A STAMPEDE OF CAVALRY HORSES

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3342, 10 November 1871, Page 3

A STAMPEDE OF CAVALRY HORSES

Oh Augufifc 29, after the Ist Regiment of Life Guards had irrived at Aldershot from Windsor, the horses, about 300 in number, were pieketted outside the encampment on Oove Common accord^n^ to the plan recently introduced by the military authorities, and which is baaed upon the system usually practised in the Prussian army. Next night, when all was quiet, two dogs of a very different size made their appearance in the camp, and began to quarrel. The larger animal fastoned on the small one, and bit it severely, it &rt up a hideous yell, and ran towards the horses. The sudden noise immediately caused the horses of two officers to otnrt from their pickets, and these wore followed at once by six troop horsos. A sudden and remarkable frenzy seized the whole line, and at least 300 broke loose at the same moment, running and snorting in all directions. An indescribable scene of confusion ensued, the whole locality for miles round being aroused by the flight and pursuit of the excited animals, some of which dragged the cords and pine. Large numbers of men from the various regiments at Aldorshot were soon in chase, under the command of Oaptiiin Hozier and several other officers, and, as almost every open route had been taken by the fugitives, the whole locality was scoured within a cirouit of at least a dozen miles. About fifty horses galloped through the town of Farnbam ; of these fifteen were secured, the remainder running on towards Alton and Petersfield. At Willey, about two miles beyond Farnham, a number dashed against the closed toll-gate and smashed it to pieces, while on the commons around Farnborough and Aldershot, in the opposite directions, many plunged into stakes or other obstructions, which penetrated their breasts or otherwise inflicted serious injury. Several horses dropped dead within an hour, Bomo were drowned in the canal, and others where captured in a crippled state. Some of the horses found their way into the reservoir established for bathing purposes on Oove Common, and were found swimming about. A detachment of about twenty charged in the direction of the officers' mess of the Ist Battalion Rifle Brigade, passing in close proximity to Prince Arthur's tont. One of the horses dashed into the officer's mess of the Rifle Brigade and destroyed some of the mess property ; another was brought in from a distance of twenty one miles. The bark of the little cur above mentioned will prove an expensive matter to the country, since, in addidition to the horses already dead or crippled, many others will havo to be sold bb unfit for service. The men of the Ist Life Guards complain that the materials supplied for their use in eenuring the horseß on picket were not of the proper description, but the ease with which the animals broke from their pickets must be attributed in some measure to the sandy nature of the soil on Cove Common. This affair has been supplemented by another disaster of the same naturo, seventy-six horses of the 2nd Dragon Guardß having broke loose from the right wing of the regiment, and galloped madly in all directions. The unfortunate afi'uir in connection with the horses of the Ist Life Guards haß been investigated by a court of inquiry, consisting of Colonel Baker, 10th Hussars (president) j Colonel Tower, 0.8., 3rd Dragoon Guards ; and LieutenantColonol Hon. J. Fiennes, 9th Lancers. The inquiries to which the court mainly directed its attention were the sufficiency and suitability of the picketing equipment, the number of horsOß found dead or wounded } whether they had picketing equipment attached to them ; and if so, did snch equipment lead to their being hurt; also, how did it ocour that so many bridoons were lost or injured. The prooeedings have not been made public, but have been forwarded to the assistant adjutantgeneral. Meanwhile, the mode of picketing the horses has been made the subject of a considerable amount of criticism, some thinking the plan adopted by no means the best, and others expressing their belief that no mode of picketing would have sufficed to prevent the escape of the horses in their Budden fright. All the miosing horses, with the exception of that belonging to the colonel of the regiment, have been recovered. An unknown donor has forwarded a second donation of £1000 to the Westminster Hospital. Two hundred casks of benzoline exploded the other day on board a vessel off the Peozance pier. It is needless to say that the vessel was destroyed.

MISCELLANEOUS. The International Exhibition, which is said to havo been a financial success, closed on the 30th September. The influx of French money into Germany seems already to be giving rise to the inevitable inflation ; about twenty new banks and Credit Foncier establishments having bpen started at different pouite within tho past few days. On August 26 Mary Forster, 20 years of age, while working at Messrs Proekter's glue works nt Gatoshoad, accidentally fell into a vat of bailing glue. She was taken out, and is at present in the Newcastle Infirmary in a very precarious condition. The Princess Mary of Holland, who has lately been married to the Prince of Wied, is, wo boar, an excellent musician and a capital cook ; she not only played the organ during a part of the marriage ceremony, but made her own wedding cake. Tho total declared value of English exports during tho first seven months of the present yoar has been £121,455,961, showing an increase of more Minn 6 per cent on the total of tho corresponding seven months of 1870, and of more thnn ll£ per cent on that of the same period of 1869. Tho steamer Holland arrived at Calcutta on September 2, thirty-three days out from Liverpool, including two days and five hours oroupied in passing through the Suez Canal. This ia said to be the quickest passage on record between the two ports. The Queen has ju-t forwarded a donation of £2 to an old couple, named Kirton, living in tho almshouses in the market-place at Long Sutton. The husband is in his 93rd and the wife in her 90th year. The old couple have been married upwards of 70 years. On August 11 a train went over the Mont Cenis Tunnel line between Bussoleno and Bardonneche with perfect success. Signori Grattoni and Amilhara were present. The opening of tho tunnel is fixed to take place on the 17th September. j Captain John Meiks, who in 1867 crossed the Atlantic on a life-raft, is preparing for another voyage to Europe on a smaller raft of j similar construction. The raft is composed of 1 inflated indiarubbor tubes, which, when not filled with air, fold up in a comparatively small compass, but when inflated will carry all the persons that can crowd on it. A gardener named Phillips, employed at Norwood, now lies in the accident ward of Guy's Hospitnl, where death from lockjaw is only a matter of a tew duys. The poor fellow was attempting to separate two cocks that were fighting, when one of them flew at him, and spurred him in the chin and throat. Tetanus set in shortly afterwards, and he now lies, as above stated, in a dying condition. The poor fellow has a wife and four little children. A few days since Mr R M. Bernard, senior surgeon of the Bristol Eoyal Infirmary, at G-wbert, near Cardigan, diod through falling over a precipice at that place. Strange to say, during a thunderstorm a few days afterwards, the lightening struck the house where Mr and Mrs Bernard had been lodging, and split the bedroom in two, the bed they had occupied being burnt to a cinder. Mrs Bernard and family had returned to Clifton on the day previous. One of the few survivors of the field of Waterloo has just died, at the advanced age of 86 years, at Achill, county Mayo. The deceased veteran, M 'Guineas by name, served through the Peninsular war, and was present at the siege of San Sebastian, the battles of Orth6B, tho Pyrenees, Toulouse, the occupation of Paris by the Allies in 1814, and the closing scene of Waterloo, where he wai one of the four who carried the Marquis of Angle- ' sey, who had been wounded in a cavalry charge, | off that memorable field. The Marquis, when Lord • Lieutenant of Ireland, recognised, Bl'Gniness's services by a handsome donation. A Pole, uamed Janicki, who was one of the engineers employed on the works of the Suez Canal, and was afterwards engaged by the j Russian Government to draw up plariß for a J fortified harbor in the North Sea, has just made an important discovery, which is much talked of in commercial circles in St. Petersburg. It consists of a new kind of floating dock, with a single bottom, and divided into I oompartments, into whioh air may be pumped when necessary. If the dock is to bo immersed ths air ie let out ; when it has to be raised the air is pumped in again, forcing out the water, and raising both the dock and ship in it. Tne Corporate authorities in all the large towns are taking precautions against cholera. A meeting has been help in Hyde Park under the auspices of two or three popular orators, to " express deep indignation at the arbitary conduct .of the Irish Executivo," in connection with the late meeting in the Phoenix Park. As a rare circumstance, wo may mention that several sharks have been seen off tho coast of Orkney. Hodges, formerly manager of the Monarch Insurance Company, now in liquida tion charged with conspiracy to defraud, has been committed for trial. Prince Henry of the Netherlands has been to Neuwied on a visit to his niece. The ex-Kkg of Naples, his Highness tho Duke of Nassau, and the Prince of Oldenburg have been staying at the Hague. A publisher has been committed for triul for j printing a book called " The Elthan Tragedy Reviewed." Miss Garrett is adopting house decoration as a profession. Mr Richard j Wallace, known for his munifioent liberality in j Paris during the siege, has been gazetted a baronet. A rope six miles long, five and a quarter inohes in circumference, and weighing I eixty tons, has just been manufactured in Birmingham. The Government havo decided to seijid out an Eclipse Expedition to India and Australia. The Board of Ireland Revenue has issued stringent regulations against the adulteration of tobacco, The quality of this article haß of late been very indifferent. A large number of Communist refugees are now in London in a starving condition. There is a growing feeling amongst Presbyterians in England in favor of the use of instrumental music in public worship. A co-oporative farm in Cumberland has just been destroyed by fire. The engineers of Newcastle are out on strike, and several Germans who were engaged to take their places have also turned out. The jury empannelled to inquire into the Stowmarket; explosion has returned a verdict that some persons unknown had added sulphuric acid to the gun-cotton after it had passed the Government test. At the same time they express thoir opinion that the manufacture is not so entirely free from danger as haß genernlly been supposed. On September 6an explosion occurred in the Moss Pits, near Wigan, by which about seventy men were killed.