Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 6 October 1892, Page 3

Notes and Events.

The same skipper also related to the vhronicle how sailors were dressed in his early days. He says: — Well, let me give you a picture of myself when I first became sailing-master of a ship over 50 years ago. When I rigged myself up in my * go-ashore-togs,' I put on a pair of white duck knee-breeches, stamped with a foul-anchor at the pocketflaps; white stockings and pumps that you might have shaved yourself in for the polish on them, a blue satin waistooat embroided all over with flowers ; a fancy print shirt. and a short cloth shell jacket with a man-o'-warsman's collar to it, while a glazed tarpaulin hat sat rakishly onr-inyjfciead to crown the lot. That Js the costume I was married in, except that I substituted a swallowtail coat for my jacket, and a top hat for my tarpaulin. Heaven bless me, how much smarter we old salts looked in such a rig-out than in the blue cloth and brass buttons we wear nowadays I

Cess-pits are to be abolished in Hawera. The Inspector of Nuisances has found that there are still 100 qess-pitts in use in the densest parts of the. Borough of Hawera. This (says the Star) is a standing menace to the health of the town. The notification now being issued by the Borough Council to tha ratepayers is not required by law, but it is simply done, that there shall not be the shadow of excuse for the prompt prosecution of offenders if after the •xpiry of seven days from the issue of the circular referred to, cess-pits are still found in use within borough boundaries. Following is the principal paragraph of the official intimation issued by the Town ClerV : — " I have now to give you notice that unless within seven days you adopt the use of an earth closet to the satisfaction of the Inspector of Nuisances, and unless within the like period you abandon the use of a cess-pit and adopt proper measures, to make your premises no longer a ■ource of danger to health, proceeding's will be instituted by me against you."

We only hope so. A Glasgow paper states that an engineer resident there has, after nineteen years' experimentation, devised an arrangement in an engine by which ho returns all the steam back to the

boiler after doing its work in the cylinder. In several cases he has - got his engines installed and at work, giving most extraordinary results, and in one case in a textile

factory it v is doing as much work < with one ton of coal as was formerly done with seven tons.

The flume which conveys the water from the mountain to the reservoir at San Diego, California, is said to be the largest and longest thing of the kind in the world. Ifc is 85 miles long, and is composed almost wholly of redwood. In its course this monster flume crosses

815 streams and canons on trestles, the longest of which is 1700 ft long, 85ft high. Besides its many trestles

this flume passes through eight tunnels, the longest of these being 2100 ft in length. The tunnels are each 61 by Gffc in size with convex roofs. Buildin/ a watertight box thirty-five miles long, over fathomloss chasms and through the hearts of mountains, is a gigantic undertaking which, many believed would never be accomplished.

Slang words are very misleading to the simple, and a very amusing story is told in the St James's Gazette bearing on it. The double got all cleared up at last, but the following convocation was astounding to one ~vno knew little of horse-racing: — Miss Grey sniffed the tobacco-tainted air and was about to rise and ostentatiously remove herself from the infected zone, when she heard a scrap of conversation between the two young men which entirely altered her determination^ She sat still and listened with all her might. " I wonder when Maggie will be down," said Lester ; " I want to tell her."

" Oh, yon 're too late," saidPefcrle ; " Ive told hen"

" What, have you seen her ? '

v Yes. I knew she'd like to know so I went outside her door five minutes ago arid shouted what we'd heard, and she came out directly." '• Had she anything on '?" inquired Lester in an interested tone.

" No," responded Captain Petrie ; "but that made no difference." "Tt would to me," said Lester with a smile.

" And to me," said the captain ; " but it didn't to her. I reminded her of it, and she said it made no odds - sue wanted to hear all 1 knew directly. So we stood in the passage, and —

Miss Grey had been gradually becoming move and more bonified. She had been prepared for a good deal, but this was too much. And the creature's own brother listened to it! Her knitting fell from her grasp, and the needles jangled on the tiled floor. The capfcaiu hastened to pick them up, interrupting his narrative for that purpose ; but MissGrey froze him with an awful look and strode into the house.