Monmouth Guardian and Bargoed and Caerphilly Observer

"iiiw TREDEGAR RESCUE BRIGADE. PRESENTATION OF MEDALS. Tfc t;re was a large gathering at the New Tred-gar Rescue Station on Saturday evenuig, upon the occasion of the presenta- tion of medals to the members of the Brig.to, in recognition of their services at Seng'ienydd and elsewhere. Ccuucillor John Evans, Abertwsswg, who presi led, said he was there instead of Ald. PhiilipS; who was suffering with his throat. It gt him much pleasure to be there to 8ho*v :.i,» appreciation of the valued work of the -ue Brigade. It was well known, he and, what valuable work Mr Kitto had rendered to the large number of students in the valley in connection with firemen's duties and the Rescue Brigade, and he had him-)If had opportunities of acquainting himself with the excellence of the work accomplished. Alderman Phillips had at various times tested Mr Kitto and he had never failed to prove his competence, and he (Mr Evans) was pleased that the classes had stuck to him from the commencement until now. They ought all to feel indebted to Mr Kitto for the services he had rendered not only in connection with the classes but in conneotion with the lamentable disaster at Snghenydd. He (Mr Evans) had spent a week there and had watched the brigade and tho work they had done, and it had given him much pleasure to find they had such a brigade at New Tredegar, ready to meet any emergency. (Applause.) Mrs W. H. Rees then presented the t jllowing certificates to the Rescue Brigade students Messrs. John Lewis, Benjamin Rata, Wrn. Morgan, Gilbert Walters, David Jones, Thos. H. Richards, G. Weeks, John Prilohard, Thomas Hope, Wm. J. Mathews (Rhymney), Wm. Wheeler, Wm. K. Lewis and James West (Pontlottyn), Wm. Rich- ards (Rhymney), Aug. Evans, Wm. T. Rees (Rhymney), Dd. J. Evans, Samuel Price, J. A. Price, Albert Hope, Dd. H. Jeremiah, Wm. Roberts, Edgar Dyer, Ernest Bellamy, Moses Gulliver, Thos. H. Griffiths. Aid. N. Phillips, J.P., said that he had very much pleasure in seeing such a large number of students and other young men present to witness what was taking place that evening. He had himself been a great lover of education from a boy, but the advantages then wore far different than they are now. Education was ow brought to their very doors, and made as pleasant as pos \ble. The tendency of the age was to sp6:1 time in play and amusement, but in a few years time what would such devotees of pleasure be ? He would be glad if the stu.ients of the classes they had in New Tredegar could act as missionaries to show how education affected the outlook of life. He would like to see the day come when no girl would marry a fellow unless he had a certificate of some kind. That would stop many of the rotten marriages which so often take place. He believed the day was coming when a man would be a nobody unless he knows something. There was learning to be had till death, and there was death to the man who does not learn. An immense impetus had been given to mining knowledge by the Mines Act, and unless advantage was taken of the opportunities Sresented by the classes, there was little hope for the chief industry of the district. In the old days a man had to work 12 to 14 hours a day, but now they had much shorter hours and every opportunity to I n. Every thinking man must value the men who applied themselves to rescue work, and what a boon snch a man was to society. Such men were to be commended —they were the Good Samaritans of the pits. There was but little pay attached to it. but there was the consciousness of having done something good and such would bring its own reward. It brought with it a finer feeling than pay could bring-the pleasure of having helped to put a fellow on his feet again. Nevertheless, he hoped that ere long the conscience of society would be' awakened and that there would be system- atic remuneration. In concluding, Ald. Phillips referred to the way in which news- papers often said hard things about colliery officials, but said them ignorantly, knowing little or nothing about colliery work, bat which often gave a stab or wound and sleepless nights to the officials concerned. He urged on men to read and digest the Mines Act, to obtain all the knowledge they could and carry it out to its logical conclusion. The world would recognise the work of such men by-and-bye. (Applause.) Rev. H. James, vicar, New Tredegar, said he was there rather to show his interest in the work by his presence rather than by his speech' It was a pleasure to be there and see the fruits of their successes —the rewards of their study and applica- tion. The certificates were, the result of effort, and there was nothing worth having which did not demand an effort to acquire it. Shakespeare had written of the tide which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. That tide was opportunity, and he hoped all would make use of the oppor- tunities as they came along. Mrs Rees then expressed the pleasure she had in presenting to Mrs Kitto a gold locket and chain, and to Mr Kitto, the superintendent of the Rhymney Valley Rescue Station, a gold watch and albert, subscribed for by the members of the brigade and the mining students, in appre- ciation of his excellent and faithful services. Mr C. M. Kitto, in acknowledging the gift, said that what he had done or had to do had always been a pleasure to him, and he was doubly thankful for the remembrance of his wife who, whilst he was away, had had much waiting to do at home. He hoped those who had obtained certificates would look on them as quite a secondary matter. The knowledge itself was far more impor- tant than the record of it, and should be an inspiration to go further on. He had had great pleasure in the teaching-more than he could say, and he greatly appreciated the kindness with which he had been treated. Rev. Henrick Jones, in the closing speech of the evening, bore high testimony to the character of Mr Kitto as a member of his church. He was one who gave inspiration to the man in the palpit, because he was an attentive listener. Grumblers were generally long-livers and had a large family, but he was glad to think that they were getting a minority. He believed the world was growing better and was full of 'noble men and women. It was never more Christian than to-day in spite of what people said as to its being a pleasure-loving ago. Mr Kitto had won his way into their hearts, and they hoped he would long continue his good work amongst them. There never were more privileges and advantages than to-day, and it was encour- aging that an increasing number of young men were taking advantage of them. The future would be more glorious still. The golden age was ahead of them. A good time was coming-slowly, gradually, but surely. He thought that they were too forgetful of their brothers who worked in the depths of the earth, and he hoped they would think of them more than they had done. (Applause) Ald. N. Phillips said that he wished to express, on behalf of the Committee and the public, their thanks for the heroic work of the brigade in attempting the work of rescue at Senghenydd. They worked hard and incessantly and did not shout at the top of the pit of what they had done. The true hero said nothing about himself. Mr Kitto led his party, and that party was undoubtedly the finest party which went underground on that occasion. (Applause.) A vote of thanks to the chairman and the singing of the National Antbem closed the proceedings.

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HUGE FIRE AT BABGOED. 98,000 DAMAGE. I MANY IMPORTANT OFFICES INVOLVED. At 5.40 a.m. on Sunday morning, the Bargoed Fire Brigade was called out to a fire that had been discovered on the pre- mises of the Pontypridd Furnishiug Com- pany in High-street, Bargoed. It appears that a man named Wilkins, of 17, Railway- street, Bargoed, was walking along Han- bury-road when he noticed a dense volume cf thick smoke and Same emerging from the flat roofed premises. He immediately rushed to the Police Station and P.C. Thomas communioated with the bugler of ot the Fire Brigade, and the men were called out. There was a prompt response and within three minutes of the first alarm, Captain Jones and the men in the immedi. ate vicinity of the Fire Station had the water playing on the huge conflagration. The hose was attached to the Rhymney and Aber Company's 10-inch main in Oapel- street, and also to the 6-inch main in Han- bury-road, thus drawing from two sources of supply. There was an excellent pressure of water on, there being a current of 130 on the main. With the arrival of Lieuts. R. Williams and S. Parry, the main was tapped at the Pier Head hydrant, to the north of the fire, and by means of the breeching piece another two jets were pour- ing hundreds of thousands of gallons of water on the flames. It was apparent from the very start that the main building was doomed, the fire having had far too great a hold upon the premises before it was first discovered. The highly inflammable material stocked on the premises, coupled with the running stream of molten pitch and tar from the flat roof, and which fed the fire, gave off a terrific heat, so great in fact that the huge plate glass windows of the Aber- tillery Bon Marche were cracked. The offices of Mr Ebbs worth's, over the Furnish- ing Company's premises, were doomed. The Brigade devoted their attention to the sav- ing of Lloyds Bank, the offioes of Mr Ivr- werth A. Clarke, accountant, and Mr W. Harris, architect. Although the main por- tion of these buildings were saved, very considerable damage was done to the books, documents, etc. Mr Clarke is secretary for a large number of Building Clubs in the Rhymney and Sirhowy Valleys, the Electric Light Company, Cinemas, etc., and the Perfect Thrift Society, and other organ- isations. Mr Harris had the estate plans for a very large tract of land, and was nearing completion plans for 300 houses in the Sirhowy Valley, and these have been much damaged. Many books and documents, however, were saved. The pre- mises of Lloyds Bank were not touched by fire, but much damage was done by water. A very large quantity of furniture was saved from the rooms in the basement. Although the fire had had such a hold upon the premises before the alarm was given, the Brigade had got the upper hand of it within au hour, but it was some hours later before it was finally subdued. Police Inspector Canton, Sergt. Clinch, and other officers of the force were early on the scene, and rendered splendid assistaace to the Brigade, whilst Mr Symonds, the local manager of the Rhymney and Aber Company, was on the scene at 6 a.m. to en- sure an adequate supply of water. A report has appeared in some news- papers that there was a shortage of water, but this was not true. The probable cause for a st itement of that kind may be due to a slight reduction in the pressure when the two connections were made from the Pier Head hydrant, but even this did not affect the service, as there was ample force for all purposes of the brigade. This fire demonstrated again how the Brigade is being handicapped for appli- ances. At present they have only three lengths of socket ladders, which are totally inadequate. They had to borrow ladders from builders in the district to enable them to carry the hoso to the upper windows. It makes one shudder to contemplate the con- sequences had there been any one residing on the premises: There are now several large buildings in Bargoed, and the need of an escape is of the first importance. The ancient method of calling out the Brigade by means of the bugle is again to be condemned. As already indicated, the firemen respond most promptly to the call, but with the alarm going broadcast, hun- dred* of people flocked to the scene and in their excitement became a serious menace to the men in carrying out their work. Had the men been con nected by alarm bells, such as the Bedwellty Council have instal- led at Aberbargoed, Pengam, Blackwood, and New Tredegar, comparatively few people would be on the scene so early. One of the greatest mysteries of the fire was the delay in giving the first alarm. It was stated on good authority that people at Aberbargoed saw the flames in the building as early as 5.15 a.m. In any case it must have been raging fully half an hour before Wilkins first saw it.

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DIAMONDS AT BARGOED. A TRADESMAN SUMMONED. At the Caerphilly Police Court, on Tues- day, Isaac Barnett, 40, dealer, Bargoed, was charged with obtaining the sum of 9300 by means of false pretensions on the 2nd May When the case was called, Mr Harold Lloyd stated that he appeared to prosecute. Mr Arnold Williams, Bargoed, said he was there to defend. Mr Harold Lloyd then said the defendant was charged with obtain- ing the sum of 9300 by means of false pre- tences, and, to put the matter in a few words, he sold a lot of diamonds which he knew were not diamonds. The story would be a long one, and very complicated. He did not propose to open it that day, but to ask that the matter should be adjourned for a week because it was a long story. Indeed it was a question whether it would not be better to have a special Court for it, and whether the day could be fixed at once. Could the Clerk say that if adjourned for a week, the case would not be taken before 12 o'clock.—The Chairman: Would you guarantee to finish by four o'clock.—Mr Harold Lloyd I would not guarantee to finish it in two or three days —The Chair- man We will not be hare.—Mr Harold Lloyd: I do not want to bring a lot of people here nexi; week, and then for the case not to be finished. Will the same Bench be here next week.—The Chairman No.—Mr Arnold Williams said he was agreeable for the case to be adjourned till the 19th.-The case was then adjourned, bail being allowed in two sams of f,50 each.

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