COLLISION OF IRONCLADS.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 143, 8 April 1873, Page 2

COLLISION OF IRONCLADS.

Tun lff\ lffn Jloniim/ ypiv> h.is receive 1 from an officer of the Northumbci land the following account of tbe collision — "Madeira, Christmas day. — We were lying atsingl* Anchor, nding by our poit cable, at 3 4.) this morning when our cable parted closo to the bitts, the wind blowing fresh at a force of about six, but in squalls. Fortunately there was a very active and {efficient officer of the watch, who immediately ordered the starboard anchor to be let go, which was done with good despatch. Unfortunately our tiius weie only banked tor ordinary purposes, that is, that under ordinary circumstances steam ought to have boen got up m .1 little under an hour's tune, but under the good arrangements and management of the engineer stall, steam was up and the engines- were ready to move in twenty minutes fiom the time the cable parted. However, this \vi9 not esily enoujrh. as before the engines were ready we had dropped on top of the Hercules, her jibboom going right thiough our after-funnel. We then dropped down alongside the Hercules, side to side. Our anchor that we had lot go then brought us up, and the Hercules, veering her c ible, dropped clear of us. We carried away the jibboom and foro-top-galhnt mast of a the Hercules, and the only damage done to 0111 solves was some of our boats' davits cartied away, some throe boats damaged, and our after-funnel damaged. We were all congratulating ourselves on the very little damage done, and got again (juiekly to bed about 5a m. However, at breakfast time this morning we perceived that this ship had a good list to poit, and on examination two of the compartments in the ship's side were found to be full of water. It appears that we dropped on top of tho Heicules' prow, which we now believe has made a large hole in our side. Up to the present time we have not bVen able to discover eithtr its siza or position, so it is unceitam the amount of damage we have received ; but from the large How of water it is l>e.r heved that the hole must be a large one. The weather is somewhat wild, with some sea on, so we have not yet been Able to send a diver down ; till wo do, the amouut of damage done cannot be asceitained. It is most fortunate that we fell foul of the Hercules, as had our second cable been carried away we should most probably have drifted on to the shore, ilad such been the ease, nobody can tell what would have become of us. We are now the third iionclad of the fleet of six; which is shaky about the bottom. The Belkropiion fiom the collision with the ilinotaur ; tho Sultan, from having touched the ground, it is supposed, at Ferrol ; and now ourselves. 1 cannot conclude tins without diawiig attention to the advisability of sending an iionclad tleoc to such an anchoiage ai Funchal at such a period of the year a» tliu, with no sort; of harbor or protection in bad wtather. '

Referring t ) the telegraphic iinnouncemeut of the marriage of Sir Jain's li 1 ! i\;ius ni, tlie Melbourne lfrraUl of the 15th instant mentions that Miss Kiclnimn, the bride, pos'e-scs great personal attractions, ami is understood to havo a lbrtuno of £50,000. There 13 some ro.nanco m this alliance. Miss Rich man was for many yeaiv> engaged to her cousin, n Mr Fleming, and affairs went smoothly enough during the time that Mr Fleming remuiued in the oolon\ . lie took a trip to Europe, however, and during hi-> absence Sir J anuy Ferguson saw the ladj, and admired her, and bought her hand. It would be difficult to say whether the lady at first reciprocated thii attachment. Sir James Btcms, however, to lutj won the good opinion of tho joung lady's guardian, her uncle, a rich Moonta proprietor. lie favoured the distinguished suitor's addresse*, and finally Missßichman gave her consent. Sir James leit lor England, and shortly afterwards Miss llichman followed, accompanied by her guardian. They had scarcely left Adelaide when young Fleming arrived, and Ins constern.iUon was givat at finding that the dove had flown, and that Mi*,s llichman was on the way to Europo to become LadyFergus»on. The bride's fortune, it is understood, is not held iv her own right, but is a marriage (portion bestowed by tho unclo and gu u\liau. The well-known Mr Edwin James, sometime a Queen's Counsel and M P. for Manleboue, who was " diabai red " by the Society of the limei Temple, upon certain charges being profound against him, and afterwards weut to the United ."states, has lately returned to England, and has pel itioucd the Judges to reinstate him iv his position at the Bar. The Judges have appointed 20th February next for the hearing of the petition, and have given notice accordingly to the Society of the Inner Temple. Mchrv Technicalities ot? Law. — In the recent appeal case in England of the London Chartered Bank v. Lcinpricrie, it is* related that when tho case came on for argument it was found that a person interested m it ought to have been made a party and be properly represented. Under ordinary circumstances tho case would be adjourned, he would be .summoned to appear, and the ca>o would then proceed. Uut it was known that he was in Australia, and the question arose how ho was to bo summoueJ. There was indeed a lino of telegraph, but the case books contained no precedent that would warrant its use in this emergency. On looking into the matter it was found that lie had been an insolvent, and was probably, therefore, a commercial man. ! Tins hint at once brought the c.ise within the scope of a ! recognised mode of procedure. The hearing was adjourned fora month, a notice calling on this man to appear was posted up 011 (lie Koyal E\eliangc — the notice posted in ; London and he 111 Australia — and at the end of the tune I it w.is held that the requirements had been duly complied I with, and as n> appearance of the party was made, the case win piwoede I with in Im absence. l<]\ I'll Tisrr Rri'Oiiif mj ---List sunnier, at one of our water. n;; place-, a brut was upset with scicral people 011 board, bill, 1 -: f r-u\m<.', everybody rcaciipd shore iv safct) A rounlrt |iiik.i\ alter giving tile detail-*, -uuuN up its description Imih - -' i'.ianks Id t ! ie and aUtvity displayed by the boatmen, nobody was lost. Indeed, one I woinivi more was saved thun had bcon iv the boat."

Charles Kjan said a b il horss is hko a poor play ; it cart run, and it won't draw. Why is a man wlio marries an heiress a lover of music 9 Because lie marries for-tnne. Tcnj:fttl Lyhe. — A uiusic-teashcr who does not keep bis engagements. The man who attempted to oat his dinner with the fork i of a river sprained his foot while attempting to spin a } mountain top. A seaport paper tells of a skipper who thinks it curious • that such a little tiling as his barometer " should influence the weather." The copyright of KcWs Christian Year is alxmt to evpire At least one edition, besides those published by Messrs Parker, has already been announced. This will be the 152 nd edition. The death of Dr Lushhgton wai announced in the columns of a local contemporary by the following bewildering ( jlegram : — " Le Docf<»ur Lii^hmgtou a etv condainnea inort d'apres une decision de la cour d'Ainirantc." (Dr. Lushmgton has been condcinnc I to death in pursuance of a deeiiiou of tho Admirallv C'jurt) — Swi's Ttm-i. There is now living at'Liymorc, a hamlet a few miles from Bndport, m Dorsetshire, an old lady who is now m her 101 year. She was born in May, 1772, ond married a man namacl Stanton, m 1797, who died about 16 years ago. Mrs Stanton has a small army of children, grandchildren, grcatgraudchildreu, and great-great-grandchildren scattered mort or less throughout the globe. She retains all her faculties, with tho exception of being rather deaf, bhe ib a great smoker ; even in bed her pipe is her companion. The Law Review says that u magistrate, whose zeal in all refractory and pbiuntrophic matters hove been conspicuously developed, was lately congratulating some of his brother justxis on the groat 'damnation of crime effected by recent legislation. In confirmation of his opinion he appealed to the clerk, "Do you uot think Mr , there has been a great diminution of committals during the last 12 months ?" " Thank God, no, sir," devoutly exclaimed the clerk, who, it is neodless to add, was paid by fees. A terrible crime has been committed at Belleneuve Castle (Cote d Or). The cure of the parish, a man nearly eighty, did not appear at hw ordinary hour to perform morning j mass, and a messenger was bent to his house to know the reason. The old man was jound 1\ ing insensible and covered with blood. MedicaLaid was liniucdiaUly procured, and he was restored to consciousness, when he stated that on the previous, caning an individual called at the house and said that in* aiis born in the parish and required a certificate. While the priest was scaiching the register tho man drew from under his coat a hatchet, and struct him several blows on the neck and back of the head, leaving him sen&cless. Tho assailiant then carried off all he could lay his hands on and fled. No trace of him has been found as yet. A Sottvkxib.— The Southland Neios says—" We have to acknowledge receipt of an affecting sonvenii — from, we presume, one of the theatrical levanters — in the shape of a neat ' shilelagh,' weighing something less than iourteen pounds. It caiue Hp from the Bluff as a parcel, addressed, ' Neios office. Glass — w ith care.' A label attached bore, the following inscription ; — ' In re G'Brieu. Accept enclosed insthrumint as security for amount dve — or as paj ineiit m full. Dr O'Toole. .Storm Bird, Ist March, 1873." We intend to give ib a conspicuous place among the articles of viitu that adorn our sanctum." Tho Yankee, esnecially ho of the Connecticut variety, is unquestionably an extremely ingenious person, and has given to the world a large number of exceedingly useful inventions. His last effort is, perhaps, the most ingenious of all his inventions, though there may be some doubt as to its practical usefulness. The naked 'condition of our trees during the winter months is h$ no means attractive, and it is, therefore, a benevolent idea of a particularly benevolent Connecticut person, to prevent the falling of leaves by the artificial warming of the trees. He asserts that a system ot steam pipes twining among the roots of shade trees, and kept hot by steam from an ordinary furnace boiler, will h«vc the effect of persuading the trees that the cold of December is merely a delusion, and that it would, therefore, be folly to lay asside their summer foliage. It is not known that this plan has been tested by actual experiment, and it is possible that the ateiage trees may decline to be deceived by the device of artificial warming. — yew Yuk Times. CiiEAncnt a>-i> PnrsroT.ooicAi, Effects oy Tobacco Smoke.— M. Gustavo Lebon, of Paris, has just issued a. treatiso upon the physiological effects of tobaecco smoke upon the human system, the author having first- constructed a variety of apparatus by w Inch he has been enabled, he sa^s, to collect and show with exactness tho various elements of smoke which condense and deposit themselves on the organs of the smoker. One hundred gi amines — 1,500 grains English troy — of French tobacco iurnisb, says 11. Lebon, 0.550 grains of nicotine and 0 190 grains ol ammonia, able to act upon the coatings of the mouth, the windpipe, or the pulmonary ducts. Tobacco of the Levant are least dangerous, sonic of them possessing but u sraali trace of nicotine. In small closes tobacco smoke instantaneously excites cerebral activity and the intellectual forces, find facilitates digestion. In execssne and irequently repeated doses, it produces difficulty of digestion, benumbed intelligence, and clouded memory. PvECll'L TO 3IAKI A F VSIIIO> AITLE "WcrWAX Tal»e 991brt of flesh and bones— but chicUy bones— bore holes in the ears, cut off the simll toes, bend the back to conform to tho Grecian Bend, the Boston Dip, the Kangaroo Droop, or the Saratoga Slope, as the taste inclines ; then add three yard ■» of linen, 100 jards liiflles, 75 jards of edging, 18 j aids of dimity, one pair of silk or cotton, hose, six yards of flannel, embroidered, one pair of Balmoral boots with heels tlnee inches high, 41b of whalebone in strips, 2GO yards of steel w u-e, hall" a mile of tape, 21b of cotton or wire hemispheres, 50 yards of silk or other dress goods, 100 yards of point lace r 100 yards of fringe and other trimmings, 12 gross oi button ■>, one box of pearl powder, one saucer of carmine, one bubhel of "store" hair, frizzled and (fretted a la maniaque, one quart of hair pins, lib of braid, one lace handkerchief nine inches square, with patent holder, perfumed with attar of roses, and — "clear the track." — New York Science of Health. Junius Henii Browne, who while a war-correspondent, saw about a dozen men die eveiy day, shows conclusively, in an article to the Galaxy, that death has no terrors fo^ the dyiny. Poisons produce stupor, which passes into oblivion. To be killed outright, by a *un- ihot w ound is easy. Death by falling from n height is unattended by a BiDgle throe. "Of falls of this kind I have had my share," says Mr Browne. Freezing to death is positively pleasant, and Frenchmen in search of amusement are known to be habitually hanging themselves— careful instructions being given to their \alets as to the precise moment for cuttiat; them down to pre\ent the final extinction of the vital spaik. Nobody but Mr Biowne m ould have dared to put the rider of the " Pale Hoise " on ihe pleasant and social footing of a rather desirable visitoi . Hisjapei is exceedingly well written, a-bouuds in apt illustmtion and vivid reminiscence, and is- convincing as far as it concerns the dissolution of, as Artenms "Ward used to say, " any othei man." .lrsr UKu Napoleo.v you kxow\ j — A most amusing scene, sa^s tho Daily Times, was enacted dur.ng the taking of evidence in a case of Sjan at the mayor's court recently. Byford, tho official who has charge of the railway gates at the Stuart-street jetty, gave evidence as to seeing the accused looking about tho locality, and in the direction of the Water of Leith, u couple of da^s prior to the day on which Farrel was shot. Mr Barton, in cross-examination, questioned witness as to persons that he had at tunes remarked aboui the locality. Witness had seen lawyers m full canonical!, outside the Court, Mv Barton included, but lie had nevev noticed that Mr Barton was taking his smoke, lie had never seen llr James Smith taLinp the air on the Stunrt-fetrect jetty. " Did you ever," said Mr Barton, " see Mr Macassey walking down tho jetty with his hands behind his backjust like Napoleon you know ? " This comprnwo.i caused great (laughter — even the ener laughed whilo he eried — "silence," as Mr Barton illustrated his meaning by an amusing bit of pantomime. Witness, who was apparently taken aback by the unexpected comparison, did not state w hether he had ever seen Mr Maeassedy on the jetty, but replied to Mr Barton by saying " I never saw Napoleon," w Inch he brought out in such a way that tho crowd in the Court laughed loudly and heartily again. Nyukow Escape oi? aStuymkr. — Tho steamer Mont Cen is, owned by Messrs Good Brothers, Hull, has armed at that port after a most disastrous vo\age. The Mont Cenia left New York for Antwerp on the 12th of December. On the 20th of that month she was overtaken by a violent gale, and tho ship was struck by u succession of heavy teas, which cleared the deck of e\eiy movcablo thing, and washed Ihe captain o\ erboard. tie was- not seen after he went over tho vessel's side. In the forenoon of the tame daj, just after Mr Barrett, the chiof officer hal taken chaige, the steamer shipped a very heavy sea, which washed away one of the deck- houies, tilled the saloon with water, and sto\e m the main hatches. It was found necessary for the safetj of the ship to nail canvas over tho entrance to the saloon, and in tho same manner the unasked hatches were protected. During tho rest of tho day it was necessary to run tho vessel before tho wind." Towards night' bcth wind and ram increased in furj. About midnight a mountain wave broke on board the, vessel carrying away he inainyard and completely destroying four out ot the six boats. The officers' berths under the bridge were also very greatly damaged, and much of their personal property was destroyed. On the morning of the 21st ot December the weather so much moderated that it was deemed safe to enter the saloon, and the canvas was taken away from the entrance. Tho cabin was found to be a complete wreck, nnd ni'rr'y nil the pnnUious on board the ship hod been dislro\ed by saltwater. A few tins of preserved meat, a Muall piece of baron, and a few pounds of oatmeal, formed tho wlio'e supply of provisions that could be collected— a full allowance of about three dajs for the 33 hands. At this time the vebsel w.is 1,500 miles from Lisbon, the nearest port, and she was leaking at the rate of eight to ten inches per day. Tho crew were at once put on short allowance, and when the ve«el arrived at Plymouth niobt oi tho nun had but 11 1 1 30 hours without fond. Airesli supply of stores was lakui in at Pl} mouth, and tiic 100-ci resumed her \ojage.