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imlley door.
THE PENNY ILLUSTRATED PAPER
Nov‘. 26, 1881
Six of the passengers who were on the steenige
deck at the time of the explosion were literally
enveloped by the flames, and before the unfortunate
people could esrapa from the fire which surrounded
them, their shriek: of terror and screams of agony
were silenced in ti terrible death. The rest of the
Ppasscngcrs and crew, some fcarfully burned, fled to
the stern of the vessel. Five peisons left the steamer
in a small boat, namely-lVm. II. Fry, second mute,
sun of the captain; Ilenry Ilull, Roderick Maclcnn,
and Charles Colo, sailors; and 0. pixxsengcr rianicd
Piirkliouse, n shopkeeper carrying on busincsv at
Glasgow.
THE STORY OF CAPTAIIY FRY
gives the iiiost succinct account of the calamity. Tho
uinstor of the Solway deposed at the inquest that he
left Belfaist on the Tuesilziy evening, when the wind
was blowing very fresh. It continued so all night,
accompanied by heavy rain, until the “'cduesday
nioriiiug. At about five o'clock in the morning the
mate called him up on deck and said something had
, gone. wrong with the stmrage gear, and that the
vessel would not answer the helm. Ile witness)
iminodiately 0l‘llE.‘l’(‘ll up the second watch, and got
lights to discover the defect. They had three kinds
of steering gear on board for different modes of
steering. The vessel was it fore and aft schooner.
They had fl inainsail on the mizeri, but it was no
cod. The inate told him what was wrong, and he
tried to get the other steering gear on, but could not
move the helm, and on examination found that the
chain got jammed in the quadrant between the
deck, and consequently, could not act. 'l‘lia,vvssel
their rolled very heavily, and soon after the mate
reported to him that the ship was on lire. Witness
asked him to inform the passengers of the fact.
The forward part of the ship was almost imme-
diately nftcrivnrils on fire-in fact, in El blaze of light.
lie jumped down at once, and succeeded in closing
the galley door. The ship had on board ti. general
cargo. He could not name the items in it, but part
of it he knew to be pnrallin oil, and it was stored on
deck in the usual way. le was not aware that there
was an law against carrying it in that way. While
they were trying to fix the second gearing there was
a rumbling sort of noise. It was blowing u hear
gale,‘ and the vessel was rolling heavily, und not
being under any colnmunil she made more than
. ordinarily lioavy rolls, lie.-iviei‘ than if the rudder had
been all right. When the mate told him that the
ship Iva: Vs! tire he told the second mate to go and
tell the lmssenners, but he immediately ran back to
witness and said the place was on fire.
Captain I-‘ry liimself jumped down to close the
There were-only two pluces where
there were fires, and where ,the' oil could have
ignited-the galley and the stcei-age. ‘Xitiicss suc-
ceeded in closing the galley door, but the air was so
rudocating; that he could go no farther. He jumped
back to the ladder, and if he hail ‘had another rung
to go up he would have dropped. .
“ In it few minutes after the tire hogan (continued
witness) the starboard life-boat was on Grc. We got
hose and buckets, and tried to put out the fire in that
way 'I' re engineers stuck below till they were almost
sutlocatcd, and they had to return. first opening the
valve to prevent an explosion. “Kc did all we could,
but we could not go below. The sea was making
xi breacli over the deck, and there was about two feet
of water on deck. Everything moved from side to
side, and you could not move, or your legs would
have been broken. “'9 had to keep to the parts of
the vessel where we were. ftei‘ a great deal of
exertion one way or another we found that the water,
whicli at first seemed to be our greatest enemy, turned
out to be our best friend; for, after the oil had run
nut ninongst the water, the fire did not make so
much way. All the ‘houses’ around the steeuige
were of iron, and the consequence was that when the
light wood that was round the iron was burnt oi the
fire began to case a little.
" The starboard life-bout had been burnt. ‘Va
did our best to secure the port life<boa.t, which was
)ir>iii- to the starboard one ; and if we had to take to
i he lion‘. we must take it before the tire got to it. life
;ot the port life-boat out, but before we got it
lvJWt:l'(:(.l it was stove in; the quarter-deck boat was
put, I id four of the crew got into her and one pas-
ri.-ng More could have got into her, but she broke
away. That accounts for three boats out of thefour,
and the chances were that, if we had lowered the
I-Jurrli, it would have been served as the other: were.
I ordered the steward to get up the life-jackets, so as
to give it little confidence to the men.” Captain
I-‘ry ihcn detailed the steps taken to stop the ravages ,
of the fire until the arrival in Kingstown Bay.
The tire was entirely extinguislied at a late hour on
the 'l‘liui-sday evening, and danger of the whisky
in tlie.lio1d exploding was at an end. This was done.
by pumping into the middle and forward holds, and
both had nearly to be filled with water before the
fire could be put out. The cargo, a XII(!:l4 valuable
one, was thus almost entirely destroyed.
At the close of the evidence the lflngstovvn jury
(..‘pi'<-seed a vi"h that a careful exaniimtion of the
vessel should he made, so as to iisccniiiii the exact
number of btxlivs. Dr. Mr:l)ornintL accordingly made
nu l:X.'lIllll')3[ll)ll, and reported as tliorcsiilt that there
wtic tutu-teen bodice instead of tlurtcen, and that
the fourteenth was that of ii. child between four and
nine years of age. The inquest resulted in a. verdict
of accidental death.
Tl-IE1 MISSING BOAT.
' telegram from the Isle of Man received reveals,
it is to be feared, the fate of the five men who left
the Sol-way in a boat when the ship took fire. The
boat, in good condition, has been cast ashore at
Castlctown, but empty. '
THE FUNERAL OF THE VICTIMS
of the Solvvay contlagration took place last Sunday
afternoon at Dean's Grange Cemetery, near Kings-
town. The bodies, thirteen in number, that of
Corporal O’Kceife having been removed to Dublin,
were inclosed in eight coflins, some of which con-
t:i'u:ied two bodies each and others three, and were all
placed in the mortuary of St. .XLichael's Hospital.
The Rev. Mr. Flood performed the rites over the
remains of Chas. Byrne, in the dead-house, and the
bodies were conveyed to the heztrscs, which then pro-
ceeded to the cemetery. The friends of Charles
Byrne attended, as well as the whole crew of the
Scdway, lmder the charge of their Captain, Mr. ‘Vm.
Fry, and all the available coastszuurdsiuen of the
station, together with s llnrbour Masters’
Company. - ,
.-..+....
H.It.H. THE DUKE OF ALBANY
AND HIS BETROTHAL.
The Court Circular of Tuesday contained an an-
nouncement which was read with no little interest
throughout the country. The Duke of Albany, the
youngest son of the Queen, is about to be married.
The bride be him chosen for himself is
PRXNCESS HELENE OF
WALDECK,
daughter of the ‘ reigniiig Prince of Waldcck-
Pynnont, younger sister of the Queen of the Nether-
lands and niece of the Queen of Sweden. The
Princess was born in 1861, and is therefore eight
years younger than her future linsbrtml. She comes
of a Protestant family. already closely allied to two
of the reigning houses of Europe, and not un-
worthy to give a Princess to the Royal family of
England. ‘ I .
Of such a marriage there is little to be said beyond
the expression of a cordial hope that it may prove
to be 9. happy one. The career of the Duke of
Albany, though less prominent and conspicuous than
those of his older brothers, is neveitheless one which
the country has followed with peculiar interest and
sympathy. Delicate in health from his childhood,
though now we may hope enjoying the prospect of
more robust manhood, he has been to a great extent
cutoff from the active and hardy training which his
brother: have enjoyed. But by the exercise of a
sound discretion on the part of his parents, seconded
by his own riatural nptitudes and inclinations, the
physical disabilities of Prince Leopold have been
turned to excellent account in the more scholarly and
intellectual turn given to his education.
Prince Leupold, the youngest son of her Majesty,
was born on April 7, 1853; and was, accoldingly,
twenty-cip,lit when, in the spring of the present year,
he entered the House of Lord: as Duke of Albany.
"We have much pleasure in printing a portrait of his
Royal Ilighnssa, taken from the Electric Light
photograph of Mr. Vim dcr ll'eyde, in Regent-
street.
The 9flDI'llI’lll1 sale of IIonxnus’s Pun: Tu by some
4000A'4erirs ixihcrnists. kc.) at once testifies to the high
approval It ll.Ls reulisuil for its combined ly strong, delicious,
and iuvigoi-ating qualities.-[Anvi-
Sm, iiur ‘I'm.'I:.-The History of Mankind convinces us
that diszulrn are in reality stepping-armies for higher
progress. Ti) prewnc ciimn-aim uiseum fruln poisoned
blood use Ilxlfu lr‘nL'i1' H,iL'i' ' 2 run have I aim
and rnorerrlirieut rciiivdy. B I '
2 blood l'i>wi'cd to in healthy condition by
on
i . riml
illipintcul on by a w a
4:. (id. said by all Chemists.-[ ov-i-.]
Vn.uiim.v. Discovcixv sou rin Iliim.-If your hair is
turniriw grey, or white. or falhng oil. use “The Mexican
llair I'.eucvW'r," for it will positively restore in every case
grey or white hair to its original colour. without leaving
this Ilisugrreiihlc nincll of juust “ restorers." t
the hair charmingly beautiful, as well as promoting 3“
grow I! on where the glands are not decayed.
rice 25. 9d. and
“ The Msxiraunnir llenewer" is iiulrl b Chemists and
Perfumeiaeverywhere at 3:. 6d. per Botuz.-[Aovt]
on :il1’i.‘3lI11I2Ili.
m.....
T112 l‘B.0Sl‘2CTS OP run lilll)l’)LEllEN
in Ireland at present are anything but bright; the
future looks still more gloomy; and it is only justice
to say that the evils brouglit upon the country by
this class are now recoiling tenfold on their own
heads. The niiddlenian comes between the land-
lord and the working tenant. He holds the land on
lease from the head landlord at ii. rental which may
be safely !).S.sL1lllELl to be its fair, if not its highest,
value. IIe then sub-lots to the unfortunrite teiiant
at a rent which realises every large percentage an
the investment, and leaves the tenant to “ sweat and
groan,” am live a life inferior- to the very boast of
the ticld, so as tolet the landlord and the iniddleinan
live in luxurious iridolence. The land and" the
tenant are thus unjustly handicapped. The land
should, therefore, realise three profits-the land--
lord’s, the niiddleiu:1n's, and, by right, the tenant’s;
but the first two sweep awn any cliauce of the
tenant‘s gain. Ilitliervo the tenant fariner of
Ireland lived not for himself and his cliildren,bu1:
laboured and died for the landlord and the middle-
man.
in’ run LAND ACT
this latter cl =
inust eventual y be swept away. For, f
moderate estinicts, the rentals of Ireland , will be
reduced at the very least some 20 per cent, and, as very
few of the middlcuicii can screw it prelit of over ‘Z0
per cent out of their unfoytunate tenants, the l'lIiLllllP-
man's interest in his leHlVh0ld must in the not
distant future become nil, iinxl the niiildl<-niari him-
self a. ram aria in the country. ‘
This consequence o-
the Land Bill will be a. lasting benefit to the country.
The privili-gr.-s of a few should never be tn the pre-
judice of the many; and the entire abolition of such
a class is n tinc
ur-:Asv:ni: or Jv:s'r1c2 To run rnornz.
The middlemen themselves are fnresec-iiig their in-
evitable dcstruction, and, like rats in n scuttled ship,
are endeavouring to make good their escape by
selling out as speedily as possible. '
resent precarious position of landed "property in
li'elunil, few investors can be found williiig or foolisli
enough to sink their money in land, and so the
middlemen perforce will be compelled to stick to, and
sink with, the ship.
A Sl'B-INSPECTOR xx 'rirot'nLs. .
A sub - inspector, 11.1. Constabulary, namml
Rogers, county Clare, was cliarged at the Liinciick
Police Court, last week, with nssaiilriiig it man
named O'Brien during the conveyance to jail at‘ a
“suspect” arrested in that city some time since.
The accused was returned for trial. The utniost
interest was taken in the proceedings, the couri:
beingcrowded to excess. The n fl‘.-‘T.l‘:l(e’S dec iii
gave great srttisfactiou to the people, as-the polii-c in
Limerick latterly would seem to be Iavv-breakers
‘more than peace-preservers.
snot‘ DEAD.
A bailiff, named Luke Dillon,wns shot dead a short
distance from Ilullyliziunis, county Mayo, on ‘Ilium-
day se'miight. No lll'l.'L‘=tS have been made up to
the time I write. l
riirnonrt AND riorinr:uv.
Ari elderly maiden lady, named Goford, residing
at Killadeck, county llfexford, was mind dead in
bed on Sunday morning last, with marks of violence
on her neck. A trunk, in which‘ she was supposed
to keep money, was found in her room broken open,
and it is surmised that robbery was the motive for
the murder. ,
STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
For the past fortnight, I regret to report, ii,r;rerian'
outrages have been most numerous. ‘Midnight raids
for aims and violence to person in different parts of
the country are reported day after day, painfully
and positively proving that neither the Land Iiill nor
the Coercion Act has restored the tranquillity of the
country. The Land Bill is of little or no benefit to
Farmers who hold leases prior to 1870, and the
Coercion Act has given the police such rnnltifarious
duties to perform that they are utterly powerless to
pcrfuriir tlieirizisuiil duties and prevent such nun-ages.
'llic Irisli policeman of the present day cannot devote
his time to the elucidation of mysterious iiiurilcrs
or the capture of midnight marziuders. No: he lnis
been txunsfcrmed into B slcntli hound, to rfog the
steps of every petty village Land Leaguer, and
report to the Castle the ways doings nnd
paltry affairs of every village hero. Ilis powers of
vision through a keyhole and his ocuteness of hearing
through D slit in a partition have acquired the
importance of B science in the Force, and it is no
wonder that l‘0W.(lle3 are making best use of ihcir
opportuuities while the onerous (1') duties of the pre-
scrrcrs of the law occupy their attention elsewliere.
' JU-S’ I
I ,
“Kori-ic.i" cures for e or N i ‘ I: t‘-
Rlieurnatic Gout, Lumbage, ;lClnllE:‘,xr:T!l’Tm7Cl'he]l$l)‘l'li)nWl!flI;:
Oborn, 6.
pliiro, VVcstminstcr; Mn. 11. A. C0
-‘5;“’-: W-0 1‘ Iinzhnm. sci. 1’urtohcllo4road,'Nottin-gs
ml‘... Sold by Chemists, 2:. ad. and 4-. 6d.; by post of
Siixtglvrgpll-ax, and Co., Bloomsbury Mansion, London.-