GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2503, 7 November 1922, Page 1

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Thieves broke into the premises of Adolph Frankau and Co., Ltd., 21.1, Upper Thames Street, London, a. few weeks ago, and stole 50,000 cigars and 500,000 cigarettes valued at between £5,000 and £5.000. It is presumed that the thieves used a lorry or van to carry away the property. A reward of £250 has been offered for information leading to the conviction of the thieves and the recovery of (lie stolon property.

Two Chilian military airmen, Captain.Arttcena and Captain Barholm, using British machines, left Santiago de Chile recently to lly to Hio de Janeiro, 1,825 miles across the Continent. They crossed the Andes at a temperature of 15 deg. below zero. Bad weather then drove down Captain Araeena at. Mendoza 112 miles from Santiago. Captain Barhona, losing sight .of his companion, alighted at San Juan 18(5 miles from Santiago. To cross the Andes it is necessary for an aeroplane to ascend to 20,000 ft. The til'st recorded Might was made by Lieutenant Antonio Locatelli in July, 1010. Two uf n party of nine prisoners who were being extradited lrom Siam escaped from their Siamese guards after the carriage in .which they were travelling had been turned into a shambles. The men attacked the guards as the train was approaching the frontier of Kedah, a Malay province. The ring-leader -dabbed a gendarme with a -word, and the sergeant then tired his ride killing seven of the prisoners. One of the two who got away is suspected of being the murderer of MiDoughty Smith, shot at Kedah last year. All nine had been arrested some months ago and escaped on Palm Sunday.

Tlu* town of Poitiers, Prance, was thrown into a stale of panic recently by an explosion at the arsenal, followed by what, could only be likened to an artillery barrage. Three thousand shells stored at the arsenal exploded in batches. Ihe first explosion is stated to have been caused by a plank falling on the fuse of a shell, which exploded and ignited some woodwork. The remainder of the shells were exploded by the heat, and fragments of shell rained down on the town. Plaines and columns of thick smoke shot up from the arsenal, and the military authorities promptly ordered the evacuation of all bouses in the neighbourhood. Firemen were rushed to the spot, a lid it was only by the greatest exertions that they were able to prevent the (lames Teaching a powder store. No loss of life seems to have been incurred.