DEATH OF THE FLYING MAN.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 367, 19 September 1874, Page 2

DEATH OF THE FLYING MAN.

On 26th Juno a large number of persons assembled at the Creinorne Gardens to witness the ascent of M. dc Groof, the inventor of an aerial floating machine, in which he proposes to descend to the earth, after detaching himself from the balloon. M. de Groof, however, loft the land attached to the balloon, accompanied by his machine and with all apparent confidenc in his success. The machine is constructed of cane and waterproof silk. In appearance it may be represented by a bat's wings joined to a peacock's tail. Tho wings are 37 feet long, with an average breadth of 4 feet. The tail is 18 feet by 3. Both wings and tail are inserted into two hinged wooden frames. The upper surface is covered with prepared silk laced to each oane, twisted smd forming a rope as they approach tho, wooden frame. In the centro of these hinged frames is an upright wooden stand about 12 feet high, to which the wings and tail are attached. On tins stand M. de Groof takes his place, and by means of three lexers works both wings and tail, his power of propulsion being increased by a corded seat attached to the lover. This combination enables him to relieve the pressure on his hands. M. de Groof ascended. The apparatus was released when over a portion of Essex, and both it and tho balloon reached earth in safety. The experimentalist, however, met his death on 9th July, at Chelsea,! The balloon, with the parachute attached to it, ascended from Cremorne Gardens to a height of about half a mile, and was gradually carried by the wind towards the Fulhani-road. It then beg.vi to descend gently, and when near the ground the unfortunate man de Groof was seen standing up in the parachute. The balloon continued to fall, and when within about 200 feet of the ground cle Groof, no donlit fc.iving that the Siukleu descent of the car would crush him, cried out, "For God's sake cut the rope ! The balloonist complied at onco with tho request, and immediately the parachute whs released it was seen to invert. The unfortunate man fell to tho ground with a he^ivy thud, iind.wtta picked up dead.

MISCELLANEOUS. Dv Lankcster has held on inquest at Charlotte Street, Fitzroy square, respecting the death of Miss Cough, aged sixteen. The deceased, who suffered from pains in the head, went to an evening party in Brunswick square. Early the next morning she was found to be dead. There had been rupture of an artery and great effusion of blood on the brain. The coroner said it was a pity to say anything against so good an ecereise as dancing, but there was no doubt that in some cases it brought on apo- 1 plexy. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. Hay tablets, prepared in tho following manner, have been employed in France for some some time, as a convenient and portable food for horses. Hay and straw, very finely cut, are well mixed with qnshed oats or rye, and moistened with a solution of rapeseed or linseed oil-cake, and the mass again well worked, and then formed into tablets under pressure. A stone ginger-beer bottle, loaded with gunpowder and nails, and with a lighted fuse attached, was thrown, on the night of July 3, into the bedroom of five brickmakers in a lodging-house at Miles Platting, near Manchester. A loud explosion followed, the force of which threw two men out of bed The bed, which was overturned, was set on fire, but the flames were soon put out. The only lodger in- A jured was a lad named Lines, who was lather badly' scorched. The five men who were in the room are brickinakers employed in turning out machine-made bricks under a contract for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, and their doing so is known to have given great offence to the hand-brick-makers in the neighbourhood. We are glad to report the trade of obtaining German degrees for Englishmen to be in a flourishing condition ; the dealers are enabled to pay for their adt ertisements, and purchasers continue to be found. We have already published the price of Gleissen, Jena and Erlangen degrees (Gleissen Ph. D., £14 10s; L.L.D., £22 10s. Erlangen: Ph. D., £15 ; and Jena : Ph. D., .£l5), and we are ; now enabled to give the latest prices current for Rostock, in Mecklenburg Schwerin. An individual, professing to be the correspondent of the University of Rostock (which, it may be remarked, can only ' boast of 230 members) now circulates, "in strict confidence," of course, a printed tariff amongst those who replied to his advertisements, designating the original vendors of the degrees " a distinguished and ancient Prussian German {sic) University, estab- M lished at the commencement of the fifteenth cen- ™ tury." We subjoin the latest prices : — Ph. D. and M.A. together, £12 12s; (entrance, £2 2s, and diploma, £12 10); L.L.D., £17 13s; (entrance £3 3s, and diploma, £14 10s); and M.D., £30 3s; (entrance, £3 3s, and diploma, £27). The D.D. is granted as an honorary distinction to clergymen who have previously been customers. Fees equal to double the entrance fees are payable to the agent by the candidate, by way of commission, on the diploma being obtained, and if you assure the agent " that your intention is to proceed" for the degree, he will (in return, and without knowing who you are, or what are your qualifications) " assure to you the certainty of obtaining the diploma." We shall be glad to complete our list by including the prices current of any other University where degrees aio granted /// absentia, at fixed prices. — Mining Journal. Tbe following regulations, to be obsen ed in the^ Irish Parliament when it meets on College-green, are under consideration :—l.: — 1. The Speaker shall not spaak except when he is talking. 2. Such terms as "thief of the wunuld," "spalpeen," "nnger," "villian," " polthroon," " thraytor," " omadhaAvn," etc., and such epithets as "base," "brutal," "bloodyminded," and others named in the schedute to these .regulations shall be considered unparliamentary, except when used in the heat of debate. 3. An annual Budget shall be presented to the House once a quarter. 4. Shilelaghs, revolvers, and pikes shall not be introduced into the House except when accompanied by a member. 5. A member shall be bound to attend every debate. A member, however, shall be excused if he gets up in his place in the House and announces that he would be present were he not ill at home in bed. 6. A quorum shall consist of 40 members. Should a count-out be demanded, membei's who have been engaged in personal altercation shall not be included unless they are sufficiently conscious to utter " Erin go Bragh !" thrice distinctly. 7. Duels will be strictly forbidden. jShould any member, however, think proper to break this rule, it will be considered a breach of privilege if he does not invite the Speaker and the whole House to see the fan. 8. There will be only s one Speaker; but two or more members may be elected to the post. 9. Only one member shall address the House at a time, except when two or more wish to speak at once, in which case they shall not interrupt each other. 10. A member when addressing the House shall not wear his hat unless he has got it on his head before rising, when he shall remove it on any member directing the Speaker's attention to the fact. 11. Under no consideration whatever will the consumption of any spirits be permitted in the House. This rule does not apply to whisky, gin, brandy, and the French liqueurs. 12. As only the most elegant Dublin English will be spoken in the House no provincial brogue will bo tolerated. To this rule there will be no exception. — Punch. Improved w.iter-wheel : — By Nelson Conner, | Jalapa, Indiana. — This invention consists of a double wheel, comprising a horizontal wheel, receiving the water at the periphery and discharging it at the centre for the upper portion. Another wheel below receives the water at its centre from the upper wheel and discharges it at the periphery. The two wheels are contained between top and bottom horizontal discs, and separated, the one from the other, by a flat anular rim a little wider than the depth of the buckets. It is fitted at the outer edge with the bottom plate of the case, to form a joint to confine tho water to the upper wheel as it enters from the chutes. The buckets of tho lower wheel are arranged to discharge the Avatcr in the contrary direction to that in which it is received on the upper buckets, and in a manner to receive the reactionary force, while tho upper ones receive its direct action. The names and titles of his Siamese majesty, in the treaty recently concluded with the Government, of India, are :—": — " Somdetch Phra Parymindr Mali a Chulalong Korn Bodindthong Depaya Maha Mongkut Parusaya Ratorerayara-wiwongse Varntmawongse Pribat Warakattrya Rajanikradom Chaduranta Parom Maha Chakrabantiray Sangkat Poromdhanan Mik Maharaja Dhiray Poromnat Pobit Phra Chula Chom Klaw Chow Yuhua, Supreme King of Siam, fiifth of the present Dynasty, who founded the Great City of Bangkok Amartuc Kosindr Mohindr A^ uthia." Scene : Club smoking-room. First Young Swoll .* "Aw! Going anywhere?" Second Ditto : "No! Asked to ten 'hops' to-night! The idea has completely floored me !" Third Ditto : "By Jove !IS o been thinking of letting myself out at ten pounds a night. A fellow might recoup himself for a bad book on the Derby." — Punch. How to make a Sausage Roll quickly : Choose a full round sausage, the stiaighter the better. Place it upon a chopping board, close to youv hand. Tilt the board. The more quickly you do so, the moie rapidly will you make your sausage roll. — Ho net. Tho cnijageipent of Mdme Nilsson in Russia lias been •igned for two months instead of four. She will sing nt St Petersburg andj Moscow from October the 201 li to Dcfem« ber the 20tli, and immediately after will «o to Paris Mdino Nilsson is to receive) 112,000 finncs m jjolcl for sixteen performances.