NEWS BY MAIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 89, 5 October 1911, Page 7

NEWS BY MAIL.

BATTLE WITH BEES. WOMAN'S STRUGGLE WITH AN INSECT ARMY. London, August 16. Mrs. Julia Wash, a resident of Tollesbury. Essex, hearing a neighbor's dog making a strange noise recently, went to where it was chained in the yard. She found it covered with wasps and bees, and in great agony. Mrs. Walsh let the dog loose, and the insects then attacked her to such an extent that she fainted. The dog became unconscious and had to be shot. Its mouth was full of insects. The bees were wild ones, and had been attacked by the wasps and driven out of their nest, the fight being continued outside till the opposing forces settled on the dog. BOMB WITH A TAIL. STRANGE PROJECTILE FOR A NEW GERMAN GUN.

Berlin, August 14. Some interesting experiments have recently been carried out by the German military authorities at Doberitz with a new type of siege gun constructed by Messrs Krupps. According to present •'siege technique," the artillery of an attacking army has had to cease bombarding the enemy's entrenchments as soon as the storming infantry gets to close quarters, otherwise the stormers are likely to be shot down by their own guns from the rear. The new gun has been devised to overcome this difficulty. It has an extremely narrow, unrilled bore, and is of very light construction, easily capable of being carried by two men. and it is intended to he carried in the front lines of the advancing infantry. Its most remarkable feature is its projectile, which consists of a round bomb of great diameter loaded with a very powerful explosive mixture. The bomb is of far greater diameter than the bore of the gun which throws it, and is provided with a long stick-like tail which is loaded into the barrel of the gun, its lower end, which is enlarged to a wad or piston-like form, resting on the guncharge at the bottom of the barrel. The bomb itself merely lies on the gun muzzle, quite outside the bore itself. On being fired, the trailing stick-like tail serves to keep the bomb in its proper direction of flight, and only detaches itself and falls to the earth after a certain distance has been covered, leaving the bomb to pursue its course alone. The experiments have shown that a reasonable precision can be obtained with the new missile up to a distance of 300 or 400 yards, and the bomb, which, owing to its great content capacity, is capable of great destruction, serves not only to prevent the defenders emerging from cover, but also to make great breaches in their entrenchments or fortifications.

At the same time, experiments have been carried out at Doberitz with a new form of hand grenade designed to effect the same purpose.

THE WAR GAME. IMAGINARY BRITISH ARMY OF 80,000 IX FRAXCE. Paris, August 13. The manoeuvres of the French army for the year will take place in the district around St. Quentin, Bethel Cernay. and Compiejrne from September 12 to September 20. The operations will he divided into two periods of three separate days with one day's rest as an interval. The number of troops taking part will beabout' RO.OOfI, and during the two periods of the miniature war both armies Will be provided with dirigible balloons, while a section of the French aeroplane fleet will also participate. : ! In the second portion of the manoeuvres I 'the whole body of 80.000 men will Operate-against a supposed enemy. The theme is as follows:—War has broken "out in ' Europe, and England has come to tmVdielp of France. In addition to sea operations England has landed an •army of SO.OOO men at various points between Calais and Dieppe. These troops are concentrated in the Somme district, and are pushing on towards the German ami Belgian frontiers to engage a supposed enemy. Therefore the SO.OOO men under General Menestrel will represent a .British army.

'■ ' BROTHER'S HEROISM. TWO LITTLE BOYS STTFOf \TED BY SMOKE. London. August 10. Two young boys were suffocated by the smoke from a fire which broke out apparently in a draper's shop under their home in Bislioptborpe road, Y T ork. The fire, which was discovered bv a policeman, spread with great rapidity, and escape by the staircase from tlie upper moms was cut off. These were occupied by Mrs. Millar and her baby and three sons—Tames (aged eighteen), William (aged nine) and Mark (aged si*).

James was the first to be awakened by the policeman, and lie roused his moiher. who carried her baby to a backbedroom. He then went to his two younger brothers, who were sleeping in another room, and told them to remain near the window. Returning to his mother, he. with the assistance of a neighbor who had scaled a ventilating shaft, lowered her and the Imb.v by means of a sheet to safety.

doing then to the other bedroom, lie found his two brothers missing, and was forced by tlie growing density of the smoke to beat a retreat and made his escape bv the back window. The dead bodies of the boys were eventually found in their room.

TWO MEN KILLED OX A DESTROYER. SPECTATORS OX SHORE HAVE DRAMATIC EVIDENCE. London. Align.-:t Ifi. Two men were killed, four other seriously injured, and another slightly injured by tin- bursting of a steam-pipe on I lie iorpedo-lioHt dc-d rover Kangaroo during -peed trials oil' Peachy Head. The occurrence, seen through telescopes from th" shore at Eastbourne, was dramatic in the extreme. At. full speed the destroyers were racing towards Portsmouth, when suddenly ji liu.se volume of steam shot upwards' from the stern of one of the vessels. A moment after (he flotilla slowed down, and rapidly came to a stands! ill, ami a lillle later every Hag was at half-ma,f. Presently the parent cruiser Topaze was seen to detach herself from the flotilla, aTid make towards Portsmouth at full speed. She carried with her the injured, who had been taken aboard as tenderly as possible. ' A steam-pipe, it was learned Tat-er, had burst on (he Kangaroo, Idling (he \ hold with scalding steam, killing hvo J men and badly injuring the four others. > The following ollicial list of casual! ies | was issued by (lie Admiralty: —Killed : Thomas Henry lhitlield (chief stoker). | Ernest William Fryer (stoker, lirst- | class). Injured: Daniel Prosier (stoker. | petty o(licer). Henry Element (stoker, f first-class), Walter Rapkins (stoker, first-

class), William Roby (stoker, first-class). The injured men were conveyed to Haslar Hospital. One man, Thomas Hartley (stoker, first-class), was only slightly injured, and remained on the | Kangaroo. i The Kangaroo is a vessel of 380 tons, and is commanded by Lieutenant and | Commander A. L, Coke, j