Weekly Mail

r POCKET FOUNTAIN PENS, 2/ 8/ 4/- and upwards; STATIONERY DEPARTMENT, WESTERN MAIL LIMITED, CARDIFF. I Strongest and Best." qw 'w I Fry's J V Pure Coaoaatrafi I Cocoa ) Over joo I Gold Medals and Diplomat. I

,J!IVE THOUSAND PERSONS HOMELESS. ^^tch from Topeka states that disac- •Ml<l °ods occurred in that district. Houses few rm8teade have been ■wept away, and er.than 6,000 persons are now homeless. S^&Ht«*ri'n8 laBt wee^ were almost unpre- 1' and have caused floods in Indian fl«bra«ty' Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, ^ortJ» and Iowa- Fourteen deaths are i u* while 20,000 persons are homeless. 98eB sustained are enormoua In the a0<t c tracts houses, railway lines, bridges, have been destroyed. ries toId by the reBcaeir8 and the 6 lo add to horror of the situation. ha^?Jer report numerous coses of people a .fl0UE^lt refnge in- trees and on house- who remained' without food for two c«l(j' with rain and benumbed by B*nto the water Just when help i„ ~'aQd- In one case a mother with a l° a, t r arms' who had clung1 for two days J6' fainted when the rescuers ap- chi}d ed> and fell into the water with her were drowned. The rescued °U aocounts of the vigils they passed ^UUt 8 aaid in trees awaiting help in the vr°^hi°f tile 8wirling waters and the ap- th»- 8 flames, expecting every moment to *na eh?.1, lagt. Altogether 300 men, women, loj)B ~lldren were rescued yesterday from tree °f othQd from various building*. Hundreds "teajj, fr* still waiting for help. Two an°hes have been doing most efficient *n the afternoon on Sunday and at their °f night the rescuers lessened eav°urB t° save life, directing their oft father to conveying food to those cut zlil,t,order to enable them to withstand the be exposure. Moat active measures will *teaiD en hy boats of all Bor\s, including a *lrea<j to effect further rescues. All those the peo 8aved are comfortably housed in 2?'ra* aQd municipal buildings or have ^°lsea ni £ er in railway carriages and private telle ea. The condition of the survivors is that t!f 8UrPrisingly good, but it is feared 6 ^e numerous cases of *eceiv6^nia>- Many large offers of relief from outside have been refused. l0°.00o/ citizens here have contributed hto the relief funds. The Govern- >; ^^eleBg* offered to provide tents for the The TT OOLLAPSE OF A BRIDGE. IK JrliOn Pacific Railway bridge over the Mi0 w has collapsed, and 27 persons on the structure at the time are Stk 1/0 have been drowned. Fifteen ^Usa* JSad Previously been reported at ty aa the result of the floods. The «nrrt. caused by the floods and by the fires •a* cif Armourdale, a suburb of Kan- T* *s off by a> new river channel vWs v formed. The meat packers ^.aT.e snffered great loss. Thousands of e 8toc^ have been drowned. The S:-iblta.nts are prisoners. Five bridge* coa- i Kansas City (Missouri) with Kansas t %br??e down- E*act news of the loss of life yet be ascertained. The "Sun" oorre- ••tiinates the number of dead at 250, ,1r«> missing and 50 dyipg from expo-

DISASTROUS FIRE. ^^opeka telegram «f Saturday says: — ^°Peka, which is separated from the d by a flood, is on fire. Thirty of the ^e<l nta are known to be dead. Five hun- inhabitants of North Topeka are *Uver the reach of rescue. The Kansas f!f r's^ng three inches an hoar. Hun- ju Persons are missing. Seven thousand Deki leQ t'lousand inhabitants of North the from the deluge on Friday. Most .J°re-tr<i others are cooped up in the upper Son* ^urning town. The current ot th is 80 swi'fc that esoape is impossible *he t e whole town is apparently burning, i e by°Wn reported to have been set on j*1 the ^nrnins lumber which was afloat s?Uliti ri?f2r. Any figure as to the number of K?'6 ftr68 at Present mere guesswork. eaent estimates of the loss of life range k^ed0* 15C? and 2501 not including those cinders, the number of whom is un- t V, damage is at present estimated htir, J11511'011 dollars. The lire consumed 5. ed houses, while the foundations of A?'1Ay. lvla^le bnildings have been washed v/tef't, Nearly all the bridges are down. j^Hher rain had quenched the flames a It, ar again caught flre in the evening, hoi5 the houses on either side. The fire wever, unlikely to Bpread.

TRAGEDY ON THE VERONICA. RAU AND SMITH EXECUTED AT LIVERPOOL. The two condemned sailors of the barque Veronica, Rau and Smith, sentenced to death at the last Liverpool Assises for murder and mutiny on the high seas, were executed in Walton Gaol on Tuesday. A party of the crew, led by Rau, murdered the captain, officers, and some of the crew, seven alto- gether in number, and threw the bodies over- board. They then burned the ship and took to one of the boats, preparing a story to the effect that the Veronica had been shipwrecked and the missing officers and men had gone down in another boat. They reached Cajueira Island, and were brought back to Europe. On the way home the ship's cook, a. negro, told the ret^ story of the plot. A third man, Monson, w* sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted on the ground of his youth. After their conviction the condemned men maintained the same stolid demeanour which characterised them at the trial. They slept well, ate heartily, smoked with enjoyment, and joked with the warders. They seemed in no wise depressed by their coming fate. The pastor of the Liverpool German Church frequently visited the men in prison. At first they received his attentions with amusement. but towards the last the pastor succeeded in securing their attentive interest. No attempt to obtain a reprieve for the men was ever suggested. Rltu was given a drop of 6ft. 4in., and Smith one of 6ft. 9in. Death appeared to be instantaneous. It Is not yet known whether Smith left a written statement be- hind. The condemned men were early astir, and partook of breakfast in the condemned cells with the same coolness which had marked them since their conviction. The men were visited by the minister who attended to them during the past three weeks. They listened with manifest attention to his final exhortation. When Billington, the hangman, who was assisted by his brother, entered the cells, Rau and Smith submitted quietly to the pinioning process, and afterwards walkod firmly to the scaffold, where they stood side by side. Before the drop fell, Rau said in a deliberate voice: "I am innocent of the deati of these men." The execution was then promptly carried ont, death behig instan- taneous. The convicts, it is said, occupied the last few days in writing farewell messages to relatives in Germany, who were unable to come here to see them. Only officials were present at the execution.

SWORN VENDETTA. FULFILLED AFTER THIRTY I YEARS. A Daily Express Berliu telegram states that an extraordinary case of a long-delayed vendetta has been brought to light by the murder of an Armenian named Hadsi ibraim at Askabad, on the Trans-Caucasian Railway. Thirty years ago Ibraim killed another Armenian named Dshalalow at Van, in Asia Minor, when he was a youth of eighteen. Dshalalow's two brothers swore an oath to avenge his murder, and devoted the rest of their lives to the search for him. One of them died, but the other continued the hunt. jour- neying all through Asiatic and European Turkey, Persia, the Caucasus, and parts of Arabia and Central Asia. Finally> after more than a quarter of a century, he found ibraim at Askabad. and killed him promptly, hacking his body to pieces. He has been arrested, but the influential Armenians of the district are trying to save him. averring that it was his duty to fulfil the oath he swore over the dead v.r»dv of his murdered brother. TROUBLE BREWING.

A SENSATIONAL TRAGEDY. L ACCUSED MAN REMANDED IN CUSTODY. At Bow-street Police-court, London, on Monday, Paul Jules Martin, a French subject, 21, was charged, on a. warrant for extradition to France, with murdering Mme. Bertha de Brienne in a fiat in the Rue Chalgrin, Paris. The prisoner was arrested in Glasgow. On, him was found a quantity of jewellery, set MADAME BERTHA DE BRIENNE. _1 with precious stones, said to be the proceeds of the murder. The prisoner made a confession on his way from Glasgow to London, in which he alleged that he was persuaded to go into the dead woman's flat and leave the door open, so that another man, whose name he gave, could enter. At Bow-street accused made another statement, in which he said:- PAUL JULES MARTIN. I She had in her possession belonging to me a watch and ring. She refused to return the things to me, and there was a fight. I got frightened, and remember seiz- ing her by the throat in order to stifle her cries. The accused, who was smartly dressed, and perfectly self-possessed, entered the dock with a slight smile on his face. He was formally remanded to await the ex- tradition papers from France.

MAN CHOKED BY A WALNUT. A Paris telegram says :-On Monday a young man, riding on a tramcar in the Boulevard Haussmann, noticed a friend passing along in a cab a few feet beneath him. As the cab eame alongside the tramcar his friend yawned, and the, young man. for a joke, tossed down a good-sized walnut, which fell into his friend's throat. Immediately the latter's body writhed in pain, his face grew purple, and his hands wildly clutched the air. He was choking to death, the not having lodged far down his throat. Cab and tramcar were stopped, and the nearest doctor summoned. But it was too late, and the victim died in a few minutes. The perpetrator of the grim "joke," Abel Martin, 30 years of age, hat- been asked to hold himself at the disposal of justice.

ESCAPE FROM A POLICE-STATION. Robert Robin, an expert burglar, escaped from the Glasgow Northern Police-station on Wednesday. The turnkey, not being able to pass Robin's lunch through the cell àpy- window, opened the door. Robin rushed past him, swung open an iron gate in the passage, ran past the bar, and escaped. Robin is an Australian. When he was captured on Mon- day last in trying to crack a safe in Glasgow a set of tools used only by expert burglars was found upon him. The young man was re-captured on Wednesday night. He had obtained a new and complete rit out of clothes.

DEAF MUTE'S HOLIDAY IN BLACKPOOL. In the Edinburgh Court of Session Miss Lucy Florence Clegg, of York-avenue, Seacombe, is suing Mr. Alexander cnarles M'Gregor, grocer and wine merchant, Grangemouth, for £ 2,030 damages for alleged breach of promise of mar- riage. The plaintiff states that she is 2B years of age. In August, 1930. when she was employed at the Albion Hotel, Blackpool, aa a book-keeper, she was introduced to the ut defendant, who was spending a holiday in the town. He paid her marked attention, visited her many times at the Albion Hotel, and at the end of August asked her to become his wife. She consented. He bought her an engagement ring, afld the engagement was made known to friends and relatives. The parties regularly corresponded with each other, and the defendant paid frequent visits to the plaintiff at lioliiay and other times. He was received by her relatives as her intended husband. In addition to the engagement ring, at various times he gave her two rings, a diamond and pearl brooch, a gold watch and chain, a gold bangle, a sealskin cape, a set of sables, a bicycle, and sums of money. His letters were in affectionate terms, being generally addressed to My dearest Lucy," and closing Your affectionate sweetheart, Charlie," with "kindest love" and "kisses," or similar terms. In a letter, dated the lltli of January, 1900, he wrote:—"Please tell me when marriage would suit you." In subse- quent letters he referred to their engagement and the marriage, which he thought it would be best to have in a Glasgow hotel. In Feb- ruary. 1902, the plaintiff gave up a eituation in Dudley to prepare for the approaching mar- riage. The defendant put off fixing the date of the marriage, and in the latter part of 1902 be did not reply to her letters. She called at Grangemouth and went to his place of business, but did not see him. She denies that the defendant had occasion to resent her conduct while with him in Paris. He informed her parents and others that his income was between .E4.0M and £5.000 a year. The defendant states that he is a deaf mute, and that the plaintiff was a barmaid when she first spoke to him at Blackpool. Without prejudice to his pleas he has tendered R75 and expenses in settlement of her alleged claim. He says the maximum return from his busi- ness does not exceed JE700. and that he has no private means beyond JE100 worth of shares in a brewery company. He pleads that he did not contract to marry the plaintiff, but if he did he was justified in refusing to carry out his promise.

COUNTY-COURT SEQUEL TO A MONMOUTHSHIRE ACTION. It is said that the damages in breach of promise actions are rarely paid. Be that as It may, a case was heard before Judge Owen at Cardiff County-court on Wednesday in which Emily Thomas sued William Phillips, draughtsman, for JE140, due to her as damages I for "breaoh." The parties were understood to be residents in Monmouthshire. Mr. Geo. David, for the young lady, elicited from the defendant that he was at present living with his parents, to whom he paid 12s. a week for I his board and lodgings. His Honour: What are you going to do? Defendant: I can't pay more than 2s. a week, sir. Mr. David (ironically): He talks about 2s. a week, sir. I ask your honour to make an order for E2 a month. The Judge (to defendant): Yes, that is reasonable. You must find the money.

A CLERK'S LOVE AFFAIRS. At Bristol Police-court on Wednesday, Frank Foord, seventeen, a clerk, was charged with attempting to commit suicide. — Charles Galley, a motorman in the employ of the tramways company, stated that at 4.40 p.m. on the previous day, when driving a car through the Barton, in the direction of the Tramways Centre, he saw the prisoner jump upon the rear of a car which was ahead. He rode on the step for about 50 yards, and then jumped off, and ran into St. James's Church- yard. Witness saw him put his hands up to his throat, then drop a knife and fall back.- Police-constable 24 A spoke to being told at the infirmary that the wound in prisoner's throat was not serious. Foord said to him, "You would do the same if you were in love like I am." (Laughter.) — Further evidence showed that the lad had b^en engaged to a girr for eight or nine months, but there had recently been differences between them. Prisoner also told the officer that if the shops had been open he would have bought a revolver, and have made a "good job of it- he would have shot the pair."—Prisoner now said he had been drinking, and did not know what he was doing. He undertook to sign the pledge, and was discharged, a. relative being bound over as surety for his future good conduct.

COLLIERS GAMBLING. At Abercarn Police-court this morning Wm. Wilson, George Wittel, Robert Orchard, Samuel Toplas, Tom Kendell, Oharles Gadd, Tom Morgan, John Parker, Charles Bethel, and Henry Francis-all colliers of Newbridge, were summoned for playing cards in a public place at Newbridge on May 24.—Orchard pleaded not guilty, and all the others ad- mitted the qlfence.—Police-constable Jones stated the fat-ta of the case.—The Bench dis- missed the case against Orchard and also against Parker, whom they considered had been drawn into it* The other defendants were fined 40s., or a month, the Bench stating that they were determined to put down the evil practice in the district.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT THZ PONTYPRIDD SPORTS. Accidents of a more or less serious utm in connection with balloon ascents and para, chute descents were reported from varioui places in South Wales on Whit-Monday. At Pontypridd Captain A. E. Smith, of the firm of Messrs. Spencer and Co., London, met with « serious mishap, in consequence of which hi now lies at the Cardiff Infirmary in a pre- carious condition, lie was engaged to give 1 performance at the Taff Vale Park sports and made the ascent accompanied by hit wife, who is known as the Countess S." The event was watched by thousands of people on the common and the hillsides near the park. Both persons sat side by side in the balloon, which shot into the air without the slightest hitch. It was about five o'clock, and there was no wind to interfere with the pro- ceedings. The balloon, therefore, went up in an almost perpendicular direction. The parachutes were on opposite sides of the balloon. About a couple of minutee after the balloon had left the ground the countess was seen to drop, and when the parachute ex- panded the crowd cheered lustily. The cap- tain followed, and the cheering was renewed. It was soon seen, however, that the descent of the performers was not to be accomplished without dimculty. The parachutes came down within 50 yards of each other. The lady became entangled in the branches of a tree, and Captain Smith got hong up In the telegraph wires, which pass crrer the River Taff at the spot where he descended. en.. greatest excitement prevailed, and a large crowd soon collected. The countess sat in the tree quite unconcerned until a ladder was brought by Mr. H. M. Gregory from the ohain works, and by means of this she came to earth again. Our representative saw her as she entered a cab, and inquired if she wu in any way hurt. She replied. No, thanks. I feel all right now, and am glad to get down." Captain Smith was in a. much worse plight. and he was for a considerable time clinging to the telegraph wires. He asked a fireman who quickly went to the spot for the fire-escapee, but was informed that it was impossible to take it into the water. He was offered the jumping sheet, but refused to take advantage of this. He proceeded to unfasten his apparatus from the wires and dropped it into the water. Some amusement was caused by its falling on the heada of a number of men who were in the river anxious to render him assistance. The momentary humour was. however, quickly turned to what seemed like a tragedy. It was stated that it had been the intention of the captain to work his way along the telegraph wires to the nearest pole, and thus make his descent, but as the crowd were leaving the wire on which he was standing gave way, and he fell like a log into the river, which at this point is very shallow. As he fell his nose came in contact with a wire, causing a serious wound, and it was seen that his face was covered with blood, as he was taken in a half-fainting condition to a cab which was waiting. Dr. Evans, who had been playing tennis in an adjoining fledd, at once took the injured man to the County Hotel, where he had been staying, and Dr. Morgan Rees was also called in. It WM discovered that the captain had sustained severe injuries, which consisted of a fracture of the girdle of bones on the lower part of the body and a serious rupture. His condi- tion was considered so serious that it was decided to remove him to the Cardiff Infir- mary. He was brought to Cardiff by the evening train, and now lies at the institu- tion.

^UNADO IN GEORGIA: to a long distance telephone from Gainsville, Georgia, to Ata- ?'*ce,' terrific tornado has visited that j:estrQ .Wing about a hundred persons, and rVt.n £ several large buildings. The ?''ls loss of life occurred in some cotton which were blown down. It is *5 that eighty operatives were killed ha2ty in-1nred. Eighteen of those aio taken refuge in the stores, which » l^t«. ° ^lown down. 1 Message from Gainsville states that v*t. Sr^ved that two hundred lives wero f tornado struck the southern i i-o^v. Gainsville, at noon, with a fright- w01seg It turned day into night. Some k e,"e c °.re torn to fragments, and others v^'leri i^?ied intact for blocks, and roofs atoBle leaves in the air, and many hr>> Cre P'rked up and carried over trees >M? ^or longr distances. Everybody of e#cnp«d injury is helping in rh« ,if,n tlle BUfferers- Directly wire con- re-established it was used to 8nrgeous from the neighbouring

DETAILS: THE DEATH- r>e fol.. ROLL. 'wing message has been received Mh* ^^nsville ((leorgia):— Sixty-four per- J e now known to have been b'bly, v the tornaado, and 39 have, pro- ja en fatally injured. The loss of pro- at about £ 60,000. The k- ")tih IS still incomplete. There are tilleq in r Ports that twelve persons were Vlll £ s R 8anie storm at White Sulphur keve? miles distant. The Governor of ^h»lstaiiceaf 's,np<i a proclamation asking for l-00o the 8Qffering- It is estimated V Witif01^80011 are destitute. The tornado ^rpat suddenness. The town was U»e f? Ullcy ^iackness for a few minutes, ,Tae llofc and "tifling. Then came a htm1!) rain. The path of the cyclone "*V eo»,flred yards wide, but was, fortu- hi a in ?ned to the outskirts of the town. n<>t. Citifies and residential portion e of nil.nJUr°d. Within, apparently, a *il} "floor the two upper storeys of the 0f «^°tton factory of Gains- ^itK were carried away hundreds two 8toreys were crowded 8o0r Tei- of whom those on the Oil n6re nntouched. The Gainsville i>asseJ,D, mPany's building, the freight stations of the Southern Rail- C^* and three valuable residences, a ^Oh^^aliBV0*]161, important buildings were 4 ed- besides scores of cottages the mill hands. Vj, °f estimate places the nnm- 0 at a i.in t^ie Gainsville (Georgia) the "un<ired. Most of the dead I va>s +vV6rno^ at the cc,tton mills. Dr. Ferrell, I GeorKia. in a proclamation, w^hia hundred houses were lifted 'hhS: Wa- a hundred feet. The «•. aH done within the space of two

— L AR; I 4t th INSURANCE FRAUDS. ?n Sher=ff ^ich' *S(jav and Jury Court in Aberdeen rruiK'' Alffej ^heriff Henderson Begg on the hn Walker Gfeig and John att„!Ie brought up on charge* of 8lJrn1?fe^cai fraud by inducing Aber. I !'f «om^ea f° take shares, in an ^^sed %fiDy 0n falsc pretences. Each »i 8 ftxert .aded "Not guilty," and the at «8o^a for the 23rd inst. Aail waa k • •

MAJOR-GEN. BADEN-POWELL AT CARDIFF.-See Page 2.

RESIDENCE ON FIRE: TWO BOYS KILLED. The greatest disaster which has befallen Eton College within the memory of the present generation occurred at that famous educational establishment early on Monday morning, when the lives of two students were lost and those of others imperilled by an outbreak of fire. The fire occurred in the house of Mr. R. 8. Kindersley (an assistant master), his residence being an old two-storey structure with a. modernised wing, situated close to Baldwin's Store, adjoining Barnes Pool Bridge, and usually occupied by Mr. Kindersley, his wife and family, ten women domestics, and ? students. Two of the latter were not in residence at the time of the disaster. The house is lit by electricity, and the current was switched off from the boys' dormitories at halt-past ten on Sunday night. At one o'clock on Monday morning Mr. Kin- dersley himself saw that everything was safe. Soon after daybreak, however, a fire broke out in the upper and front portion of the two-storeyed part of the establishment, that occupied by Mr. Kindersley being the three- storeyed part. At a few minutes to four tne alarm was given to the Eton College and Eton fire brigades, both of which were soon on the spot with a fire escape and a hydrant hose. By the time they had arrived the flames were bursting from the upper windows, and from a number of these the boys escaped in the scantiest of attire. In the meantime Mr. Kindereley had been aroused, and had saved himself and rescued his wife and chil- dren with considerable difficulty from the upper windows of his part of the establish- ment, a mattress flung to the pavement breaking his fall and enabling him to save his family. The domestic servants were rescued in a most exciting manner from peri- lous situations. One young Woman descended by means of a cast-iron pipe projecting from a wing of the burning building, and v.as caught in her master's arms. Several more climbed out of their windows and into the street below by means of the strong tendrils of a wisteria, which when in bloom was the finest in the college. From the old two-storeyed part of the build- ing the boys escaped as best they could, helped by ladders and the fire-escape, the firemen gaining admission into the burning building and rescuing those whom they could. Some of the windows, unfortunately. were furnished with stout iron bars, an inch in diameter, and these no ordinary means could move. One student, James Kenneth Home, thirteen years of age, and son of Major Horne, of the Highland Light In- fantry, whose relatives reside at Wick, Caithness, and whose mother was ou her way to Eton for the 4th of June festivities, was at one of these windows. Mr. Kindersley bravely essayed the task of breaking the bars with a. crowbar, but their strength defied his efforts. The firemen's attempts to break them were also ineffectual, for the flames shot out several feet from the windows below, and, despite Mr. Kindersley's piteous appeal to save the boy behind the bars, they could do nothing but play on the spot with the hoses, and when they could enter the building they found the lad's body lying across an ottoman upon which he had staggered. He was much burnt about the body, and his night-dress was reduced to tinder. It had been a harrowing experience to watch the lad's frantic efforts to wrench the bars away until he was overcome by .the smoke. A passage-way in the upper -door divides the rooms, front and back, the back looking out upon the old graveyard of the Eton College Chapel. Upon this part of the building also the Eton Brigade played, and they had by this time the assistance of the Windsor and Slough brigades. Here another student, Frank Harry Repaid Lawson, four- teen jwars of age, only of Mrs. Lawson, 39, Hyde Park Gate, London, and a grand- nephew of Sir Edward Lawson, Bart., was, apparently, suffocated in his bed. His body was literally dug out from underneath the debris, and ivas charred almost beyond recognition. Both bodies were removed by an ambulance party of the Eton Brigade, under the direc- tion of Dr. Geoffrey Hale, into the un- damaged class-room in Mr. Kindersley's part of the house. Meanwhile the fire brigades continued their efforts to extinguish the flames, but were unsuccessful until the old portion of the house had been entirely gutted, and the walls only left standing. By eight o'clock most of the firemen Were able to leave the scene, the Eton firemen remaining to watch over the smouldering ruins, which were afterwards visited by thousands of people. The cause of the flre is uncertain, but it is suggested that it may have been due to a defective flue. The Windsor Electrical Company, who supply the curtent for lighting, state that there was no fusion of wires before the fire, the tell-tale records at their central station showing when the current was switched on. The headmaster (Dr. Wnrre) was early on the scene of the conflagration. and called the roll. It was at first feared that four boys had perished, but two students (one of them a son of the late Sir Edward Ilulse) not being in residence, the number of victims was finally certified as two. The barring of the windows, although a custom from time immemorial, will be sub- ject to an inquiry. It was strongly condemned years ago by Captain Shaw. of the London fire Brigade, and it is stated that on Satur- day last it was actually decided to have the bare removed. Had this been done the loss of life would probably have been averted. The disaster is already having its effect upon the other masters, who have (on Mon- day) seen to it that their windows will open without hindrance. The fire cast a deep gloom over the college and its students. At morning prayers, conducted by the Provoet (Dr. Hornby), the hymn, "Thy will, not mine, 0 Lord," was sung, and Dr. Lloyd (the pre- centor). played a funeral march. His Majesty, the King. early in the morning sent down to the headmaster a message con- veying his condolence and inquiring for the fullest particulars. The Prince of Wales sent message" of inquiry. The Mayor of Windsor called at the headmaster's house during the morning and expressed the sympathy of the inhabitants of that town. In the parish church of the Royal borough at mid-day the Bishop of Oxford, preaching to the Church Lads' Brigade, also made a feeling allusion to the disaster. A notice has been issued by the college authorities that in consequence of the sad calamity and the lives lost the 4th tf June celebrations will not take place, and for the students the following Thursday will be a dies non. Leave can be had as usual. It appears that the sentry on the north ter- race of Windsor Castle, noticing the flames, had the Scots Gnards Fire Brigade turned out. With the exception of Mr. Kindersley «nd one of the servants, both of whtm sprained their ankles, none of the injuries to the other inmates are serious. Lawson's body was found on the ground floor, it having dropped through the second floor. The King and Qneen and the Prince and Princess of Wales sent a message of sympathy to Dr. Warre. The message was read out to the boys, who received it in silence. Dr. Warre, in an interview, said he could not say anything at present about the bars to the windows, but it was an »ld custom, and they had been found necessary to keep the boys in their rooms. It was a sad calamity, and he could not speak about it. The last occasion on which there was a flre at Eton College was in 1900, when there waa an outbreak at Mr. Radcliffe's house, but there was no loss of life I then. Since that time the fire brigade have improved and increased their appliances. Altogether, there are upwards of a thousand boys in the college. I

CORONER'S INQUEST AND VERDICT. Mr. Charsley, coroner for South Bucks, opened an inquest at Eton College on Tuesday touching the deaths of Frank Reginald Law- son and James Kenneth Horne, the two lads who lost their lives in the lamentable fire which occurred at the college early on Mon- day. The bodies lay in a clasS-roort of Mr. Kindersley's house. Dr. Hornby, provost of Eton; Dr. Warre, headmaster; and other pro- minent persons connected with the college were present during the proceedings.. The Coroner, in opening the inquest, said he thought the jury would agree with him that they should paes a vote of condolence with the relatives and friends of the boys who had met. with such untimely deaths, and also with the whole school. The Foreman: I am sure we cordially agree with you. The jury having viewed the bodies, evidence was taken. Mr. Kindersley, who limped into the room with the aid of a stick, was the first witness called. He said he had no doubt the bodies viewed by the jury were those of Horne and Lawson, who resided in his house. They were the only boys missing. He believed both were fourteen years of age. Witness, giving evidence of the fire, said he believed it was just before four o'clock on Monday morning he was aroused from sleep by the screaming of the maidservants. He at once went to his bedroom, and found the whole staircase and passage full of black smoke. He followed his wife to the nursery, and found that she had secured two children, a nurse, and a maid, and was preparing to get them through a window. Witness struggled to get down the passage towards the hoys' part of the house, but could not get along, and had to rush to a window to breathe. He raised an alarm to get everyone awake. Witness found it diffi- cult to ascertain whether all the boys were out. One boy said Horne was in, and another that he was out. Witness obtained a ladder and climbed up it to Home's window, but he could see nothing inside the window because of the dense smoke. The window was open. but it was not possible for a boy to get through the bars. Some other windows had bars, but they were not strong. He believed Horne's was the only window in the old part of the house that had bars. Witness struggled to break the bars, but only bent them. He felt inside the window, but could find nothing, and began to think the boy who said Horne was out was right. He did not know then that it was discovered that Lawson was missing. He could give no idea how the fire originated. He did not think it possible for gas to have come into contact with any- thing, and he had no doubt his wife switched off the electric light in accordance with her custom. Witness went downstairs about five minutes to one to get a book for next day's school, which he could not find. He switched on an electric light near the door. It was very stiff to switch on and off, and he did not know if anything was dislodged by the hard pressure of the switch. It Was thereabouts the fire was fiercest when he woke. Replying to the coroner, witness said he was not awaro the house had ever been con- demned. Asked whether the boys smoked, he said he had never detected it. There were jets of gas turned low if the boys wanted to leave their bedrooms at night. The gas was in cages, and it would be difficult to turn the THE RUINS OF MR. KINDERSLEY'S HOUSE. I gas higher, but if the gas was flaring it might be dangerous. He had condemned the bars at the windows, and had resolved that they should go before they commenced fires again. He was sorry it was not dope before. H* meant to ihavc: done it. Would to God he had done it before. Bertram Jackson, a student in Mr. Kinders- ley's house, said that early on Monday morn- ing he was aroused by a noise of crackling. He opened the door and found the passage full of smoke. He jumped out of the window and did his best to arouse the house, and then ran down town and alarmed the Eton Fire Bri- gade. He had only his night clothes on. When he returned eighteen or twenty boys had come out of the house. All were in their night- shirts, though some had dressing-gowns. No one noticed at first that Horne and Lawson were absent. He thought Horne couhl have escaped if his window had not been barred. No smoking was allowed in the house, and he had never known the boys to interfere with the electric light or gas. There was no lark- ing by the boys or playing with the flre. Evidence was given by Mr. Hugh Bland, an assistant master, and the Earl of Clarendon, a student, and others. Dr. Warre, the headmaster, was called. He said that several times during past years he had felt anxious with regard to fires in the houses, and had spoken to his staff of the necessity of being prepared against fire. AS far back as 1894 he wrots to the governing body concerning the danger from fires, and the governing body had during the post few years steadily pursued the policy of pulling down the old houses and building new and better ones. It had to be remembered, how- I ever. that this was a work of time. In January of this year he wrote a letter to all the hause-mastere asking them to see that there were in all houses ample appliances for dealing with fire, as well as sufficient ways and means of escape for all the inmates. He believed the masters had carried out his wishes, and it was a lamentabl« accident that the window bars were not removed in this case. Captain Shaw, of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, inspected the houses fifteen or twenty years ago, but he did not remember anything being then said as to the bars. Captain Shaw might have done so. It had been stated in the press that a report had been made condemning Mr. Kindersley's house, but there had been no such report. Some of the boys had removed some of the bars themselves, and the authorities did not wish them to remain. It was an accident that the bars in this case had not been taken down. Mr. A. E. Farrow, chief engineer of the Windsor Electrical Installation Company, was the last witness. He said his company installed the electric light in Mr. Kindersley's house five years ago, and on Monday week the installation was in perfect order. Had a fusion of a wire taken place on Sunday night it would have been shown on the record at the central station. At a. quarter-past four on Monday morning a disturbance was shown, which was occasioned by water play- ing on the flre and coming in contact with the wires. He was sure the fire was not caused by any fusion of the wires. The Coroner having briefly summed up, the jury, after deliberating, returned a verdict to the effect that death was due to suffoca- tion, and added the following rider.- "The jury also strongly recommend electrical com- munication with the engine-house for every boarding-house in the college, and that printed lists be placed prominently in evSllll" house They also most urgently advise the removal of all bars from all windows at once." REMOVING THE BODIES. At the close of the coroner's inquest on Tuesday the bodies of the two lads Horne and Lawson were enclosed in white wood shells, lined with white satm. The coffin of Lawson, covered with a yiolet silk pall, I was subsequently wheeled on a four-wheel bier to the Great Western Railway station for conveyance to the residence of his mother in London. The college precincts were lined by students, to the number of nearly 1,000, and they displayed considerable emotion. As the remains were borne through the streets of Eton to the station thpy, were reverently saluted by crowds of people, and at the rail- way station the body was met by Mr. F. Warre Cornish, the vice-provost of the college, who superintended its departure for London. Subsequently the body of the lad Horne was conveyed to the Eton Cemetery Chapel, pend- ing Major Home's arrival to make definite arrangements for its interment. QUEEN VISITS THE RUINB. The Queen on Tuesday afternoon, during the time the inquest was being held, made a prolonged visit to the ruins and conversed for some time with Mr. Bland, one of the Msil- tant-masters, who described to her Majeatjr the incidents of the melancholy occurrence. t=!

AN INTERRUPTED WEDDING. A remarkable occurrence took place at St. Mark's Church, Devonport. The vicar was officiating at a. wedding, when the organist noticed smoke issuing from the floor of the church. On making an inves- tigation he discovered that a. room under the church used for storing wood and other material was on fire. An alarm was given, and the police and others soon extinguished the flames. The origin of the mishau is unknown.

TERRIFIC GALE OFF VALPARAISO. TWO BRITISH VESSELS WRECKED. A Renter's telegram says:—A terrible storm has occurred at Valparaiso. The British barque Foyledale has been wrecked and twelve lives have been lost. The Pacific Steam Com- pany's steamer Arequipa, with 80 persons aboard, has foundered, and some bodies have been washed ashore, including a fireman of the vessel. The wife and child of the captain of the Foyledale, together with ten of the crew, were drowned. The Chilian barque Chierlingo, the Government dredger Holanda, and some launches have also been wrecked. A Lloyd's telegram from Valparaiso states that the steamer Arequipa foundered at her moorings during the gale. The cap- tain, his wife, the officers, and the bulk of the crew were lost. Part of thrf crew were landed at Valparaiso. The Areqcdpa was a steel screw steamer of 2,953 tons gross, trading on the West Coast of South America, and was owned by the Pacific Steam Navigation Com- pany. The owners of the Liverpool ship Foyledale, from Portland (Oregon), have received the following cablegram from Valparaiso:— Hoyledale ran ashore in a heavy gale, and is a, total wreck. The crew, however, are saved. Captain is very ill." The Foyledale was 1,700 tons register, and was built at Londonderry in 1890. A Liverpool correspondent confirms the disaster to tho Pacific Company's steamer Arequipa off Valparaiso, with a loss of 63 lives, seventeen being saved, and also the wreck of the Liverpool ship Foyledale. The Arequipa at the time of the disaster was at anchor, and during a terrific northerly gale foundered whilst moored in the harbour. The commander was Captain Todd, but the Liver- pool agents have no correct list of the orew. Thoae on board would most probably be natives. She is not a liner between Liverpool and the West Coast, but a coasting vessel built by the Barrow Armaments Company in 1889, and is of nearly 3,000 tons. A Liverpool telegram saysThe low of the Arequipa is the most serious disaster that has happened to the Pacific Steam Naviga- tion Company for the past 20 or 30 years. The Arequipa was the finest and most expensively- fitted steamer in the company's coasting ser- vice. She should have sailed from Valparaiso for northern ports as far as Panama on the 27th of last month, but there has recently been a strike at Valparaiso, which has much disorganised the regularity of the company's coasting service. Early on Wednesday morn- ing the company received word by cable that a "norther" had broken over the port, and that the company's steamers Columbia- and Arequipa. had put out to sea. This is the course usually adopted by steamers on the occasion of these great storms. A subsequent message, however, confirmed the telegram reporting that the Arequipa had founders!. The company do not believe there were any passengers on board at the time or their cablegram would have vaid so. The crew. however, would number between 80 and 90. All of the officers and engineers, the purser, the purser's clerk, the chief steward, and some of the stewards were British, but the sailors and firemen and other members of the crew would be Chilians. The Arequipa was built at Barrow-in-Furness in 1889, and had been engaged on the Pacific coast of South America evefr siricju She was a. veaoel of S;y63 ltttU. register. tn company ha.ve, not yet received the names of any of those whoa* lives have been loet. 45 PERSONS SAVED. A cablegram was received on Thursday at the Pacific Steam Navigation Com- pany's office in Liverpool from their agents at Valparaiso, dated Wednesday. It conveys somewhat better news in reference to the loss of the steamer Arequipa at Valparaiso in the recent terrible storm. The message is as fol-' lows: "At five a.m. yesterday the gale was worse than ever. The Arequipa was half laden, and the head moorings gave way. The ship drifted down. At the stern buoy the pro- peller became jammed by the hawser. The ship fell across the sea. and foundered in fif- teen minutes, probably holed aft by striking the buoy. The third officer and 31 persons were saved by the Laurel Branch, and thir- teen persons were saved by a sailing vesel. Will advise you later of the names of the Eng- lish lost." It is now taken for granted that Mr. Todd, captain of the Arequipa, and his wife were lost.

STARTLING INCIDENT AT CARMAR- THEN. At the Carmarthen sports on Whit-Monday- as usual the balloon event was a great attrac- tion. Mr. Gaudron, Miss Maud Brooks, and Miss Ada Mansfield went up together, the intention being that the two latter should make parachute descents and that Mr. Gau- dron should go right away." When the balloon had gone to a great height it was seen that there was something wrong, as the bulk of the silk was seen to quickly lessen and there were no signs of the parachutes being loosened. All kinds of rumours were circu- lated, when the balloon was seen to alight with great velocity. Dozens of cyclists mounted their machines immediately, and. riding out, found the trio being cared for by Mrs. Davies, of Croesyceiliog Fawr Farm. Miss Brooks, although in a, laughing mood, had had a severe shaking, and lost songs blood by falling out of the car on her hanft during the dragging of the grappling-iron over the trees. Miss Mansfield lay on a tofol. with her left leg sprained and bandaged, whilst Mr. Gaudron walked about non- chalantly with a bleeding nose. On beinfT interviewed, the latter said that the halloop got into a very strong current of air, and, the consequent impetus was so great, gave orders that the parachutes, which we» becoming entangled, were not to be freelL The course of the balloon was also towar^i the sea, which appeared appallingly neug. He, therefore, opened the valve sharply, tt. his opinion, this was done none too quickljL as the pace was about a mile a minutfc This was the cause of the collapsing of tip silk and the rapid descent which caused ab much consternation on the sports field. R is providential that the grappling-iron did igi work fairly successfully. As it was. Miss Brooks was thrown out with force. It wijl be remembered that her sister was killen whilst parachuting at Sheffield last year. and the recollection of this was uppermost in everyone's mind during the period of anxieijr which elapsed before the cyclists returned to town to explain the startling incident. —

MISHAP AT BRIDGEND. At the sports at Bridgend on Monday it was intended that Mr. Harry Grand should make a balloon ascent and parachute descent. The balloon was filled with hot atr and a start was made, but after going up about eighty yards it began to descend. Ttap cause was that it was not sufficiently full of hot air. In its descent, however, the material came in contact with the trees and fences, with the result that a puncture WM made la it.

SMALL-POX AT CARDIFF EXTRAORDINARY STATE OF AFFAIRS AT CANTON. In connection with the outbreak of smili pox at Cardiff an extraordinary state of affairs has come to light in the Pontcann, district. Dr. Evan Jones having given noti- fication of a case at 46, Mortimer-road, Dr. Walford, the borough medical officer, per- sonally instituted inquiries, and discovered that not only was there another small-pox patient next door, No. 48, but that in the two houses four other persons had been attacked and recovered from the disease without divin- ing the nature of their malady. These persons were a woman and three children. None of theta was laid up which, of course, means that the attacks from which they were suffering were very mild. Still, in the circumstances, they constituted a dangerous source of infection, and it would not be surprising if quite a crop of fresh cases occurred in the neighbour- hood within the next week or so. On Satur- day a bootmaker residing at Ko. 46, Mortimer- road, who had been carrying on bis work for a week or ten days while suffering from the disease, was removed to the smatf-pox hos- pital, as was also a man from No. 48. All these persons were infected from previous cases at Pontcanna. A child has also been taken to the hospital from No 70, Stacey- road, having contracted the malady from another patient in the same house. ANOTHER CASE. Another case of small-pox has been notified to Dr. Walford, the Cardiff medical officer of health. The unfortunate victim in this in- stance is a married woman, living at 41, Moor- land-road, Splott, and she has been removed to the isolation hospital.