NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

WHALE COMES TO JONAH. A Scottish holiday maker, Jonah Perkins, camping , ' on the foreshore' of the Firth o£ Forth, near Blackness, recentlyhad an alarming experience when a 20ft wbale disturbed hie slumbers with a loud bellowing and spouting water on hie tent.. Perkins was-'scared and cleared out, but the sea 'monster disappeared with an angry snort. Whales are uncommon in the district. , ■ ' - . NEW STONEHENGE OF TIMBER. Discoveries .which may throw a new light on. the age-long mystery of Stonehenge have been made on Salisbury Plain. Acting on a clue provided by photographs from the air, taken 'by Squadron-Leader Insall, V.C., excavators unearthed what was virtually a new- Stonehenge in timber. "Woodlicnge," as it has been aptly called, consists of six great circles of huge wooden pillars, planted in deep.' holes, while a 'labyrinth of trenches suggests the possibility of the site being that of a Bronze Age city. ' ~ ■ . ■ . ELEPHANT WHICH HATED.PARSONS There was at the London Zoo some time ago an elephant called Bob who had a great loathing of parsons, says- William Blore in the "Sunday. Chronicle." Quite a good number of clerical gentlemen visit the Zoo. Some of them are members, and others bring parties of school children, but Bob had an unspeakable loathing of the whole race of clerics! What had caused it I really can't say; no one remembered any incident iu his career that would account for his strange aversion, but there, it was; the very sight of a clerical collar to Bob was almost worse than a red rag to a bull! WOMAN'S SWORD WOUND. "I took..the sword from the wall and was waving it to frighten some men who -had got into the house, when I accidentally struck .Margaret Goulburn," said George. McGinn, accused at Liverpool of wounding Goulburn in a house in Circus Street. McGinn was fined -20/. PoliceConstable Turner eaid he: was Called to the house- and saw McGinn struggling with a crowd of people. He had a sword in his hand. Goulburn was lying at the foot of the stairs Weeding from «.-wound in the head. Goulburn, who said 6he was' living with McGinn, pereisted it wae an accident. i Lion bites .man. A young lion recently imported from Africa, was being put through its paces by Captain Thomas Purchase in his menagerie at Mitchain ■ Fair. (Surrey) when it lashed .out and with its clawe tore the first finger of his left hand to the bone. Very few of the spectators -'wore aware , that the lion tamer was hurt, as Captain Purchase was hurried from the show by an assistant' and taken by jnotor car to a local vdoctor, who stitched the wound. The captain had had no previous trouble with the lion. Captain Purchase next night entered the cage a number of times with only' a heavy cudgel. He was handicapped % his heavily-tiandaged hand. THE LOM3ARDS. Lombard Street, the principal bank quarter of the City of London, takes its name from the "Lombards," so-called Italian gojdsmiths and moneylenders, who settled here in the beginning of the. 12th century. They were then commonly called "Longbeards," and the name of the thoroughfare was spelt indifferently Longbord and Langeberd. A century or so later it had become corrupted into Langbourne—that is,-"long brook"—and this misleading title is still retained for the ward in which it is situated. The Lombards bequeathed to the pawnbrokers their, sign, the three golden balls; and the nanies of their principal coins—lire, spellini, denari—survive to this day in our familiar L\s.' d. ' ■ ; INTERESTING RECORDS OF KINGS. In Old Palace Lane,-Richmond,.London, is an .engraved mural memorial that is a veritable .encyclopaedia in miniature of potted history. It records,' amongst other facts, that on this site, extending, eastward to the ancient Friary of Shene, there formerly stood the Royal Palace, first occupied by Henry I. in 1125; that Edward 1 111. died here.on June 21, 1377; that the palace was rebuilt by Henry VIII., who died here on April 21, 1509; and that Queen Elizabeth died here on March 24, % 1603. It may be added that Edward I. received here the nobles of Scotland in 1301, and that it was for a time the residence of Cardinal WolRey, to whom it was lent by.Henry VIII. Barring the Tudor archway facing Richmond Green, very little-now remains of the once stately pile. ■ " .- .. NOVEL RESCUE. Five children •of .one family, aged from three' to six, had a narrow escape from drowning in Canibusban; Bay/. opposite Dunolly Castle, near Oban. .' They, had waded out to a rock' at . law water, and playing v were ' unaware of their danger until the incoming tide was within a few feet of them. The rock is' entirely submerged at high . tide. ; Fortunately, Donald MePherson, a carter employed by Charles. Campbell, contractor, Oban, arrived on the scene for a load of sand. The cries of the children attracted his attention, and no boat being- near, he rushed to the beach . with his horse and cart and went to the rescue.. The water was almost up the horse's shoulders, but after a struggle -he got the children into the cart and brought them safely ashore just in time, the rock being almost covered. DIED IN SAME HOUR. Poignant circumstances surround the death of two members of a well-known Falkirk family, Mr. William Menzies and his sister, Miss Jane. Menzies, at their residence Dimcrafrgan. Learmouth Street, Falkirk. Both had been under medical attention for a time. Mr. Menzies occupied a room in the lower part of the house and his sister, who' was also confined to bed, occupied a room upstairs. During their illness they frequently passed affectionate messages expressing the hope that they would soon see, each other. They were devoted to each other and when Mr. Menzies died hie brother, Mr. R. H. Menzies, immediately proceeded .upstairs to break the sad news to v his sister. On entering her bedroom he found her dying and she passed away within two minutes of her brother. Mr. William Menzies, who was in his 53rd year, was for a number of years in the cashier's department of the Falkirk Iron Company, retiring a year ago.'

BIRD CASUALTIES. At Cape Province, the shepherds -were engaged in shearing a heavily coated rarfi, when they came upon a curious lump in the wool which, . being disentangled, turned out to be a living Cape quail. It' is surmised that while the ram was lying down, the quail may have ibeen feeding on the eeeds which stick to the wool and, finding Hβ head entangled, and struggling to be free, became at last entirely en-' ; wrapped in the long, clinging fleece. Starlings caught by their legs in the wool of. living sheep have been known, but this is the first reference we have seen of a bird being entirely engulfed. A FATAL FOXTROT. "Death from natural causes" was the verdict returned at an inquest at Eanisgate on Mrs. Madeleine Ada ■ Sandeman (60), wife of a stockbroker, of Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, W., who died after taking part in a dance at a Eamsgate hotel. Evidence showed that Mrs. Sandeman, who had not been well during the day, ate a heartymeal before the dance. She was out o£ breath after two dances, and was advised by a friend to rest.. She later danced a foxtrot, however, and died soon afterwards. The post l mortem examination showed that her heart weighed twenty-five ounces instead of the usual nine to eleven ounces. ! SHOP WITHOUT STOPPING. T-h«' "Automarket," a new way foir speeding up Shopping, is being tried for the first time in Louisville, Kentucky. The "Automarket" is a long building, with two narrow drives for motor cars. Down one of these the housewife drives; (the , track is so narrow that steering is dis- ■ pensed with) and while she crawls along on low gear helps herself from - revolving shelves containing every variety of food, canned or otherwise. A turn table at the end of the runway shunts the motor car into the return track and payment for the goods collected is made at the exit from the building. . • " CIGARETTE CARDS AS SCHOOL "CRIBS." > \ A North of England schoolmaster has made an interesting discover}'. After several -months of very niediocre work, two ,or. three of his pupils suddenly developed a remarkable. skill' in literary composition on self-chosen subjects. Naturally he. encouraged them. But their partiality to certain pet subjects, soon, proved their undoing. One day bwo boys sitting on opposite sides of the .class composed essays that were almost identical. Then it was • thai the . schoolmaster discovered bundles of cigarettt. cards in each scholar's • pockets, the engaging letterpress on thoße ■ carde having thus done duty as original ■ effort! ' - - . .-'.;■■ )]' VESUVIUS RIDDLE. : Prof. Malladra, director of. Vesuvius Observatory, emphasises.the unique character of the latest eruption of the volcano. The eruption increases one day and diminishes the next; only to increase again in volume. For -the first time since records have been kept there were no tremors, , but N merely oscillations of -the summit of the' mountain. There has been no rain, of cinders and pebbles. The flow of lava has been considerable and millions o£. cubic metres of. material, have issued from the crater. Moreover the lava has never been . less vicious than now, proving that it emanates from the depths of the volcano. It is possible that its constitution is different from previous emissions, but that can only be definitely ascertained when it has cooled. ' The absence of. tremors and showers of ashes has reassured the; population on the slopes. There has been no panic and no evacuatitr .

SNIFFS FOR N A.FIRE. '< : ■Twelve firemeu ; ou threeeugines:arrive4 at the London gramophone show rooms: . of Edison Bell, Ltd., Regeut,Street, lately, ' in response to the call of a policeman. • who had noticed a strong smell of some- ,-.• thing burning coming from the premises. . ■-, The front door was iorced, and the fare- j • men entered, but there was no sign either ■ of'smoke or of flame, although the ' '■'. premises were searched until about halfpast eleven. A crowd gathered and watched the firemen as they ' peered into • every corner with the aid of their flash- lamps, or, lying on their stomachs, tried to trace with their noses the origin of the fire. • Some of the. firemen even smelt every ventilator and crack-.-As all'their efforts were unsuccessful; ihey returned to the fire station. There .was still, however, a slight smell of burnirig so one fireman was left on guard.. .■•■•,- WEDDING BOOM AT GRETNA. During the pageant which was recently held at Carlisle, the old blacksmith's shop at pretna Green has been visited by manypeople, some of whoni decided to get married on the spot. A Carlisle man toolc his-fiancee to Gretna, where they were ■married, and later tlie pair took a prize in. the decorated motor car competition. Their car was dressed to represent a runaway wedding, and the actual marriage certificate, signed by the blaeksniitlipriest, was exhibited in front of the car. An engaged couple from Glasgow, who were motoring in the district, went to see the shop and suddenly decided to get married. The blacksmith performed the ceremony, and as the couple left the smithy ■ other visitors hastily tore up an old newspaper and covered the 'bride with iinprsvised confetti. There has been an aver- ' age of two weddings a day. at Gretna 6inca\ the beginning of August. . . .. VICAR'S ADVENTURE WITH A BULL. ' ' The holiday which the Rev. S."Tloberte,' vicar of Christ Church, Barnet, spent at Rinsey, on the Cornish Coast, yielded him. a full measure o£ excitement. His ■wife fell from a rock into the sea and was rescued fry the vicar, who plunged fully dressed into the water- ',"■ He also had what be .describes as "an interesting experience" with a; bull.. Mr. Roberts was crossing a field carrying some curlews he had shot, when a'bull approached.' The vicar ran towards the ' Rate with the l>llll in pureuit. He failed to arrive before the bull, and realieing that it was charging : down upon, him, turned, and presented hie -gun at the * animal. He had spent, his last cartridge, but he had the presence.of mind to throw the dead birds he was carrying. This distracted 1 the animal's attention, and the vicar was able to leap.to the other side o£ a ditch, where a heap of etoncs wae lying.. Accurate aims kept the.ibuH at bay for some time and at last drove it "off."

•GIRL,STOWAWAYS. Recent reports indicate that stowaways are-on the increase. "Women are as a rule the greatest problem," said a ]?. and 0. odicial. "Ou one occasion a woman stowaway was discovered after leaving Newfoundland and the nearest > British port where she could be landed, was Leith." Desperation causcd.by unemployment wae given hy the National Union of Seamen ae one of the reasons for men trying to etow themselves away. Mr. Matter}' the acting-general secretary, said: J- "•"•; no doubt there are more s , to >™ w the than there used to be in. could • old eailing vessels, can not hide a>«nselvee » » f™J\ y y when on the big mod f n s i"?ft cr has oTlbine'is %ecomins . mor'o , Sr°«tly the el* »"« « »> rt; : --■