BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1332, 9 January 1912, Page 3

BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

1 LONDON SUMMARY. THE FIBST PIPE IN ENGLAND. London, December 1. The Indian tobacco pipe which is said to have- belonged to Sir Walter Ealeigh has been sold by auction for 75gus. Two years ago JC2OO was refused for the pipe. Unfortunately, a parchment giving its history had been lost, otherwise, the auctioneer stated, it would have fetched .£SOO. This pipe, which may have been the first ever smoked on English soil, consists of four parts—stem, bend, bowl, and bowl-cover; it is about a foot long, and weighs more than a pound. At half a dozen points the wood is carved into red and highly-polished faces of Mohawks, monkeys, arid dogs. In the stem is a powerful whistle, which is supposed to be that with which the Elizabethan pioneer of Empire summoned his servants. "LORD" GEORGE SANGEE'S FATE.

"Lord" George Sanger, the celebrated showman, Has been murdered at the age of eighty-four by a man said to be one of his employees. Six years ago the old man retired from the business in which he had been since he was five years old, and bought a large farm at East Finchley. It appears that the assailant attacked one of Mr. Sanger's farm assistants named Jackson in the scullery of the farmhouse, with a razor. Jackson's neck was badly slashed, and the man then ran into the "dining-room, where another assistant, Austin, was reading to his master. Producing an axe, the man struck Austin with the weapon, cutting his head oppn. Before, Mr. Sanger could defend himself, the man turned the implement in his direction, and struck him several severe blows on the head. Mr. Sanger dropped unconscious to the floor with his scalp laid open, and wjth his head covered with blood. The old showman died a few hours afterwards.

MEMORIAL TO LATE KING. The Advisory Committee of the Fund for Providing a Memorial of King Edward in London have unanimously expressed their approval of the scheme drawn up by Mr. Bertram Jlaekenual, tne Australian sculptor, and Mr. Edwin Lutyen, the architect, for a memorial in bronze and stone of his late Majesty to be erected at the Piccadilly end of the Broad Walk, in the Green Park. A complete model with plan is to be submitted within three months. Sir Vezey Strong was requested by the committee to see the chairman of the London County Council and ascertain to what extent the council would be prepared to co-operate with the corporation and the coinmitteo in dedicating the Shadwell Market site as a public garden and playground for the inhabitants of East London.

THE SUCTION PERIL. Most_ interesting evidence in the HawkeOlympic collision case was given by Mr. David Watson Taylor, naval constructor to the United States Navy Department, who upheld the theory of suction which has been advanced by the Admiralty to account for H.M.S. Hawke's collision with the big liner. He considered it dangerous for any vessel to pass the Olympic in moderately shallow water, and stated that once the Hawke sheered towards the Olympic owing to the suction the sheer would rapidly become irresistible, despite a reversed helm. A sentence was read from a paper written by him which mentioned that cases of suction were well known when one vessel made an ill-ad-vised attempt to pass too closely to another. An extract from a book by a Gorman Rear-Admiral was also read, in which tho statement was made that in narrow water suction was frequentlv a cause ,-of collision. Judgment has been reserved.

FACTORY DISASTER. A terrible explosion resulting in a long death-roll, occurred last week-end at a large oil-cake works in Liverpool. Tho disaster was probably caused by a spark, from a swiftly-revolving crushing machine. The whole building to a certain extent is pervaded with an impalpable dust from the machine, and along this dust the fire spread as in a mine. The explosion toolc place with awful suddenness; a flash of flame shot into every one of the five stories; portions of the roof were blown off, the floors thrown up, and the machinery crumpled up into chaos. Nearly four hundred men were at work at the time, and many wore crushed and mangled by falling masonry, and the force of the explosion. Fire broke out,' find when the list of deaths and casualties came to be added up it was found that thirty-two men had been killed and about a hundred injured.

NEW CENSOR. Mr. Charles E. Brookfield, well known as a playwright and also as an actor, has been appointed to act as joint examiner of plays with Mr. G. A. Redford, who for a long period has discharged the duty of examiner on behalf of the Lord Chamberlain, with whom officially tho responsibility of licensing new plays rests. Owing to the character of some of the plays for which Mr. Brookfield has been responsible—in some cases as adapter from the French—his appointment as joint examiner will bo regarded as evidence that for better or worse a less restricted view of the duties of the censorship is considered to be advisable. Dealing with Mr. Brookfield's play, "Dear Old Charlie," which was revived three years ago, "Tho Standard" critic wrote at tho time:—"lt is certainly Gallic in flavour, and although Mr. Brookfield's dialogue is probably entirely original, that, too, was sometimes very near • the border-lino which divides the merely piquant from the suggestive."

COLLIERY EXPLOSION. Six lives were lost and twelve men were injured bv a terrible explosion in the Jnmmage "pit of the Bignall Hill Collicrv at Audley, North Staffordshire, and the" death-roll probably would have been much larger ha<l it not been that work in the pit had been stopped. Fire was discovered in the mine last week-end, and the men were ordered out, only a few being kept at work to erect stoppings to cut off the fire. This work proceeded satisfactorily, but about half-past ten o'clock on the following morning an explosion occurred behind one of the stoppings. Tho actual explosion was slight, but all the men in the mine were overcome by after-damp. Five were dead when found, and the sixth died as soon as ho reached the surface.

HUGE CHRISTMAS "DIVIDES." Dividing societies throughout tho conntry will this year distribute between one and a half and two million pounds for the benefit of their members at Christmas, and of this amount .about half a million will be paid out in London, rhe sum each member will receive ranges from 10s. to •£:!. The record will probably be reached bv the New Tabernacle (Old Street) Provident Society, which on Deoember 18 will distribute .£15,000 in new sovereigns. Tho money will be conveyed from the Bank of England in one of the Bank's motoT-cars, and during the three hours that tho paying out will occupy the building will bo guarded by seven polico officers. The aggregate membership of dividing societies in this country is over 2,000,000.

billiard-room, and gymnasium. \ There will also he n concert hall capablo of accommodating 800 people.

( CANADIAN INSURANCE CASE. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council—the Supreme M'ribunaJ of the iJtnpirc—have dismissed the appeal of tlic Hudson's iiay lns\iraiice Company from a decision of the .Supreme Court of Canada. The principal point at issue wns whether the Supremo Court had jurisdiction to relieve rlis respondents, Messrs. Hell Brothers and Cnapmun, from a Breach of a statutory condition requiring thorn immediately niter loss by lire to give notice to the insurance company in writing. The premium had not been paid, although the policy had been issued, at Hie time of tne fire, and another point at issue was whether the policy was in force. The Judge, before whom the action to recover the amount of the loes was first brought by the respondents, dismissed the action, and his judgment was upheld by the Supreme Court of Saskatchewan. The Supremo Court of Canada, reversed the decision, however, and this finding has been uphold by the Privy Council.

NATAL FAKMER STJED. Robert Churchill Farmer, a farmer living at Oatlands, Estcourt Natal, was the defendant in a breach of promise action brought in the London Sheriff's Court by Miss Jane Money. Before Hγ. Farmer went out to South Africa ho was friendly with Miss Money, and finally proposed bv letter in 1910 from Estcourt. Counsel for the plaintiff stated that he told Miss Money that he was farming 3000 acres, had a largo amount of stock, aud wanted her to go out to him boon. She accepted, aud towards the end of that year he wrote that he was coming over with Sir Theodora Wood, u member of the Legislative Assembly, and added: "Will you find a wife for ray friend? Ho is a real good follow, and we can go back together." Later he wrote that he was going to get married to some one else. A verdict was given for the plaintiff, aud damages assessed at .£l7s.—"Standard of Envpire."