CHRISTCHUECH MARKETS. CHRISTCHURCH, January 18.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Issue 35, 21 January 1899, Page 2

CHRISTCHUECH MARKETS. CHRISTCHURCH, January 18.

t CATT&R. There was a mixed yarding of beef, comprising 224 head, which proved too much for tiade lequirements, and a diop of lsper 1001b ensued. North Island bullocks sold at £8 to £8 15s, Canteibmy steeis £5 5s to £8 10s, heiiers £3 5s to £5 10&, cows £3 5s to £6 ss. Per IOOJb good to piime beef brought 16s to 17s 6d, »thei down to 12s 6d. A. large entry of good stores met a better sale. Four-\ earold bullocks lealised £5 os, do. spayed heifers £4 10s, 2-\ ear-old steeis £2 5» to £2 Us, yearlings 25s to 355.

' SJTEBF. Fully 8000 sheep came to hand. Good shaight hues of fieezeia met keen competition at from 126 to 14s lid, unfinished lines down to 11s. Theie were too many ewes for the trade aad an irregular sale, many being i nken by graziers. Best heavy sorts aold at Ids to 12s 9d, medium 8s to 9s 6d, and others down to 6s. Just upon 5000 fat lambs were in, including several good lines. Thernaiket \witt somewhat upset by the cable that the London uiaiket for prime Canterbury lamb opened at 4§d, but buyeis tried to buy on this basis, but failing to do so laised their limits, and although several lines are going to the factory on owner's account, last •week's rate* were trpheld for best, but owners wer* weaker by 6d to 9d. There was a miied entry of wore sheep. All clas&e3 except lambs, which dropped Is per head, met a good sal 3 : freezers at lid Od to 13s, others down to 7a 6d ;

4-tooth small wethers 8s Id, others up to 11s 4d, 2-tooth do. 9s lOd to lls 4d. small mixed 2-tooths 7s lid to 9s Id, dry a{?ed ewes 6s 7d, younger sorts 9a Id, lambs 6s 4d to 9s 4d,

PIGS. There was a small jarding of pigs and a good demand for fats on a basis of 3£d per Ib.

Lyddite shells were employed by our artillery in attacking Omdurmann, Their powers for laying waste everything in sight for a larger area round than any other explosive known, Weight for weight, are terrifnc. When the shell is fired the Lyddite explodes and causes such violent vibrations within 400 yards that solid masse Q of masonry are reduced to dust, while the flame accompanying the explosion is so fierce as to set a fire which it is almost impossible to extinguish, even supposing the apparatus to be on hand unharmed and ready to attack the blaze at a moment's notice. This, however, Would hardly be possible, considering that a shell which burst among 118 men assembled in an iron mosque beside the Mahdi's tomb left only twelve alive. Lyddite is manufactured from the principal ingredient of all coal-tar oils, carbolic acid. This is treated with nitric acid—the resulting product being picric acid, a terribly explosive substance. The powers of picric acid are well known ; but difficulties of handling prevented its use until the inventors of Lyddite solved the problem by fusing it and so increasing, its power tenfold. There were many risks ; but they were overcome, and fused picric acid, or Lyddite, can -now be easily handled. Burned openly, Lyddite vanishes quickly, with a bright flame, but ..without violent explosion. It is only when''confined *nd exploded by detonation that its destructive "powerg are exhibited.