion of this tilDO was taken up iu gaining knowlega in his profession, visiting tho principal hospitals, including Guyp, St, Thomas' Boyal Dental, London, National Dental. He also spont some time with Claudius Alb and Sons, dental dealers, When visiting Paris the visitor was struck with the difference between that city and London, The appearance of the gay city, with its beautifully laid out streets, and hradsome, clean buildings, was a marked contrast tij the smoked begrimed buildings of London.

A curious featuro of Paris was the fact that there was as much lifo and gaiety in the streets and public places at 2 o'clock in the morning as at 2 o'clock in tho afternoon, This also was in markod contrast to London, where at that hour in tho morniDg the streets wero practically do* sorted.

After visiting Switzerland, which is romarkablo for itr mayiilicont scenery, ho tripped off to Sco'land and Ireland,' At Aberdeen ho attended, with 500 members of his profession from all parts of Great Britain, the British Dental Congress, which sat for four days. At Edinburgh he attended at tho Univoraity, and denial hospitals also.

On tho voyago from Liveryool to America a distressing incident occurred. Ono of tho steorago paflsenfjefs in mid« ocoan, with a lite belt fasloncd under his arms, jurnpod overboard, Ac tho cry of "man overboard," the steamer was stopped and a boat lowered, In duo courso the man was picked tip, and brought jafily on board, Tho incident delayed tho pteomor Dearly an hour, The captain was furious, and ordorad tho man to bo locke 1 up. That night tho nnfortunato pass;"- ;; v ciiniiiiltod suicide. His body was I >uu;. ii "pended by the neck witii his bine:* listened to a beam above. At St Louis Mr Cramvell witnessed a tcrriblo motor accident. Tho cataslropho occurred during the progress of a ten-milo raco in which five competitors started. The race was run on an ordinary horseracing track a milo round. No preparation in tho way of bunking up ono sido or provision for laying tho dust was mado,' and tho track was perfectly flat. There wero 25,000 people presont, and tho raco was tho ovont of the day. Tho two crack motors were Barnoy Old. field's Poorlcss, of !)0 horse power, and A. C. Webb's curs of 60 horse powrr, and tho fact of OHfiold being Amorica's groatoi chauffeur in special ovems, added to thet iDtorcst of tho event, From a Hying start the fatoful raco was commenced, Webb ind Oldfield going lo tho front at tornlio speed, attaining in a few socouds over 80 miles an hour, Before half tbo first round had boen travorsed tho other threo motors woro loft hopelessly behind, and droppod out. Entering upon the second round, Webb was loading by about 100 yards. At this moment a complete circle of dust enveloped tho track, and

rtfts so dense in the itnniediato track of tlio caw llwl thov wore scarcely discc-r lible. Li a supremo effort at a turn in tho course to pass Webb, 01-.liteld's car, without a instant's warning, dashed from the track, at ft Bpood estimated at 62 miles an hour, into tho boundary (enoo, a short distance from tho track. Two men were sealed on tho railway right in its course, and the noxt moment their mangled bodies were scatlorod upon the ground. Both legs of one of them were out off at the thighs, and tho upper portion of hiß body mntilatod fearfully, The second was disenibowollcd, had an arm out off and hnaii shattered. The third victim who was near the fonco received terrible injurios and died a fow hours later. A dozen yards or so beyond tho fence the car dashed into a troe, (lie metal portion of tho front burying itself deep into tho trunk. The irmfio impact Bhot Oldfield high up into the branches of the tree, and with such forco that ho passed on into the branches of a second troe, falling nt the foot of it. How he escaped being killed was little short of miraculous. A bad wound in the head and severe braises on tho body were all the injurios he recoived. The car was twisted and shattorod beyond recognition, and practically reduced to fragments, A quartir of au hour later, and while the ghastly remains of tho victims, coverod over with newspapers, Rtill remained on tho ground, awaiting tho arrival of the ambulanoe, tho races wore resumed.

During Mr. Cranwoll's stay in America ho visited the Ponnslyvania Dental University, tho groatest institution in Arnerioi. Ho spent ton days at the St Louis Exposition, and on eight he attendod the dental congress, the greatest held in the world. Over IMO dentists from all parts of the world attended.

During the sitting domonsations of surgical instruments and appliances were given by tho leading men of tho States, Tho buildings of the Exposition iprcii'l over hundreds of acres of ground, and resombled a huge bazaar more than anything elso. It was impossible to see a tiiho of what was 1 to be seen during the lime at his disposal. Up to the timo of his visit six million peopto had boon present, and hopes were entertained, contrary to what had been anticipated.lhat the gigantic affair would result in a financial success,