Four Babies at a Birth

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 80, 25 June 1927, Page 7

Four Babies at a Birth

English Mother’s Quadruplets

When Mrs. Watson, wife of a Southern Railway carriage cleaner of Deptford, gave birth to four children —three boys and a girl—baby garments had to be hastily borrowed from friends. Mrs. Watson already has had two other children, and such a large increase in the family had not been expected. Having got over the first surprise at the arrival, Mr. and Mrs. Watson spent a good deal of time debating names for their quadruplets. The three boys were born first, and the girl last. The first-born of the boys was called Albert, after the Duke of York.

The girl, Betty, alter the Duchess. The second boy was christened Edward, after the Prince of Wales, and the third Leonard, after a relation. All four children and the mother are going along well. How to distinguish them was the first difficulty. “We’ve got over that in this way,” said Mrs. Watson. “The boys have blue dummies, and the girl pink. Albert we shall know by his colour. “Edward has a scratched nose, and we have tied a piece of ribbon around Leonard’s wrist.” Mr. Watson is chiefly concerned with how he is going to provide for his increased family.

“I have six children now/ he said. “The eldest, Ada May, is 11, and Henry Frederick 7. Our flat consists of a bedroom, a kitchen and a scullery. I have to sleep on the rug in front of the kitchen fire for the time being. “I was surprised nearly out of my life when the nurse told me there was more than one. She said something about the King’s Bounty, and I thought of three. “When I went into the bedroom and saw four I was speechless. “I just thought, ‘What is, is, and now they’ve come I hope they’re going to stay.’ I am going to be hard put to to provide for them, however. My wages are only £2 14s a week.”

behind Table Mountain, and advanced about three leagues into the country. I saw a little stream of fresh water winding in the open plain and losing itself in the sea at the head of the bay, where we are, at a spot where there is the great confluence of waters that we call the river, although we were of the opinion that no fresh water entered there. Having walked until near midday through the said lands, which are covered with grasses and beautiful flowers, I directed my steps so as to return along the mountain, and made for the foot of the Table, looking south. There I found many trees, some from which planks a foot wide and 18 to 20 feet long, could be cut, with trunks straight as pear trees, with whitish leaves, bark some two inches thick of a reddish colour ,sap in abundance, and a core white and hard. Much higher up I found several kinds of shrubs similar to those at home, such as sorrel, brake, and broom. From this mountain I discerned Cape Falso and the sea eastward of the Cape.

“Along the mountain there is an infinity of game, particularly partridges and deer of various form and size. Further away there are quantities of monkeys. marmosets, lions, lynxes, foxes, porcupines, ostriches, elephants and other animals unknown to us. On the way I did not perceive any savages, although we saw many of their enclosures, which appeared to have been occupied recently by considerable numbers of cattle and sheep. These, doubtless, had been withdrawn on account of us. Wretched Savages

“The inhabitants at this point of the Cape are, in my opinion, the most wretched savages that have ever been met with. They know nothing cf sowing. they possess no contrivance tor ploughing or cultivating the soil, they are unable to fish, and they would not venture their feet two paces in the sea. They are of very short stature, especially the women, and thin, and they seem ever on the point of dying of hunger. They eat certain roots, which form their chief nourishment. These roots are as big as little chestnuts and white, the stalk is like a leek, only narrowed and not dentated. It hears a white flower, and its taste is not unpleasant. They go. too, along the seashore seeking shellfish or some dead whale or other carcase. When bread is given them they swallow it promptly, and it would seem that they could eat of it as much as one gave them. They go to war with each other, it may be for cattle, though we have no knowledge that they eat them, unless, indeed, the animal be so thin as to be on the point of dying.