ARRIVAL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2470, 28 February 1893, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Arrived—R.M.S. Mariposa, from San Francisco, February 3rd ; Honolulu, February 11th; Samoa, February 18th. Passengers: Messrs Harris, Brown, Davis, Burdekin, Mrs Harrison, and 4 in the steerage. She had an uneventful passage. Mr R. L. Stevenson the novelist, and family, are through passengers for Sydney.

GENERAL SUMMARY. (Dates to Feb. 25.) Thirty deaths from starvation occurred in Great Britain, including London, during the year 1892. The London Times of January 30th says the Treasuay has issued a warrant for the arrest of Jabez Spencer Balfour, now in Mexico, and will ask Mexico to send him over the frontier into territory covered by an extradition treaty. An English detective will be at the spot when he crosses the border and arrest him. Balfour is regarded as the head and front of the Liberator Building Society frauds. An attempt to settle the Lancashire otton strike has been abandoned, says a London despatch of January 20th. At a conference held by millowners and representatives of the operatives, the latter submitted a proposal to resume work at the rates prevailing before the strike, and to accept a 5 per cent reduction in wages at the expiration of the quarter, if the employers found the profits unsatisfactory. The millowners refused this, and the operatives on their part refused to accede to the proposals of the millowners, which the men claim aro all in favor of the employers, and consequently the fortnightly conference to arrange the question at issue has been stopped. SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDENT. On January 15th, at Alton Junction, on the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and St. Louis railroad, occurred one of the most fearful railway collision accidents ever recorded. The south west limited united train from the east ran into an open switch station, crashing into a train of freight cars containing a number of oil tanks. Some of the tanks exploded, scattering oil all over the wreck, which immediately caught tire. Before the flames were subdued four freight three oil tanks, a baggage car, and the. locomotive of the express train were completely destroyed. Just .is the collision occurred the fireman of the express train leaped to the ground and escaped with slight injuries. The engineer, Ross, remained in his car and was carried through the wreck. He was pinned between the tender and boiler, was covered with oil from the burning tanks, and.was literally boiled to death The passengers of the express train escaped with a bad shaking-up. The crew of the freight train also got off unharmed. At noon the flames reached and expladed the gasoline tanks, killing eleven persons and injuring nineteen others. There was a crowd of spectators, aud the flaming liquid was showered over t.hem in all directions, and the air was filled with agonised howls and cries for help. SHIPPING DISASTERS. The British barque Norwich waa abandoned at sea, according to a London despatch of January 9th, while on a voyage from Philadelphia to Dunkirk. Part of the crew, who were taken off by a passing vessel, had arrived at Havre. They had a terrible experience. On December 20th the barque encountered a fierce hurricane; the weather was bitterly cold, and everything was covered with ice, Captain Hillon was fatally injured by a falling spar. The day after his death a tremendous sea boarded the barque, carrying overboard the first officer and two of tho crew. Shorthanded, and with the barque making water, the second officer deoided to stand for the Azores. The situation became worse, and finally it was decided to abandon the barque, when a vessel hove in sight and book the crew off.

For sixteen days (says a Hamburg despatch of January 31st) three sailors rescued from the Norwegian ship Threckla subsisted on human flesh. The three •itrangled a fourth companion, and lived on raw strips of meat cut from his corpse, ifrom the time of their rescue until 31st January these unfortunate have been insane from their sufferings in the rigging of the foundering ship. Two of them recovered sufficiently on the 31st to tell their story. The ship was in heavy weather from December 2nd, when she left Philadelphia. Her decks were flooded, the deck-houses and rails were 3wept iway, and the steering apparatus broken. Whon it was found that there was no hope of bringing the ship into port, the muster, mate, and eight seamen got into a boat. The other boats were smashed by tho waves before they could be lowed. Nine men were obliged to remain in the rigging. They were unable to get food from below, and, live of them, made insane by exposure and starvation, jumped overboard. The other four remained aboard from December 22nd until January ?th, the day of their rescue. On the thirteenth day Ipts were drawn to determine which should be killed and eaten, and the lot fell twice in succession to a Dutch sailor. He was strangled and devoured raw by the others. The only drinking water tlfp searagn got was dew they licked from the ropes.