TELEGRAPHING EXTRAORDINARY.
A contemporary supplies some interesting particulars as to the number of words transmitted by telegraph to all parts of the kingdom on the occasion of the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Edinburgh. On the evening of Mr Gladstone’s arrival, press messages containing over seventeen thousand words were handed in at the telegraph department of the General Post-office; but the actual number of words transmitted was over sixty-seven thousand, owing to the fact of the same report being sent to more than one newspaper. Mr Gladstone’s visit to the Forth Bridge works led to the transmission of twelve thousand words, and his movements on the following day to nineteen thousand. On the occasion of his first speech on Saturday evening (August 30) in the Corn Exchange, sixty-two thousand four hundred and seventy-one words were handed in, and one hundred and thirty-eight thousand four hundred and forty-five transmitted. The number would have been greater had not Sunday intervened, allowing of the transmission of many messages by train. On Monday evening (September 1) the press messages reached the enormous number of one hundred and seventeen thousand words, causing the transmission of about four hundred and twenty-seven thousand words, the largest number ever transmitted on any one night from Edinburgh. After the Waverley Market speech of Tuesday night (September 2), one hundred and seventy-two thousand eight hundred and twenty-one words were transmitted.
On Monday evening, when the strain was heaviest, one hundred and thirty operators were at work, and in spite of the constant stream of messages the department kept abreast of the reporters. As many as four towns in the same telegraphic circuit were enabled to read almost the same message at the same time. The message having been ‘punched’ on long slips of prepared paper, the plan was adopted, instead of running it entirely through one machine, of taking the slip out of the first machine after it was three yards clear, and running it into a second and a third.
CASUALTIES ON THE BRITISH COAST.
A blue-book on sea-casualties to British vessels from July 1, 1882 to June 30, 1883, contains the Report of the Marine Department of the Board of Trade, showing that the total number of vessels belonging to the United Kingdom to which casualties occurred (total losses and serious and minor casualties) was 5409. This is higher by one hundred and eleven than in 1881-82, when it was 5298, and higher than any year since 1876-77, when it was 5801. The number of total losses was eight hundred and ten (tonnage 277,490). This is lower than the previous two years, but higher than in either of the four years preceding. The decrease in the last two years is in sailing-vessels (classed and unclassed) and in unclassed steamships. There is, however, a large increase (twenty-five per cent.) in the total losses of classed steamships. The number of serious casualties not amounting to total losses was 1268, and was lower than any of the previous six years, except 1879-80, when it was slightly higher. The decrease is entirely confined to sailing-vessels. The number of steamships (five hundred and seventy-one) to which serious casualties occurred is larger than in any of the previous six years, and the tonnage of the vessels affected is nearly one hundred and fifty thousand more than in 1876-77. From 1877-78 there is a steady annual rise in serious casualties to steamships from four hundred and six in 1877-78 to five hundred and seventy-one in 1882-83. In 1876-77 they were four hundred and ninety-three. The loss of life in vessels belonging to the United Kingdom was 2501 in 1882-83, or seven hundred and seventy-six less than in 1881-82, but was more than the loss in each of the five years preceding 1881-82, and was three hundred and thirty-one more than the average for the six years. Of these 2501 lives, 1463 were lost in missing vessels. The number of missing ships was one hundred and fifty-two, namely: Sailing-ships, 133; tonnage, 32,995; lives lost, 1080: steamships, 19; tonnage, 14,626; lives lost, 383—total lives lost, 1463.
‘YES.’
A little rain,
The sun again,
A shadow;
A summer day,