MARCH.
15.—Died suddenly at Norwich, Mr. Horace Hill, Mus. Doc., aged 67. He was a son of Mr. John Hill, the compiler of the once popular “Norwich Tune Book,” and was largely identified with musical matters in Norwich and Norfolk.
29.—Cromer Gas Works, constructed at the cost of upwards of £13,000, were opened.
APRIL.
19.—The Norwich Diocesan Conference opened at Noverre’s Rooms, Norwich, and was concluded on the 20th.
—A trial trip over the completed portion of the Norwich electric tramways was run. A memorial signed by clergy and others was presented to the Town Council, protesting against the proposed introduction of Sunday traffic over the system. The overhead wires erected by the Tramway Company were inspected on June 12th by Mr. A. P. Trotter, electric adviser to the Board of Trade; and on July 26th Col. Yorke, R.E., of the Railway Department of the Board of Trade, made an inspection of 22 miles of route on about 16 miles of roads. On the 30th the cars commenced running over the Magdalen Road, Earlham Road, Dereham Road, and Thorpe Road routes. Twenty-five thousand persons were carried on this day. The Newmarket Road route was opened on August 9th, and the Unthank Road route on December 22nd.
20.—Two men, Pratt, of Tunstead, and Thomas Stafford, from Surrey, were at work in a seven foot cylinder, 90 foot below the surface of the ground, at North Waltham Waterworks, when the earth fell in and they were entombed. The accident occurred at fire p.m. Strenuous efforts were made to rescue the men, and mainly through the exertions of one Tom Holford they were brought to the surface much exhausted, but otherwise uninjured, at 9.15 p.m. on the 21st.
25.—The centenary of the death of the poet Cowper at East Dereham on April 25th, 1800, was observed. Cowper spent the closing years of his life in a house in the Market Place, on the site of which the Cowper Congregational church is now erected. His body was interred in St. Edmund’s Chapel, in the north transept of the parish church. At the commemoration service the sermon was preached by the Rev. John Callis, rector of Holy Trinity, Norwich.
26.—The Duke of York visited Yarmouth and attended the opening and dedication of the Missions to Seamen Church and Institute.