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PROPOSED MILITARY CAMP AT…
PROPOSED MILITARY CAMP AT ABER. THE SCHEME ABANDONED. Tho arrangements to establish a military camp on an extensive scale at Aber, near Ban- gor, have oome to an abrupt termination. Last year, it will be remembered, General French visited Aber, and was so favourably im- pressed with tho district as an ideal place for mountain manoeuvring that he induced the War Oilioo to maW arrangements to establish a per- j manent camp there. OiiiciaLi were sent down from the War Office, but insurmountable diffi- culties at onoo presented themselves. For in- stance, it was found that the sheep which grazed on the mountains in the neighbourhood of Aber belonged to hundreds of different owners, tho parish of Aber possessing a unique distinction in that respect, and the officials felt that it would be useless endeavouring to obtain the consent of all the different sheep owners to the soldiers' manoeuvring amongst their flocks. Another difficulty wluch faced the officials 'was tho water supply. Whilst there is an abundance of water for the. inhabitants of tho village, it was found that the supply would not suffice for tho large camp which was contem- 14lated.
-----------_\ABERGELE & PENSARN…
ABERGELE & PENSARN URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE VP-KEEP OF MAIN ROADS. SUGGESTED REDUCED EXPENDITURE. The monthly mcolinar of this Council was field on Monday evening, when there were present: M-essr* J. Hannah, J.P. (en.ai.rman). ii-dward VV ii- Jiams (vice-chairman), J. Pierce, I. Morris, I. Roberts. W. P. Morris, W. II. Jones, J. Ed- wards, H. E. Pritcha.rd. Thos. Davics, E. A. Crabbe (clerk), and M. R. Jones (surveyor and sanisarv insDeetor). TiiE COUNTY COUNCIL AND HEAVY, TRAFFIC. It was reported that a letter hal bean addressed to the Counts Council on the cutting up of Peel-,troet by the heavy traffic of their engine, but the Clerk fa:d he ihad had no reply, al- though the traffic was now stopped. THE ISOLATION HOSPITALS. It was stated that tho contract iiaci signC'.J for MM site of the new isolation hospital. aa-a that the purchase would be completed on Sep- tember 30th. A letter had been addressed to the St. Asaph (Denbigh) Rural District Council Asking what they intended to do with regard to the existing hospital at Penybryn. INCREASED POSTAL FACILITIES AT PENSARN. Complaints having been made as to the postal facilities at Peiisaril, and ¡.-art icuhrly as to the lateness of the tirst dispatch, a request had been made to the Post Office for an earlier dispatch, bill the only acknowledgment of the letter was the usual formal ono to t.he effect, that the tnater wouiij receive attention. THE WIDENING OF CHAPEL STREET. The Clerk reported that the County Council Ihad .-ent him a letter stating that the question of widening Chauel-street had been considered by the Council, but deferred, pendi.ng receipt of a revised statement as to the amount proposed to be expended on the widening of the west side of the frtrftet.. All Pierce said he would like to know how it Wto that t-he, County Council obtained any in- formation as to the west side of tho street, as that had been dropped when trÍlBY fa.iod. to come to terms with Mr Edward Ivlil y, a rd for the ne- cessarv and. A revised ostinat-o and plan of the work had been prepared, and in that, the west side was not included- How did the Countv Council get hold of the matter? Tiie Clerk: I have no idea. Mr Pritchard said he had sorno recollection of t:be whole scheme being before the County Coun- cil. when that; bedy had been a.kc.,a to coitrr- but-?, one-third being the propvrtion mentioned. Tiie County Council, he understood, ihad pro- mised to meet them as to both aides, and no doub." when they saw that, only one -6ido was being dealt with they wanted to know the :re,tc:{) rl. Mr Pie roe said they did .not. submit anything felse but one side, and that had been decided upon after the revision had taken place. It Boomed to hi.n that information was placed bo- fore the County Council, which did not c-ovno frcnt the Council. The Vice-Chairman askoù if the revised plan and estimate nJtd been sent to the County .Council. The Surveyor motioned a .rejvly in the ltO- jgativa- Mr Pritchard said it was only reasonable that the Countv Council should ask for particular." sus tr, whether the whole amount had been ex- pended when they asked that both sides of the street be widened, a.nd they had only gone on WI; n ono. I The Surveyor said they had prepared tho who! scheme, but when t.hey failed to come to ter ns with Mr Edward Millward, they only went !to the Lccal Government Beard over one portion. Tho Chairman said thev could now answer the ¡.nqu'¡-v' of the County Council. Mr Pritchard said he did not think that the County Council were to blame in the matter, seeing that the Council had not- tdd them of the altered circumstances. He moved that they mow be notified of the position of %niat.ters. Mr Pierce seconded, and added that he did Dot want the Countv Council to think they were doing anything underhantledly or "getting monev bv a side wind." Th? Town Clerk aid he did not think there 3.) anything of the kind suggested. The Co unci'! had asked for one thing, and #iad car- rieci out something else, and that was the rea- son why they were asked about it. Mr W. P. Morris thought they might again ifciwroach* Mr Mil ward, and seq wheUier liA tronttt sell the era-rdens on tnolre reasonable terms, so that the whole scharno could be car- ried out. The Chairman ruled notice of mot.ion bhouid be given for that, and Mr Pritchard's nlorion was then carried. THE LIGHTING ARRANGEMENTS. The Council sanctioned the placing of now lanterns on several of the lamps, and ro-arrang'.ng the position of several of the I.' L%m. i STREET WATERING. It was announced that correspondence had D&s^ed between the Rhyl Urban District- Council and this body as to a supply of water for b'reet [watering, but nothing definite had beeai arrived at THE BATHING ARRANGEMENTS. Notice had been served for the removal of Certain framework on the beach, and this had been complied with. Mr II. E. P. Wiiliaans, the bathing machine propricttu-, having disposed of hi" interest for Mr B. J. Williams, a request was made to transfer the licence to the new owner of the vans, which was agreed to. I THE UP-KEEP OF THE MAiiN ROADS. The Clerk reDorted that he had received a letter from the County Council suggesting that the Urban District Council should enter into a oontr-ict to reoair the main roads inûhe dis- trict Jl,, the sum of £ 210 for the twelve months, [whereas the surveyor's estimate was J6276. Mr 1. Morris asked if the County Council wanted them to carry out for £ 210 they calculated would cost B276, or did they want them to do less work. The Chairman: They tznoan us to spend the whale amount.. Mr Pierce: They nitan us to keep up the roads eaticfactorilv; that is. that we shall have tOo spend more than we receive. The Clerk: We must keep them up to the sat- isfaction of their surveyor. Mr W. P. Morris said he was bound to agree with the County Councii that the amount, of money expended on the up-keep of the main ri roads was getting very heavy, a.nd a serious (burden to the county. He understood from tho reports in the papers that the up-koep of the troads last year cost £20,000, and it was time ihut all public bodies gave their serious atten- tion to the matter. He believed that the Den- bigh and Cardigan County Council were peti- tioning the Chancellor of the Exchequer for further contributions from the public funds for the un keep of main reads, and local bodies like the Abergele Council should supiiorfc them. Ho W93 inclined to propose that they accept the offer of the £ 21 fi. The Chairman: And give the county £ 60? Mr W. P. Morris said if they could keep tlie iroads for £ 210 let them do go, and not ask for £ 27ft. II. E. Price hard asked if Mr Morris ac- cused that Council cf extravagance, wliMt they were asked to reduce their estimate. They should certainly do nothing of tho kind unless they gave the matter their very scirious con^id- teration. They could not bla-mo the County Council for trying to contribute as little as possi- ble to the Toads in urban districts, and Abergele Wis not the only vr'ace dealt with in that way, ø.3 he understood that Colwyn Bay was asked to aooeDt £1000 instead of E1900. Ho suggested that they should defer the matter, and go into iit carefully, as thev could not afford to lose jnoney on the keeping of the roads in a satis- factory condition. The Chairman: It means a 2d rate on the dis- T nn-f0 to nav t'|,° difference between £ 2l0 and £ 2(6. Mr Pierce ee.n.-idered that if they at ar iftgreed to the offer they wcxuld be oondemnin" thoiinselve^, as they had considered the estimates thoroughly, and he could conscientiously .-ay that the surveyor had kept the expenditure down very closely. It would bo a serious matter for the district if they accepted less than they were to spend, and he supported Mr Pritchard that the matter be gone carefully into before they ar- rived at a definite 'conclusion. Their estimates this vear were low. because they had looked after the roads in the nast. and the credit was due to them, but if thev took a low estimate this year they would have to raise it. next. year, and then tthev would be in a worse i<osition than ever. Mr W. P. Morris said lie had gained his point in the discussion, as Mr Pritchard was willing that the matter be discussed a.nd fully consid- ered- He would withdraw his proposal. Mr I. Morris said they aeon-tod to forgot that tho unkeea of tho main roa<is was getting heavier each year, owing to the enormous motor traffic. To-dav the roads were in a state that is cud not. exist ten years a. Ho considered that the time had arrived when there should be con- certed action to get either the Exchequer to contribute more to the cost of the roads or to make the motorists pay more for their iioenoos. In the face of the increasing cost how could they (afford to knock off 2.60 off the estimates? Mr W. H. Jones remarked that already motor Mrs were heavily taxed. Mr I. Morris But we do not get the money. Mr W. P. Morris stated t.hat Denbighshire re- ceived something like £ .140 last year from the c a ilq. Mr Pritchard and Mr W. P. Morris having further advocated more contributions from the Exchequer to the main roads, Mr Pierce said no doubt there would be legislation on that point short IV The iiuitter wai deferred for further considera- tion PENSARN RIGHTS OF WAY. Mr Edwards conniiained that at a previous meeting he had been taken to account for putting a lock on a g-ate at Pensarn, but he .now had a Icttor from his landlord on the subject. The Clark said ho had also had a letter, but it simply uuheld what he had eaid from the first. There was a public right of way along the footpath in question to the bridgle, bit one of land could not lock the gate lea.ding to the other land without the consent of all parties. There was the lawn tennis ground, and the gate could not be locked without the consent of the Ktnmel Efetate and the occupiers of tho tennis court. The matter then dropped. COUNTY COUNCIL'S CONTRIBUTION. It was reported that, the County Council had naid the sum of £ 421 in respect of the Council's claim for JB426 for main roads, but no decision, had been arrived at with respect to quarterly settlements. LOAN. The Public Works Loan Commissioners wrote ] granting the Council a loan for 30 years fo the sewer ventilating shafts. DISTRICT RATE. The Rare Collector reported that je221 had been collected of the general district rate account. NEW TREASURER. Mr Evans. manager of tho North and Soutll Wales Ra.11.k, wrote thanking The Council for ap- pointing him treasurer. The l'ouncir-'thcn went into committee.
BACKHAUS TO RE-VISIT COLWYN…
BACKHAUS TO RE-VISIT COLWYN BAY. Ona of the most important musical events of tho season is announced at the Coiwyn Bay Pier Pavilion, on Saturday afternoon, when that po- pular favourite, Backhaul, will make a welcome re-appearaiice. It is doubtful whether any other pianist holds so firm a place in the affections of the music-loving public. BACKHAUS. J Backhaus, although still quite a young man (he is but 24 years of age), has made for himself a reputation as a pianist that is second to none. Year by year he seems to develop greater powers, and not only does his marvellous technique seem, if possible, to be even more facile, but his read- ings of the works of the great masters show a greater depth of feeling and a more perfect understanding. Backhaus has just returned from the t ont.inent, where, at the Sondershausen Con- servatoire, he has, for the second year in suc- cession, been specially engaged to give a lecture course and demonstration at the pianoforte: "Six weeks with the great masters." This will prob- ably be his last appearance in Coiwyn Bay before his two yeai-3 totti- round the world. It is under- stood that there is already a considerable* de- mand for SEATE, and to avoid disappointment early booking* is advised.
I .SUNSHINE RACE.
I SUNSHINE RACE. RHYL AHEAD OF NORTH-WESTERN STATIONS. EXPERTS' FORECAST. The grc>at race initiated by the £ Daily Mirror" be- tween the seaside towns for the honour of holding the siminet- sunshine record is still of the closest and keenest nature, and is exeiting more and more interest every day round the coasts. Mianklin still hold. the lead, according to the late-st records. with Sandown and N'eritiior, Seaford and Worthing' Southsea and Weymouth all close rivala high on the list. The table below shows the sunshine records of the principal seaside resorte from sunrise on Julv 1st to 6 p.m. ou Monday, August 17th. We give "the pre- sent positions of the towns in the race and o,.mpare tlicm with the positions the previous 1-.Mianldm 1;n l 450 Q -—Sandov-n 4:>0.G 12> 2 4.17 !) 416.9 12.0 3 404 9 4—Seaford 411.fi 1.6 4 :199.0 5—Worthing 410.9 12.5 5 398.4 G—South,»ea 410. 12.5 097.8 Weymouth 407.:1 13.3 8 394.1 i ri i (, ni o i i t I i. 407.i 12.4 G 394 8 9—Brighton 40.4 10.7 7 K947 IW.ti 10.0 9 38716 11—Kastixmriie 394.:1 13.0 11 381.3 12—Hastings ;»2..r, 10.4 1 0 382a 13—Tenby 3o7.7 12. 13 375 2 14-Torquay 394.0 12.6 14 371.4 15 —Iianicgate 331.4 8.5 12 372 9 c 370.7 33.1 if; 357!g 17—Felixstowe 367.2 1.0 15 ;100.2 364.4 11.5 17 353.3 19—Teignmuuth 363.0 14.0 19 349 0 20—Khy] HG0.9 12.1 — 31&8 21—Margate 358.7 S.O 13 350 7 22—C'lacton ,!48.8 G.9 21 34t9 23— Moreca-.nbe 344.6 13.4 23 331.2 24—Great Yarmouth 344 3 0.4 20 343.9 25—Lowestoft 340.4 0.6 22 ;t39 8 26— Oban 336.1 13.i 25 :s&7 27—S.Mithpori 335.9 10.0 24 325 9 328.5 19.7 26 3I7.S "Cl I. I, 12.0 27 288.6 228.8 0.9 28 2:7.9 Tile newcomers on the list are Soutlise.i and Rhvl. 'is Southsea has a fine record, taken by a Campbell-Stokes instrument, and takes sixth positcn. Ithyl conies in ahead of other north-western 8lalion The chief feature cf interest on Monday wis the splendid record mhdo by Tcignmonth. foiiow^d closely by Weymouth, Moreeambe and Oban. All four went up one or two places in the list. In the opinion of meteorologists, SOTITO remarkable fluctuation, in sunshine are at hand, wslii consequent clianges in the order. I Siiitakliii now recjUirfs A few minwi:is Vt-s than peven- teen hours to equal its average for all July and August.
WELSH RIFLE ASSOCIATION.
WELSH RIFLE ASSOCIA- TION. ANNUAL COMPETITIONS AT PENALLY. It has now been definitely decided that the fourth annual meeting of (he Welsh Rifle Association shall be held at near 'l'»nby, on the first four days of September,and programmes and all information in con- nection therewith can be obtained fi-Lm hlr J. W. Mattliews, Wast Hill, Uowden, Cheshire, Generally the prize list is very much the same as last year, with certain additions which will tend to make the meeting more attractive to terriiorialu-ts, the rifle clubs, and civilians who of ,i,,t ti"tll los Gi per annum. Among the new competitions the most important is a challenge cup. value HOiruineas, with gold and silver medals, presented by Sir Arthur Oowell- istepney Bart. This competition will be open to t"a.m. of five men drafted from any one company squadron of five men drafted from any one company or squadron of t)i, Welsh Territorial Forces, from any i-ific club (miniature or otherwise), or th? team may be com- posed of any five civilians being residents of the same town or village. The. distances art' the same as in the King's first tage. The first prize consists of the cup, 2.5 per cent, of the entrance fers, and a gold medal to each member of the team, and the ;¡eeolld 15 per cent, of the entrance fee-, and .silver inedaJs. Captain Drago has offered prizes for judging distance, and the asso- ciathm give prizes for direction of fire (open only to non-commusvioned officers). The Williams-Bulkelev Cup, wi Ji money prizes added, is intended for the encouragement of military shooting under conditions approximating to those of actual war- fare. Competitors will fall in at, a spot not 1-s than 600 yards from the targets, and advance by three rushes of about ;0 yards towards a position indicated by the range officer. Targets will be exposed for 20BOC. at each of the two halts. In the W .(-Ih championship £ 115 is appropriated for prizes ranging fromjEK and gold dragon and badge of the Welsh Kifle Association to 10s. Altogether there are G6 prizes. This will be shot in two stages. There are several miniature rifle competitions, and the pro- gramme is such as to merit the support of all Welsh marksmen. Special railway arrangements have been made, by -which competitors will be able to travel the double journey at single fares, and the ticket,s-will he available from August 29t!k to September 7th (inclusive). Entries close on Monday, August 24tli, to Mr Matthews, at the address given above, and post entries will only be accepted with an addition of 25 per cent.
[No title]
The rise of the Nile is already weli abovo the average, exceeding the record for the past fifteen years.
--ABERGELE AND DISTRICT ANTIQUARIAN…
ABERGELE AND DISTRICT ANTIQUARIAN ASSOCIA- TION. AN INTERESTING VISIT TO LLANDDULAS. THE BLACK STONES OF OLD COLWYN. On Saturday a number of brakes left the National School, Abergele, with between thirty and forty members of the Abergele Antiquarian Society en route for the Llanddulas Quarries. On reaching- Tan'rallt Hall, Llanddulas, they were joined by Mr Evans, of the Llanddulas Quarries; Mr Lupton, of Messrs Kneesha.w, Lupton and Co.'s Quarries; and Mr W. Bezant Lowe, M.A., F.C.S., of Llanfairfechan, who had kindly under- taken to act as leader for the day. Under the guidance of Mr Lupton the party made their way to the top quarry, where a special blast had been prepared for the benefit of the party. On the signal being given com- munication was set up between the blasting powder and a powerful battery. The whole face of the cliff seemed to move as though some im- prisoned giant was determined to be free, and in the struggle hurled several tons of rock down the declivity. The fumes from the blast seemed to contain a quantity of sulphurated hydrogen* which was loudly commented upon by members of the party. A sharp iook-out was kept up throughout the excursion for fossils, the first found being Enorinites," an extensive family of fossil radiata, having a long jointed stock, surmounted by a lily-shaped branching body. But one or two of the party were fortunate enough to find the euomphalus," a coiled nautiloid shell of tho mountain limestone—the coils not being in the same plane, like the ammonite; henee its umbilical shape. It is one of the extinct genus of univalos molluscs. Another interesting find was one of the corals, possibly a member of the pipe coral known as "syringopora." In examining the limestone rocks it. was pointed out that good limestone must be free from iron; ivhile to get good iron from the blast-furnaces, good limestone must be u^ed. The rocks at Llanddulas are in the form of a horse shoe, which is known to geologists as an anticlinal curve. Taken altogether the quarry is very free from sub-soil, and what there is can soon be removed in tubs conveyed on iron ropes across the quarry. From the height where the party were standing the rocks keep on dip- ping towards the Dee, until they go right under the coal. The order in which the rocks lie is: —Red boulder clay above, then limestone, then millstone grit, and the coal measures. Although the red boulder clay to-day is only found in patches there was a time when it covered a very large area, and on the Orme was some 400 feet above the sea level. Another loud report drew attention to a second blast specially prepared for the visitors. An in- spection was made of the hauling engine, and attention was drawn to a working model, which went by steam, and worked the engineer's lathe. The large engine was put in motion, and brought up a full truck for the crushers. Coming from the sorters, after having been crushed, was lime- stone in powder one-eighth inch, 4-inch, 2-inch, l-inch, 1-inch, lg-ineh, 2-inch, etc. FIRES ALIGHT FOR THIRTY YEARS. Another interesting process was the burning in the kilns. These kilns are going day and night. and the fires have not been out for the last thirty years. The limestone is warmed by the hot blast going towards the chimney and gradually worked past heated pipes to the exit and raked out. Tho lime is in the hottest part for about 24 hours. It was thought a pity that the C.A. and C.O. escaping into the air could not be utilised in some way. Descending the lines towards the beach the party were shown the drum for sending down the wagons to the wharf. It was stated that on,e day a man had gone to sleep inside the drum, and was very much bruised before he was dis- covered and released. The drum is regulated by a band brake. Messrs H. Bedford and J. R. Ellis proposed and seconded a very hearty vote of thanks to Messrs Lupton and Evans for their kindness and for the valuable information which had been so freely given. Mr Lupton, in acknowledging, said tho party would probably have better understood the various processes had the works been in full swing, and gave a cordial invitation to any who had the time and opportunity to visit the quarries again. OLD COLWYN'S INTERESTING BLACK STONES. Mr Lowe then took charge of the party, and a move was made along the beach for' Old Coi- wyn. At the outset Mr Lowe drew attention to the boulder clay all along the coast, and asked the members to fish certain black stones, which are very hard, out of the clay, and examine the scratches on them. These scratches are the re- sult of glacier movements, and therefore interest- ing as belonging to the ice age. The object of the walk was two-fold. In the first place they had to examine the hViestone, and in the next the boulder clay. These lime- stone rocks were formed at a period very far distant, and take us back to the time when our coal field-s were being formed. They contain the shells of animals which lived in a fairly deep sea. We have an example of the kind of life that wis going on then in the Co'-al Islands of the Pacific. If we could get behind the bouider clay we should come upon a coast-line of sea cliffs com- posed of limestone rocks. Consequently we have a line of cliffs extending from Llanddulas to the Great and Small Orme's Heads, and along this line from Colwyn Bay the contour of the limestone has a rounded appearance. Now, this rounding of the hills has been brought about by the stones in the boulder clay grinding the sharp edges off the rocks. This process may be seen going on in Switzerland to-day. There you can see the moraine, a great heap of stuff in front of the glacier. The smaller stones fall through and get to the bottom where they become wedged in and arc ground away. As this goes on one of two things must happen; either the stones are scratched by the rocks or if the rocks are of softer material they become scratched. It is important to bear in mind that there have been two distinct periods, and therefore two ice deposits. First, there was the ice-sheet, which brought us the red clay in which may be found pieces of granite rock from Cumber- land, Scotland, and even greater distances, and the local glaciers which gave us the blue clay, very similar in composition to the clay slate of Denbighshire and Carnarvonshire. A photograph giving a section of the cliff at Llandudno showed Glcddaeth Abbey with the blue clay below it. A big boulder, which had been scratched, was shown from Deganwy. Mr Lowe pointed out that pebbles, sands, and gravel indicated beaches, and these beaches were now found above the red day. Some interesting photos of erratic boulders, to be seen in the neighbourhoods of Mochdre and Pabo, which had been deposited by the ice-sheet, were also shown. These huge blocks are not from rocks to be found in the district. Then again it was observed that the rocks which. were under the ice in the vicinity of Penmaenmawr were striated. Near Old Cotyn the boulder clay disappears, and the limestone cliffs make their appearance. The members visited the caves, but no important finds were reported. On reaching Old Colwvn- tho party were very glad to find the restaurant, voi-Y where tea had been arranged for.
CORRESPONDENCE.
CORRESPONDENCE. TIIISTLE DOW A' LV TO II: S. (To the Editor of the Sir,— La^t week you were good eno sgh to allow no t« direct attention to the negiect of farmers and others to cut down or grub up the thi-»l les which in recent years have beconxj such a pest to tho gardener and agriculturist. An articJo on the same subjoct in to-day's "Dai'y Mirror," adds force to wl:at I ha. e said. This is a serious matter to the farmer and a growing evil.—Yours, etc., Colwyn Bay, FJ/LIS LEVER. August 18th. 1903. [Tho article to which Mr Lrvor re'ers is too lengthy for publication, but as our corres- pondent. states it substantially be:er. out his contention.—Ed., W.C.P.]
BRAVE DEEDS. ? —
BRAVE DEEDS. ? — AN APPEAL FOR OLD COLWYN BOATMEN. (To the Editor cf the "Pioneer"). Sir,-Cyril Bayliss was rescued frctn death on cur sa-ncts on August 7th by Roht. Jeivs, bath- ing assistant, anct lie did this brave 3,t before break-fast and suffered for it. This is tho se- cond time in some four weeks Jones has rescued from sudden death. I shall be exceedingly pleased if any who en- joy a morning bath and appreciate British pliok and valour, will send or give me a few half- crowns (or crowns) for Robert Jones. Ho was also assisted bv Roberts and Pollv, his horse.— Yours, etc., EDWARD ARMYTAGE WADE. Eenwyn, Colwya.
BATHING FATALITY AT BHOS-ON-SEA.…
BATHING FATALITY AT BHOS-ON-SEA. PORT SUNLIGHT MAN'S DEATH. JURY'S STRONG RECOMMENDATION. THE CORONER'S STATEMENT REFUTED. circumstances of the drowning of a young man employed in the Sunlight Soap Works, at Rhos-on-Sea, Colwyn Bay, were in- vestigated at tho Sessions Court yesterday (Thursday) by the County Coroner (Dr. J. R. Hughes) and a jury. Mr Thos. B. Trueman, foreman at the Sun- light Soap Works, stated that deceased yva.5 his nephew and 20' years of age. He was a healthy young man, accustomed to sea bathing, and a good swimmer. W itne-ss added that he had seen the place where the aocident occurred north of lthos Pier and near the fishing weir. It was clearly very dangerous. and no notice boad-d was to be seen. Had there been a warning notice his nephew would probably not have attempted to bathe there. Harold Gordon, engineer, of 12, Bridge- street, Port Sunlight, stated that he was one of the camping party. On Tuesday about 11 o'clock he accompanied Trueman and Harold Williams to the Rhos beach intending to bathe. Their first thought was to dive off the pier, but they considered the wind too strong and the sea too rough. They turned their attention to the beach oft the Rhos Promenade on the Colwyn Bay side of the pior, but. the tide being high there was no ground except tho promen- ade on which they could leave their clothes, so they went to tho other side of the pier, and entered the water there. Witness 6wam straight out, but Trueman went along parallel with the bo-ach. After about five minutes wit- ness was alarmed by hearing Trueman cry out, and he swam. towards him, but the young man disappeared and every effort to find him was unavailing. Replying to questions. Witness said that when he last saw the deceased as he made out for the sea Tr-ueman appeared to be standing in his own depth, but when subsequently he missed him he asked his other friend (Harold Wiliitums) "Where is Witness shouted then, "Alre you all right, Tom?" but got no answer. The waves were so high that witnoss could only see his friends every now and then. Concluding that there was (Something wrong witness swam in search of the deceased,, and shortly afterwctr6 heard him cry out for help. Witness then caught sieht of him some little distance away, thrashing: about with both arms 14, if he was very excited." Witness swam towards him as quickly as he could, but by the time he reaohed I the spot deceased had su,nk. Witney dived un- ,der the water, but failed to feel the bottom; .neither oou1.d he ditoover anything of his friend. However, had lie found him witness doubted whether he would have been able to do much fctl him, because he found considerable difficulty in keeping elf safely afloat. IGNORANT OF T"IE DANGER. Mr Ilugfh Owon (foreman juror); Had you no suspioion thait ths siot was dangerous for ba-thina'? Witness: Not the slightest. I had bathed on the other side of the pier, and thought it would be just. the isaaie on the other side. I suppose you could see the large boulders about?—No; we could not. The water was over them. How thigh was the tide—over tho shingle?— Yes, right up to the shingle, go that we could not see what kind of a place it was. Harold Williams, electrical engineer, of 25, Birch-road, Lower Bebington, said that when Trueman called for help Gordon sent him to- wards the pier entrance for a boat. He was barefooted, and waa unable to run on tue stony beach; so he asked two boys to run and call for a boat. They returned in five minutes to say that no boat could be sent. Thoro was a boat floating near the) pier. Sergt. Jones Roe3 said the boat referred to was a very heavy one belonging to the wrecked steamer "Rhbs Noigr," and there were no men about able to man it. Williams said a smaller boat was aJso there. Trueman, who had boon accustomed to bathe every morning at the Port Sunlight baths, went intentionally into the breakers with tho idea of having some ftirl In reply to Mr H. Owen. Williains staged that there were maoos of rock, some 6ft. high, on the beach at this point, and a very strong cur- rent war, (running1 where Trueman was drowned. "A TERRIBLE PLACE." Continuing:, witness said he and others had inspected tho spot after the tide had gone out, anid found that just at the i*>int where Trueman sunk there wa3 "a bigh hole. Trueman muist havo been standing on the brink of thte when we last saw him sta-ud-ng, and then walked off the brink right into the hole." Gordon had been swimming for the championship of the Mersey, but the tide was 00 sbrong on the day in ques- tion that even he had fct4itd it a hard fight to regain the ahare. They decided not to bathe off tho Pier Head, became they thought the high wind would blow their ciotnes away, The Coroner: Did you hear anyone ever say that this WAS a dangerous spot to bathe in? Witness: No. sir. I .never heard a word about tho olaco. Tho Coroner: And now that you have seen the plaoo after the tide had gone out what do you think of it? Witness: It, io a. terrible place; not fit for bai'-iiing. It u most dangerous. BRAVE WITNESS'S STORY. Fred Morga.n, Sunderland, a Sheffield man, now residing at Ponrhynsido, near the Little Orme's Head, said he was with lus wife on the raised ground near tho shore, and stopped to watch th-o three young men swimming in the sea. One young man, who seemed to be a good strong swimmer, and was 10 to 20 yards away from tho others, was using tho overhand stroke, and gave witness the impassion that he wanted td swim out to the partly submerged wreck ot the "Ithos Neigr" passenger steamer. After going 10 or 20 he turned round and swam back. lie shouted something which witness could not understand: then he swam a few more strokes, shouted again, and went under. He was not seen again. At first shout witness began to undress, his wife helping him, and he hurried into the water. After struggling over tho stones forty yards and through the shallow water beyond he was almost knocked up be- fore he began to swim. lie went m the direc- tion in which he believod the drowning man had gone down, but saw nothing of him. Wit- ness, who was a life-long swimmer, said as to diving, that was out of the question, as the water was so milky and rough, whilst the tide Iva.,3 pulling him into the sea. It "was all he could' do to get back, let alone hunt, about for another person. He concurred with the first witness that there ought to be a warning notice against bathing at. that place. It was just on the point, where the current was strongest. Ho was once himself taken out to sea on the same coast, and he only got back by making for an- other place. Witness went on to say there ought to be lifebuoys with long ropes attached kept here and there along the shore. He believed he could haye saved Trueman if lie had had a life- -buoy, as he would have gone into the sea with- out undressing, as far as his neck, and then, perhaps, thrown the buoy towards him. The Coroner remarked that Mr Morgan had acted in a very plucky way, for which lie ought to bo publicly ommended. Mr Sunderland, as evidence of the da.ngerou3 and rocky nature of the spot., ,-ihowed tho Coroner the severe bruises he had sustained on the legs while swimming airnong the rocks to tho de- ceased's aid. Stephen II. Daniel, of Ectonia, Dinas-road, .Rhoson-Sea, stated that he saw something ot the accident from the- Pier, where he was .11",h. ing. In the afternoon he went shrimping down by the weir, and there saw the body m about two feet of water, and he pulled it to tho shore. There was a bruise on the head near the left ear, and it had been bleeding. Witness be- lieved that Trueman, when swimming with the overhead stroke, struck tho sido of his head on a submerged rock, a.nd that had probably caused -nis coliapso in the wa-ter. CORONER'S COMMENTS. The Coroner said that three years ago two girls, wading not far from this spot., were caught by the current and drowned. Ho then urged the local authority to put up a warning notice, but nothing of the kind had been done. It was an extraordinary thing that tno.re should not be vigilance boats, not only there but all along the coast. Sergt. Jones Rees explained that at the Col. wyn Bay official bathing place a boat was pro- vided, and had been on duty that morning. Tho Coroner went on to say that the jury were townspeople, who ought to recommend ,the local authority to take all needful precau- tions. People should not bathe except in autho- rised places. He had received a letter from the lie v. E. James Evans, the vicar of Llandrillo- yn-Rbos, who asked, that he should order a warning notice to bo put up. Ho (the Coron- er) had no authority to order anything of that kind, though he might make representations to the authorities, and, if need b0, to the Secre- 'tarv of State. Tho Rector added that he knew of the danger existing" from experience, because he had on one occasion had the greatest possible difficulty in regaining the ahore at that point. The jury found that the deceased was drown- ed accidentally while bathing at Rhos Point. They added that they found the evidence very confusing, and they strongly recommended that a board should be put; up warning bathers not to bathe on that side of the pier. At the same time they thought it unfortunate that young men should bathe on that side of the pier in- stead of at the proper bathing place, where there wero vans and men in attendance and boats about. Mr II. Owen moved, and Mr E. Williams seconded, a sincere vote of condolence with the relatives and friends of the deceased man.
CLERK TO THE COUNCILS STATEMENT.
CLERK TO THE COUNCILS STATEMENT. AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. Having regard for the statement made by the coroner that he had previously warned the local authority to put up a warning notice at this spot one of our Colwyn Bay representatives inter- viewed Mr James Amphlett, solicitor-clerk to the Urban District Council, in order that our readers might also have the Council's case before them. I have no authority, said Mr Amphlett, at the outset, to make any statement as directly emana- ting from the Council. Speaking personally, however, I may say that the Council have had the question of bathing very prominently before them, and they have done all they can within reason to prevent accidents. It is quite certain that in regard to that observation by the coroner it should have no weight at all. He was speak- ing in absolute ignorance of the circumstances. Simply because there happens to have been about three drowning accidents at this place in about 40 years he has apparently come to the con- clusion that the whole beach is dangerous. Of course, any part of the beach is dangerous if a person who cannot swim goes out of his depth 'or if one who can swim goes too far out to be able to return to the shore. People should look before they leap, but if people go into the sea without, any knowledge whatever of the place— as unfortunately appears to have been the case in this instance-they naturally run a risk which no amount of vigilance on the part of the authorities can meet with any effect. If this unfortunate young man, whose sad death we all naturally deplore very much, had bathed in the proper bathing place either at Colwyn Bay, Old Colwyn, or Rhos-on-Sea on this occasion there would have been plenty of people about to help him, and there would not have been the same conditions for him to fight against in the form of currents. Young fellows who come to camp in various parts of our extensive district get up at all sorts of hours in the morning, go to bathe quietly when there are few if any people tVout, with the sea running high and, without consult- ing anybody, they frequently make straight for the first spot available. No power on earth can save a person who gets into difficulties under such circumstances. WHEN VIGILANCE BOATS ARE USELESS. "Vigilance boats were mentioned," remarked the interviewer. Under given conditions, was the reply, vigilance boats are all very weli, very excellent things, I have no doubt. But say we had some here, I doubt very greatly whether this young fellow would have escaped with his life. You see, to make a system of that kind of any use what- ever on our beach—having particular regard for the recklessness of individuals who plunge into the sea anywhere without making any inquiries —we would have to employ scores of boats to constantly patrol the whole of the coast in the urban district. A man and a boat—even if one man could perform the work satisfactorily—would cost perhaps E2 a week, so that if we were to employ the number of boats that might be of some use the work would become very expensive even if they were employed during the holiday -season only. I don't say for a moment that the expenditure of JB40 per week, say, would be too great a price for one life, but I cannot see that, though the Council went to that expense, it would be justified because it would not ensure "perfect safety." To attain perfect safety, having re- gard for the thoughtlessness of people, under any conditions would be practically absolutely im- possible. DROWNING UNKNOWN UNDER PROPER BATHING CONDITIONS. Continuing, Mr Amphlett said: If people bathed in the orthodox manner it would be abso- lutely impossible to get drowned at Colwyn Bay. There is not a single instance of a fatal accident at Colwyn Bay where the bather was bathing 1n the proper manner in the proper bathing ground at proper bathing hours. Some time ago two servant girls got up very early in the morn- jing, and while no ono was about they went into the water when it was very rough. They were washed away, and it would have been quite impossible to save such an accident wherever it might occur, because even the men in charge of patrol boats want a certain amount of sleep. The Interviewer: It would, however, be possible to warn strangers of the danger of bathing in certain spots? Mr Amphlett: In reference to that point I should like to say that that part of the shore where this accident occurred is not within the jurisdiction of the Council because it is leased to Mr William Horton, whose consent would be necessary before any notices could be placed there. Personally I am of opinion that it would be a mistake to fix up any such warning boards for it would at once damn the good reputation of this place for the safety of its bathing facili- ties. NO LETTER FROM THE CORONER. Haa the coroner addressed a letter to the Coun- cil on this matter? I can recall no communication from him, and we certainly have no record of it on our books. Did he not write three years ago calling the Council's attention to the accident to two girls at this spot, and urging the Council to fix up warning boards? No; we had no such letter. The Deputy Clerk (Mr Jos. II. Roberts), who was present during the interview, interposed with the remark that so far as he could remember the coroner made some observations art the in- quest on the two girls, and, as a member of the Council happened to be the foreman of the jury at the time, it was just possible that the coroner had taken it for granted that that gen- tleman would have brought the matter up at the next Council meeting. Mr Amphlett: In any event it would be the duty of the coroner under such circumstances to communicate with the Council directly through the regular channels. As I said before, I do not think personally that any weight can be at- tached to what is said by the coroner for this district.
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