MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 July 1928, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

RADIUM IN DUSTBIN

How radium worth £BO was tlirowu into a dustbin at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, was burned, but afterwards recovered, was revealed by an official. “A patient was given radium treatment by means of a small plaque strapped with adhesive plaster to his arm,” lib said. “The attendant then removed tho plaster and the radium, and, being called away to another patient, placed them in a basin. Another attendant, seeing what was apparently discarded plaster, placed it in the dustbin for incineration. Tho loss of the radium—a serious matter for a voluntary hospital—was not discovered until after the contents of the dustbin had been burned in the hospital incinerator. The hospital radiologist suggested that the ashes should be searched. The whole of the clinker was removed to the physics laboratory, where tests revealed the presence of radium. The clinker was accordingly broken up with great care and the radium plaque was discovered intact.”

ANGRY BULL AMOK. A bull which escaped from a slaught-er-house in Southend was chased for more than three hours by scores of men armed with shot guns and stout sticks. Abortive attempts were also made at lassoing, and one amateur cowboy was caught on the beast s horns and tossed several feet into the air. Ho narrowly escaped being trampled on, and was unhurt except for a shaking. Two women were knocked down by the hull’s mad rush up and down the streets, blit they were not seriously hurt. Children coming out of school were terrified to see tho bull coming toward them. Some dashed hack screaming into the school playground, while others took refuge in house doorways. The hull wrecked many front garden fences and steepleehased over privet hedges down the whole length of several streets. It was finally cornered in a garden where it hesitated, apparently unable to decide whether to charge its pursuers. A slaughterman discharged both barrels of a shot gun into the hull which sank to the ground.

BABY AND PRINCESS’ PEARLS. Princess Astrid’s (Belgium) love of babies was the cause of a minor disaster during her recent visit to Liege. Proceeding in her car in procession through the streets, the Princess, durag a halt, noted a. particularly bonny li'aby in the arms of its mother. She called the woman to her and questioned her as to tho age, number of t-ceth, and other details of her off spring. During the conversation the baby’s attention was focussed on the pearl necklace which the Princess was wearing. Suddenly the infant shot out its hand, took hold of the necklace, and gave, it a good tug. The string broke and the pearls went flying in all directions. The confusion of the mother may ee imagined, hut Princess Astrid quickly put her at her ease wliilo she herself knelt down to gather by the scattered pearls. j\

ANOTHER “GHOST” STORY While restoring an old house, Treasure Holt, on the outskirts of Chi--011-Sea, Essex, Mr and Airs P. S. Hayward, tho owners, found under flfloor of a living room human bones in unslaked lime and charcoal. With them were a shoe buckle and a token dated 1793, with the wording, “John Wilkins, Iron Master.” Air and Airs Hayward speak of mysterious knockings on the front door, generally when anything of a festive character is taking place. Airs Hayward and her daughter Iris allege that they have seen in the grounds a figure, dressed in velvet, with knee-breeches and buckle •shoes, and hoard sounds of horses’ hoofs on the cobbled yard at dead of night. The local belief i.s that John Wilkins surprised a party of smugglers making merry and that' ho was murdered and his body buried beneath the floor. ,

AN ANCIENT LOG CHURCH. Tho linieliglit of modern publicity is now beating on the parish ol' Grecnsted, near Ongar, Essex, where the little log church (according to antiquarians) dates from 40 years before Canute’s coronation, and lias been the scene of continuous worship from The tenth century till now. Tho Essex Archaeological Society’s Transactions confirm this statement.

AUTOMATIC BANK CLERKS.

Machines which automatically “post” ledgers, extending a balance after each day’s deposits or withdrawals are entered, have been' installed in the King. Street, Manchester, branch of the Arklland Bank. In future, a depositor, instead of having to rely on his pass hook, will have posted to him a weekly or monthly statement giving particulars of payments and withdrawals and the state of the account to date. The system is in use in more than 30,000 hanks in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, South America, and Italy.

SICK PRISONER. ESCAPES

The escape of a sick prisoner from tho Mar.vlebone Infirmary, Netting Hill where he had been sent hv order of a police surgeon, was reported at Mnrylebono Police Court. James Codings (30), fitter and turner, should have appeared on a charge of stealing choir boys’ ties from St. Paul’s Church, St. John s Wood. Detective-Sergeant Pike said the man was arrested the previous afternoon and was sent to the infirmary by order of tho police doctor. Pur. ing the night lie. broke into another patient’s locker, took a suit of clothes, and escaped through the window. The magistrate marked the register “No appearance.”