South Wales Weekly Post

ENTRY OF THE NEW YEAR. I CELEBRATIONS IN SWANficA DISTRICT. I ho Xew Year came in with a rush ft. E"A-aluen. In iac', it W rough, and from that point oi view nut over propitious for a peaceful time. The hopes were uppeimost however that 1916 would gee. the cud of the present terrible war, and so people did not trouble much about the weather. As the hour of midnight approached, squalls of wind and wfli banished the old year and hroutrht in the new. whilst, Customary sounding hcotsrs, aureus, ajia WjiaatJes iroin the shins, woi k6, •tc- Th is din commenced well before mid- night, docks varied considerably, or else the operators were anxious for the old year, with i«* ter- rible tale of death and suffering and anxiety, to pass into oblivion. The wretched weather miditatod against the prepense of great numbers of peopJe in the streets, but there were small crowds parading the thoroughfares as twelve o'clock struck, and in a very short time the number was added to by the worshippers leaving the various watch-night services in the town. A Happy :New Yea i, to you." "me to you and many of them, were heard on all hands., whilst here and there one caught the farvent hope that lbl6 would sse peace restored amongst the nations at present fighting each other. That is also our great hope, but. it nitist be a lasting peace-iai other words a complete victory over I'rus- cia-n militarism. WATCH-NIGHT SERVICES. Watch-night tserviees v-cre held in all tho churches in St. Mary's Parish, and tins, of course, bad an effect upon the extent of the congregation at the Mother Church. How c ver, there must have been about a thousand people present at St. Mary's, where the Vicar (the Rev. the Hen. W. Talbot Rice) alone officiated. The service was really a continuation of those held throughout the day for penitence aud humiliation, fend so the vicar, in his remarks, confined himself to this, making no direct allusion to the war. The hymns were appropriate to the occasion, and Miss Msy Harries, in the very sweetest, voice, sang, I hear the voice of jesiis calling." At tue of i A pfaver, and as the congregation filed out of the sacred edifice many New Year's wishes were extended. SKETTY WESLEY. Watch-nignt services were held at Sketty Wesley Chapel, conducted by Mr. -1. F" Potter, B.A., and at Baptist Chapel, CaJiri- glas, where the Re v. Emlyn Si organ offi- ciated. For some time in the New Year Sketty bells raiig out merrily. PORT TALEOT. A successiuI social was held on Friday •veiling at thr- Paths. Port Tulhút, under the pulpites of the Mayor and Mayoress of A beta von, Mr. and Mrs. Percy Jacob, assisted bv several lady and gentlemen Mends. The Ataycx and Mayoress and the president, Dr. Henrietta James, received lile guests—soldiers of the 4th and 5th Welsh Regiments billeted in the district, t in the R.H.A. home on leave, about seventy in all, and the wounded from Bag- 3pji Hall. At, p.m. tb" TUaengwynfi Band struck up some lively" selections, which were followed by an excellent programme of s^ng, violin solos, and a quaint dance by (-"ever little Miss Phyllis Jacob. The baud :«n gave a further selootion of music, and :>Q.fre.hmerils and dainties were handed a ound to the soldiers. Tire flU) CNitinued Mtitil midnight, games of whist and dancing 4-) f w l u At qii d 1, indulged ill, It was noticed that the • < sn of the wtv- v cry much favou'wl. perhi'fV,bec/iuse of the huge bunch of mistle- toe wjfiuh was, suspended between glorious fl.wer Irtjskets ;1".d As the hells pealed out ti!? midnight b?<u' Ao?d Y?.? 'Syn" wa? ftiing. Very hearty ioteq, of tha.n?< wr? p!!s=?d by flie xoldie'?. ospeci- any the Mayor and Mayoress, who were wished every success for their year of office, and promised t!w support- of their friends in their mfuiv works for good in the dis- trict. HIS FIFTY-FIRST. Rev. Oscar Snelling's Hardy Annual. With apparently undinvnishod vigour, the Rtev. rnellin.g'. at- the Albert Hall, eon- ducted his 61ft watch-night service, and it \va« a very memora ble one. The rev. gentle- man accompanied by Mrs. Snelling and t-hfcir HOII, Mr. knelling (who read the SOt.h Psalm, the same as had bepn read at veryuj? of the )?.?t watch nirht ?rT'ce?). and ther e us one member of t.he very Lar?e congregation present who was at the first ftcrvioe h;df a century frgo. He was Mr. Sam JOllk. » l-H-'iio.ntiutti employe. Mr. Selling took for his text E^ekiel xxi., 27, "1 will ovoitum. overturn, overturn." Hp cC-nFidtmi, he siid, tn¡t 191i was the most, terrible the world had ever seen, fm" ',vheu aneietit history s pokp about Xerxes a,nd his miiik-n. that w?. mcie cnxld's play compared with the millions at ^rtsent facing •ach other. He mentioned tiiat there Vel-e. l«> t,f their congregation serving tlie na.tion, nd to (several soldiers and sailors present at the scrvioe he wi ¡:,h ed. nod- gpeed for the coming year. Cominig' to matters concerning his own oongregai-'on, he 1 eferred to the presence of Mr. S'nn Jone ;ru^ a said that looking tlirough his notks 111 his pocket book he found th-it at Jet 50 of hie people had passed away during 1915.1Ilr, E. Meredith sang a, solo, Jml.y« w.s offered by Mr. Kcmii, and just at the mi?n?ht' ?our there was 8Jent grayer, followed by the first act of the New Ye&r—the repeating of the Lord's Prayer. It w« £ a vei,y fervent Thy will be done." end as the congregation left the bell both Mr. a.nd Mrs- Snelling cam? in fOr m?nv heaxtfelt New 1 ear s greetin' The annual watch-night service w??&ld in St. Mark's PaTih Church, Waum Wen. Swansea,, on Friday evening- There waS it large congregation present., and the ser- vice was conducted bv the Vicar (Rev. M. Davj), Thp Vicar took for his text, I will restore to you the years that the have eaten," and during t-bo E;rmon gaid penitence -sr, what tht,, ChitT-cli asked them to think of at the close of the year, and it wps a very fitt.in.g subject, and wiien they oame to the close of the year it would he a good thing to tak tock of them- elves, and xe(,, it they were nearer to God th" ? tJie b?ji'nn?. It ?? ?j?? ? wry tr?ng y?f ?o' all, but if they had lost the fm' f-liev hRd ic),?t tlie t?o-re of I:fp IVR.G a Ntr. 1,? W. "DinHw prejided at. th^ m;'n, ?d .<pF??l

I DISASTER OFF GOWER COAST. THREE MEN DROWNED, PORT, EYNON LIFEBOAT CAPSIZES. A serins 01 gales during tha week- on Boxing Day and Saturday amongst the fwesst In Siting recollection—cul- minated on Saturday evening In a the result of which three of the life-j boatmen were drowned. Ths orew had gone out to tha Clasgow steamer Dunvegan, in distress off Ox- i wich. This was on Saturday morning, In the afternoon, while running under canvass the lifeboat twice capsized, and three of her crew were drowned, one of them being the popiilar ooxswain, silly, Clbbs, who was known throughout Cower, and was a popular figure with disaster to tha Port Eynon lifeboat, as visitors. The news of the disaster quickly spread from the time the crew landed at the Mumbles early on Sunday morn- ing, watchers having besn out on the cliffs all nisfrt at Port Eynon when It i was found the lifeboat did not return on Saturday evening. It was felt then that something untoward had occurred, and this proved only too true. The sea at the time of the disaster! was like a boiling cauldron. The Port Eynon lifeboat, together with the Mumbles lifeboat, had been out during the day (Saturday) for good stretches, the chlef: objectives being the s.s. Dunvegan, of Gl&s- i gow, which was riding dangerously near the, rocks at Oxwich, a.nd a French brigarutirie, j which was seen late in the afternoon driit- ing in the direction of Swansea, having lost: her anchor and pailp. The Port Eyncn lifeboat had her att-on- tion taken up pl'adlc.aUy throughout the day with the Glasgow steamer. She went out in the morning in response i(?? eig!,als of dist.?f,, and although the *0a was very: heavy she went away well under reefed caiii- vas and ran round OxwK'h Point. She was w?H near the steamer when the disaster I happened in the afternoon, the boat twice capsizing. i DROWNED. William Gibbs, coxswain, aged 66 (tanigle). j William Eynon, second coxswain, aged 48 (married).. George Harry, lifeboatman, aged 46 (married ). Billy Gibbe had been cpxswain for nine years, though he had been a member of the crew much longer. Eynon. who was the first to disappear, was a churchwarden, overseer of the parish, and a. momner of 1 the Parish Council. lie leaves & wido.w and two daughters. George Harry is ofli- cially described as a. labourer. H e was a brother-in-Jaw of Win. Eviton, and leaves a -vvidov.- and four young children. All three had been members of the lifeboat cr-ow since j its establishment in 1884. SAVED. Out of the orew of lu the ten saved I Harries, Wm. Grove, John Moms, L1, Jenkins, James Jenkins, Wrm. j Howelis, W. Gro\ e, George Eynon, Onslow Grovo, Mid John Jenkine. All the men heJon to Port Eynm. The First Casualty. The story of how the disaster occurred can be told in a few words. The men, anxious to ensure the safety of the lives mn the steamer, were approaching her an hailed her. without any response. They then got > past her. (orrieci to leeward, and in I manoeuvring to get back in tho teeth of the violent gale, with the seas running thirty j feet high, the lifeboat capsized. The men were I All thrown into the water, and William Jbynon was drownea. Quickly1 righting herself, the men scrambled into the lifeboat (with the exception of Eynon wh.o was swept away) and shortly afterwards' again the heavy se&s oapsiwj her. Gibbs and Harry this time carried away. Everything was waifled' out of the lifeboat, and then for hours the ?ananttea leftwercati.hcmetcy of the w ive?, t'?rcd hither and tJuther in the dark- ness. Fortunately, the gale moderated towards nighttime, but the men were powerless to, direc. l her course. They stayed out all night: and drifted in with the tide to the l\!umblea I on Sunday, where they arrived almost at the point of exhaustion. They were cared j for by many willing bauds, including the soldier*, and were taken to the Yacht Cafe, where they remained for some time, leaving a bout three in the afternoon in two 'buHscs j lVi" theh- homes at Port Eynon. j The lifeboatmen who went through this I terrible experience, coupled with the narra- ti'.M of tho&\ who w<re brought iu contact with them, show tha? the gale seriously thrroirnod the ateam?r, which ovpn on Sunday was Hot out of the danger of the rocks. The boat, from the time it WAA launched in the alter- nooji, encountered terrible wave, but she rode successfully through, them until, as stated^ she was v.ithin hailing di.stu nee of the stearic". How capsized is easilv ex- plained. Thr waver were dashing on her, and in her ma-n»uvres one oaught her com- pletely turning her turtle. The men were iii, as is often thought, and the, result was they were precipitated into the boiling waters, but as they went the,, in- stinctively clutched the lifeboat, which' pull- ed they round again. Eynon was the first to 20. -No one realised ijuiio how it .ill happened, but regaining the iioait )'ea,dily. a.a these experienced men are prepared for. it would seem they were all back but Lynon. the second coxswain. His I%tKi,)- seemed to have disappeared in an in- staint: one moment he was with them oh eery in the boat, and the next he was gone. Tho seas were sitoli that the unfortu- nate mail must have been carried rapidly away. Wheir ?h capsized t.he second time Glhbs and failed to secure their holds, and though they were seen memen- tarilv the lifeboat was powerless. The other ten mm had very narrow escap es. The little I boat lost everylhing. Wet, weai"v oi)d exhausted, they arrived on SiJaiday attlje Mumble. The lifeboatmen t stated tn eonversatiom that they I Never rememberod such great seas f'v o\ er so long a- period, fur it. must be re- rceinhered thiit the gall" really begaci on ¡ Motiday, though midweek it mexlerated con- i fud?rabh', but it spraj?g up with increased vigour on Saturday morning aj?d continued ?FE t the whole day. The men oould add little to the ?<?: ihpy said the tim6 they had gone through was a terrible one. "7 th KM'med almost heartbroken at the lose theBy illy GibbB. M he wa. always caJled, and their other two companions. The life- ¡ boat, they fca-id, behaved splendidly, and m craft of her si 7,0 could ha.ve we 9 the red the conditions .better. Almost their first wor ds on arnving were inquiries about the vessel they had gone to assist. SURVIVORS AT PORT EYNON. I GRAPHIC STORIES BY THE CREW. It was at 5.30 011 Sunday evening that the ten survivors, who had been taken down from the '-Ntulnble,, ,in iiiotor trr-;ved home, where they wel'e given a hearty wel- come after their terrible experiences. They had been out in the Janet altogether 23 nour3, and they stated that they arrived at 010 Mumbles at 8.30 that morning. All the men had been thrown out of the boat, each time she capsized, with the excep- tion of one, though the one lef4, in was different oil each occasion. This tarcum- vaiu e. is mni.snaj and unique. Had the I men bean strapped to the boat, they would undoubtedly all have been drowned, for "~ith a ton weight hanging to an upturned I cl-aft she would not radily have righíod I herself ags?t- ?11 tL?! men spoke in the 1 warmest p'Ú! of the way tLe 1,?,.di behaved--the boat, ? wiJ be reMi'e.i. tL;tj was christened by )L'ldyLYOl1.S a J;UmíJel' d ??j-? u; I  It appear ?t the o?'t?et that cif<Tt ?ft?;' effort, was n?do to reach the steamer, but [ from t?i.) i-ty had been realised th on I a. lee shore hf?bo?t i e.?ci? was impossible, j the job being one rather for a rocket | .apparatus, which, under the ooa&tguardj j was in attendance. Tiro crew at ia.st deckled to Abandcn an impossible task, and wateiiea-5 from shore taw the lifeboat put her 11"a.d to tea and sail for safety due south. This was cirly 311 the afternoon. Two of the crew were new to lifeboat work. Young Wm. Grove, a trooper of the Glamorgan Yeomanry home on lea ve, and the ion of a prominent member of the crow, and Jno. Mortis. She breasted the tower- ling wave? said hailed the steamer without 'any re-spousa, and while manoeuvring, par- ticularly heavy sea. struck the lifeboat. Jt came on her starboard quarter and rolled her right over. The lifeboat quickly righted her- self and it wa-s seen that Wm. Harries vas still in her, though all the rest were struggling in the wf.tcr. They all managed to get in again excepting one, Harries help- ing them in and then the others assisting those a till in the All got in but one. It was then found that she had lost all her gear, masts, and signal rock ets. She also lost her emergency biscuits. They decided to pall as be.st they could with the few oars left for a place of safety, and they got well under weigh whe]) a. similar wave to the first struck her and again capsized her. This time all wec e precipitated into the water, but Willi an; Hov.db Retained his hold inside the liieboar. I'j was at thii period that "Billy" Gibbs was found to be missing (with the other two) and though every search was iniete, iti-id they cruised round and round, no trace of him could be rem. There was only ore thing to be done, as darkness wae coming on and they had no means of communicating their plight with the watchers on tho cliffs, to pull for the shore. They anchored for a time and then allowed the boat to drift with the tide, arriving off the Mumbles early on Sunday morning. It ^as now decided to hold on till davlight. Personal Narrative. Willia,-r, lioiv,-ill:; -.iippienio-ilt,- the main outline of the story with the iollowing :— We ran up towards the steamer a.nd let go the anchor, but by the time we brought her to we had been carried aatern of the steamer and knew that in that posi- tion we could render her no assistance. We, therefore, got the anchor up and tried to work back to the steamer, but failed to make any progress owing to the wind and the high seas. We kept up the effort for The late Mr. Billy 11 Cibbs, coxswain of the ill-fated Port Eynon life- boat. (Photo: Chapman, Swansea.) two hours, and then, finding it 110 good, we I decided to run for the Mumbles. William Harries, speaking of the cap- s izes, said :—" All of a sudden a big wave oame along, which spun our lifeboat over, and she went upside down. She simply rolled clean over. I bappsned to be hang- ing on to the edge of the boat at the, time, and was carried right round with the boat, and when she righted I found myself in the boat, and saw nearly all the crew clinging on to the bulwarks, with the se.a. white around them the sight was one such as I have never seen before and never want to see again. One of the men called to me, Hold cut- your liana.' J did so ;aid dragged him in, and with his assistance the resb around the boat were got in. Then we mied, fir Eynon, and later Harry, and then poor Billy Gibbs. Upon arrival at t-he Mumbles several of the crew had to be lifted from the boat. Mr. Boulanger, secretary of the Mumbles lifeboat, asked for I'ssir-tame at the Yacht Gafe, which is at present occupied by tho men of the 4th Welsh Regt. nnd this was readily given by the soldiers, many of whom are fishermen in civil life. The crew were stripped and given a good rub down and well supplied with hot drinks, etc. Dr, J. C. Curtis was sent for and bandaged up several men who had received injuries. Major Harrison saw that everything pos- sible was done and Master Cook W*. A. Wil- liams, and his assistant, J. A. James, soon had a. good breakfast ready. ,>.11 d after par- taking of this the men were put to bed. When they were awakener) for dinner the soldiers had. between them, managed to fix up all the crew with dry underclothin.tr. and they were each provided with a suit of khaki, During dinner a party of wives and friends of the men. accompan'ed by the Rev. Atter- burv Thomap. Rector of Port Eynon, ar- rived. nnd some Affecting scenes were witnessed. I Before tbe:r departure home tho A. Thomas addressed the soldiers, and in the name of all the inhabitants of Port. Evnon thanked them for their great kindnl's to the crew of the lifeboat. Mr. T,e Boulanger hn-s communicated an offiokvl report of disaster to the Lifeboat Institution. Coxswain's Soul-westey Picked Up. I -1 1 A l».e sou-wester lieictngirw- +0 Coxswain Gibbs WR", .blown ashore at Caswell Bay on Sunday afternoon. It. was identified bv the I initials inside. The Dunvegan. I Late on Sunday afternoon it was reported that the Glasgow vessel was in much the same position, but it was then hoped that, with the gale having subsided since, the early morning, she was in no immediate danger at all event?. The Mumbles Me- danger at a e,Bntt. boat put out into the Bay on Sunday after- noon for the fourth time within a. few hours. It appears that a steamer named The Hope had passed Oxwich and isaw sig- nals of distress from the Dun vegan. Ascer- taining that the Dunvegan wanted tug aseista-nce s he returned to her station. BRIGANTINE'S FATE. GOES TO PIECES NEAR EASTI PIER. CREW SAYED BY LIFE- I LINE. While the tragedy of the Purl Eynon lifeboat wa* taking place amidst great seas off the Gower coast, the Mumbles: lifeboat was out for the- second viine on "Saturdav. Towards evening the plight of the French brigaaitine Couriis, from France to Briton Ferry, with scrap iron, had become, critical, for e had lost her anchors, and was drifting towards the Ens'pipr. All he; j sail* and most of her deck fixtures gone. She went a-growd on fh" other side of the East Pier, «nd her I Crew of seven were all t-aved. ix-.tng got, oit by means of lines. The. Mumbles J ifebeat. seeing her predicament, at onoe wont to her assistance, but failed, in the terrible seas which were running, to get rear her. The Swansea pilot-boat IWufort, which is ever utsefully at band in emergencies, also made a heroic effort to catch her (1'1 her perilous drift, across the. hay, helt failed in the effort. The brigantinc's boy. Marcel, taken to the Sailors' Home shodiess, bootless, coafeiess, «nd wet through and exhausted, but he quickly rcoovere-d, and was Hbie to tell the PŒt representative that they left France 011 December 23.rd, and had been anchored in the bay since Thursday, 'ih&y had experienced, he said, terrible weather, seas washing completely over them at times. When her anchor chains broke, she began d?ftm? ?nd the crew were Lel,,aTi di,,fti xi?7, z&-i(i the cre%v were The cither six cf thf crew were taken to one of the huts by tho dock, where they had their clothqe dried and their needs attended to. Later they were all taken to the Sailors' Homo, and supplied with every necessity. The of tho I Cargo doomed the brigantine m her p(}Jtm from th(\ cutset. and on | Sunday she was reported t? be brp?ki-n? up. We understand, however, that the men have managed to recover their effects. The Couriis was 516 tons register, and her ek?pp?r j Captain Gui?aume, of hi?r Elrpper ;,q ('?ip ta-U.l (I ui of While the damage at sea through the gale has been considerable, there has been much damage on land, though this, is not of a sen-ions nature. The chief has been the striking down of telegraph IHsb and wires hi the Carmarthenshire, Pembroke- shire I.!icl I.- -,Ia I re districts, necessi- tating the sending at the wt- end of tde- grams to the latter places bv train. At Swansea no damage of any importance war, done. BATTERED STEAMER ARRIVES IN PORT. The Fa.stuet, from Spain to Swansea, hi: a arrived with her boats smashed and her forward bulkhead stove in. together with No. 2 hold BODY WASHED UP AT SWANSEA. The body of .1, nivu—presumed to btt that cf the skippar of the Elizabeth Jatne which w-ent down 011 Boxing night—was washed up on tho Swansea beach, opposite Sketty- road, on Monday morning. The deceased was between 40 acid 50 YlTg of age, and the body has bean removed to the sired of Mr. Lloyd, wheelwright, near the øpot ?her? it w? found.

   SE  amF'NN  M j BM ?   EW lID ,<!L. œF!è4 fit' '1i-{. "f" r_- '.t nr ..6 a t' æ Ik" m !J If' tf :l í ti mb t1 1I'&¡ l yj if1 r! {i ù1f-&1t;'Oi I I Hl-T '.VVEa Wa'ch ^faa^shows ITh^ prOrin;œat oon ¡. U¡¡,ffi¡çŠV-:mTfrï WATCH I ? Hyou the time at mid- j ? THE TPSEPiSGMES j ^S^ktle^moremen^NSei r.i"h.  I night as distinctly as by day- AT THE FRONT 5'itver Casc, with strap in n f one oj: H. -mue. s taJ.noc1" tJm,- 0;: q' 1 1 I H one of H. Samuel's famous time- I ..nd one to y<?rscH?.-<)endtc-d5T' anv?ade. <&'?'' !???'??.??????? ''?-.??? I kcepe" ?th luminous mals. | Scathe largyelection i^be wlndovvs. !,j, H r\£,}r,:s.l. \U jf f,' If; fP m Lt.n:IIJ$ P..CJ<.<&; wA,ri;tt,B, .oie ta !¡¡.  ?????? 205,OXFORD ST. ? ? ???.????? I Corpl. StoveU, R.t.A.,bidhis H. Samoei walcii j I |S| in s B 4^ H» l ai ^r.nderthaj^ SV^AI^SEA. i SMASHES BY A CERMAM SHELL ? ?<?-=?_?J??_  ?? Vi i ii null iihi'wihwbm— C

HONOURED BY THE CZAR. IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT MUMBLES. A most interesting and impressive cere- mony took place At Dajiycoed Red Cross Hospital when Laaee-Corpl. F. Peako, 01 the 4th Lincoka, was, in the presence of hi", com- rades and the staff, presented with the Russian medal awarded to him by the Russian military authorities for conspicuous bravery in rescuing ;,iid succouiing the wounded Tinder very heavy shell fire in France. The -presentation wa-f made by Col. Vaughau, who, ad4Lir highly complimenting the 'gallant corporal on his splendid deeds, pinned the fnedal on his breast and shook him heartily by the hand. The corpora,1, who visibly affected, thanked him and saluted. The nicdvi bears on the face an inscription of the head of the Czar, a.nd on the reverse tho Russian word in capitals, and is suspended by a îibbon of black a.nd gold stripes.

SKETTY BROTHERHOOD. PRESIDENT AND THE WAR. i Dr. J. A. vRawJings, in the course of his i presidental address to Sketty Brotherhood on Sunday afternoon, reviewed the happening's of the past year, and sale! he told them frankly that if it mutit go on, the older men who had had their chance and had done rwmething of their work should go and fight, and leave the young men on the threshold of magnificent possibilities at home. lie be- lieved tho Allied Powers would win eventu- ally, but not by an overwhelming and sweep- ing victory. It would come by financial ex- haustion, and he regarded eLs impossible the crushing of the Central Powers to dust. They did not want. a patched up peace, but one, if it, were to be lasting, based on internat ionaj co-operation, in which Hussia,, France, Oier1 ina-ny, England, and others, except Turkey— unless the Sultan became converted-could participate. He was afraid the public would not fall in with that idea, and that the re- sult would he a patched up peace, necessitat- ing the keeping up of a huge standinsr army and greater fleet, draining the financial re- sources of the country and making it weaker and less able to stand t.h" strain of a great conflict .hroIl it came in tho future.

NEW SWANSEA LOOP. INTERESTING SIGNALLING ARRANGEMENTS. In commenting on the work done in the past year in the signal department of the O.W.H.. the Great Western Railway ALaga- j xinp" for January says:— "The extension of the Swansea district lines from Morris ton to Felinfran ncoessi- j tatod a. new signal bos at Pentrefelin and a new locking frajne at Morriston. Two im- portant- links between the Swansea liistrict | lines aud the South Wales main line were brought into use. vie., tli-e Neath and Court Sart loops. The former involved the rinire remodelliug of the interlocking arrangements for tho Neath Rivei Swiny Bridsre and u new signal box at Dynevor Junction, with 47 i levers. The Court Hart loop necessitated a new locking frame at Neath Junction Oil the j H, and H.B. Railway. and a. new signal box st Ceurt, Sart Junction. In connection with the new engine shed at Newport, a, new lock- ing frame with 91 levers wa-s provided at Ebbw Junction. "The new Broods loop between Spelter Worka and Plasinarl on the Morriston branch nas been completed, and is about to be brought into use. The signalling arrange- ments for this loop have presented problems of much interest. The loop is an up and down single line, one controlled by toll-tale hlock with signals for entering and leaving, worked at one end from the new signal box at Spelter Works, and at the other end from a new signal box at Pla,smarl. Tho interlocking between the two boxes is ob- tained by means of interlocking levers con- trolled by track circuit which is installed j througbout the loop. Arrangements have been made for switching out the Spelter Works box, when the loop will be out of use and the section between Plaemarl and Mor- riston worked on th( electric token system. —

W-ILL d-OSEP-H. The many fnends of Mr. Will Joseph, the old Morriston and Swansea forward, will be glad to hear tha.t an operation for appendicitis has beo-n successfully per- formed at Swansea Hospital, and that ho is in considerably IPSS pain.

n LYNMOUTH UFEBCAT OUT. l.-yiupouin ■ •t to ship, end it noon en Mondaj it H-as reported bad not retun-vd.

 U S. S?SM? I DROWNED ON I SUNKEN PERSIA. I 390 MISSING I OUT OF THE 550 ON BOARD. 'oj(ltjol) \Yar ben.) ¡ CAIRO, Sunday, ?..?j p.m. SUJA hors cf the Persia :nciude 15 la?Les, 10 military officers, and eight foreigners. The, Persian was struck amidships on the port side at 1.10 p.m. and five minutes later she- had completely disappeared. It was, in fact, a miracle that anyone wa-s saved at ail. There was no panic, and tiio four boats that wore launched wore lowered with the greatest promntitude. IT IS UNDER?T?OD TB.AT IM HAVE ? BERN SAVED OUT OF ABOUT 550 ON BOARD. BUT HITHERTO IT HAS BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN EXACT FIGURES. THE CAPTAIN WAS DROWNED. HE WAS LAST SWIMML\r; IN THE WATER AFTER 'J ') _'1_1. ¿\ _it .1:- THE LIXER HAD TAKEN HER FINAL | PLUNGE. SAN KIN FIVE ?NUTES. ¡ SANK IN F-I\/E ?vIINUTEO, l STARBOARD BOATS USE- LESS. NUMBER OF BOATS OUT I STILL. I t Lord Incheape. the chairman or the P. and 0. Company, received the. following telegram on Sunday night from Colonel the Hen. C. Bigham from Alexandria, who was a pae.sen- ger by the Persia. "The binkiag of the P. ,nd 0. Persia was cauteod by a torpedo, which struck the eliip en tlio port bow, on December 30, at 1.5 p.m., when sho was about 40 lniles to the southward of the Met end of Crete. No pre- vious warning was given; neither was there any attempt ut assistance. "Within live minutes of being torpedoed the thip had sunk and it was impossible to lower the starboard boats owing to the heavy list. Five or six boats, eowever, were abla to be lowered to port. I did net se-e this 1 myself, as I was washed overboard when the boat c-azed. "Search is being made for the remaining boats in the neighbourhood of the disaster. One hundred -and ftity eight persona havo been landed at Alexandria out of a total of 350. The saved include 59 passengers, of whom 17 are women and two children." FORMER SWANSEA DOCTOR. FAMOUS LADY ATHLETE ONj BOARD. Dr. Elizabeth Stephens intpoy, who was aboard tho Persia and was house physician | at Swaaiea General Hospital for six months, leaving for London over 12 months ago, belongs to it very old Worcestershire family. Her father. Mr. Fred L. lmpey, and her uncle, Mr. R. L. Iinpey, are principals of the firTP of Impey and Co., accountants, and have taken ;t prominent part in local 1 affairs. D:\ as a took great interet in gymnastics and swimming, ai d ? efore deciding to study medicine wa- a teacher of bcth. Sh also took up hoc?e?-, I IJT1d was one of the Mo?t famous phtveis in the midland counties. .?i?et- leav;iig' she became bouse surgeon at the l?ndon Temperance Hos- pita!. After the outbreak of the war the fSocifety of Friends organised a baud of doctors and nurses to go out to France to work among the civilians. Dr. Impey re- turned to E>ngland after her six weeks' sojourn in France only .1 little while before sailing an the Persia for India, where she wus to take up the post of medical super- intenderit of the DlIfíerill Hospit;J. for 1 Women at Lahore. ANOTHER LINER, BIG BOAT REPORTED 1 SUNK. HUNDRED SURYIYOP.S SO FAR. Lloyd's report ou Monday that the British steamer Grlengvlc has been eiuik. About ??0 ?urvivorx wp?' picked up. The Jap?uc?c ste?.m''r Kenko Maru h;)& been sunk, but the entire crew were saved. (Note.—The Giengyie was a steel twin screw steamer of 9,d95 tons gross register. belonging to the Crier; Line of Ioiidcn., and trading to the East.)

SKIPPER OF LOST SCHOONER WASHED UP ON SWANSEA BEACH. The corpse found on the Swansea beach opposite Sketty-read (ID ondav mevnirg was. at tho Mumble^ elortn i ,y. i-iertified by Capt, Tyrrell, the well-known* sM" chandler, es that of Capt. John Lynch, ekipper of the ill-fated schooner Klirabet-h Jane, was nunk off t-hc jf limbics Head on P'ng Xiht, There is now only one body, that, of a cabin hoy, to be aecoimte<l Jor. lSecoased skipper waa 71 years of apt. and a native of Ireland. A man named James Hobbs, of Blackiv.ll, first sie,v the corpse and reported the find to P.P. Thomas lifzatley, in charge, of the Blackpill. Polioc BUiiion, and the body was removed later to the Mnmblos. The decea-sed w-as found in his shirt sleeves. HèTeNll notes were found in a hip pkct, The fne« wr. much disfigured.

SMALL FISH IN THE B Y. i Swansea Anglers' Complaint and i ExpJanaticn. The Board of Afe'rieultur- and Vislmrjcs wrote to t.he South Males Fisheries Board nt jv;anfj" on Haturday, stating that the Swan- sea Bay feea- Anglers' Association had written complaining of 'he quantity of immature fish destroyed in Swansea Bay through being held in the stake 11 el-s fixed in the bay. The Clerk (Mr. Deer) said owing to the several fishery ri«ghts in the bay the matter was very difficult to deal with. It had been the hope of the committee to abolish some of those nets. Mr. A. Andrews, said there was sufficient wa4er all the time to keep ths 11-li alive, bm the diffleulty was to keep the small boys from packing the small fish from the pools. The Clerk said the owner of the stake nets must, deal with the boys. The committee could only deal with the owners of the nets, and it, was up to them to deal with the boy*. Captain Francis said eonic of the amateur fisherman went to ihe net to ¡ï6h for bait, and, if they did w)., q-.c: ;rt ¿o" riD" else to do so, and yet, they were the very reople ccmplEiritd. The Clerk said it was a an.;Mfr in the Boay-d. It was eventually asrecl that L11 clcrk should deal witt the matter. j

I "I'1 IiING GEORGES' I COUSiN." I I I CCN§TANT!NES RE- i M!NDER. | I FRANK INTERVIEW: OPINION! OF THE ALLIES. j King Ci I'stant.ine of Greece has acccfrded J | another interview fa Mr. Donoboe. of the ".Ofttly Chronicle." He reminded tlro press- ma.n that critics in England "while charging! j-nc with being the Kaiser's brother-in-law, which ,ï; true, forget something that 1 never iorget—t hat is tliit I am the c-cusin cf King George of England. i don't miud how mucai my poEtic;, are j criticised, so Jan." a, it is admitted that I am etiil a gentleman and a man cf huaour. t There is a cloud oi unjust suspicion which £ .~thered round my name. Some of the tll- gush Press it- ever busy iai its propagation. 11 wa/it to dissipate these suspiciecis, which are worthless and groundloss. Why should my word be doubted? It ha-s "bean pledged to benevolent neutrality. It still hold; and always will hold, good." He continued "My duty is to my conn- try, aaid that duty anmisvakabiy calls upon me to he neutral. Spealcang dispassionately, as a soldier. I cannot see that the military results- achieved up to to-day justify the Entente's belief in final and crushing victory. "It is 110 wish or desire of mine to join either belligerent, because, as I have already said, I am convinced that the interests of Greece rre bestt served by her standing aloof from the struck. "As a soldier. I frankly say I should view with a feeling of positive alatm the prospect of attacking Germany, not beca.use I happen to be the Kaiser's brother-in-law. but simply because Germany lias proved herself to be a powerful military nation. Drsntfs Us Even More. "OHth?"t?.ri??.<i.i-hunJdv"v?iUt  Lite pr?A??l-ect f oven givater a-pprehension tite pr?pec.t of ntta?k??g En?la.:<j because, a? a professional ?du?r. f rcaiic? the lore? ::nd nn?h.? of her Navy firs'. and I u.m perfeeÜy a;'al'c that &he could blow mv ('oot town" about my ears ,nd put a speedy end to Grc?k tt?d e and commerce. "Am 1 not right in seeking to evade the dangers of the German Charybdis no less thw- i hoee of the English SevllaV" If tlw Bill gars Game." I the a-ttitude c; Greece if tij7" Bulbars came over the frontier. ile 1 op tied thai he die not t-liinic thyy would ccme. If they did b. felt convinced ithat they would depart peace fidly at the conclusion of operations agaiiip. the Allies.

GERMAN AT THE KING DOCK. HUN WKO HAD SERYED V I THEIR NAVY. Albert Pos-sekei, firenia-n, was c-har;&i -.I J K?Rji??.t Police Court on Monday with bcu)? an alien enemy, to wit, a German ?ubjcL-?, in a prohib?Led area, without the pennisnon of the Alien Registration Officer. Detective Inspector Hayes said about 5.50 p.m he received prisoner iiuto custody from tile, military authorities, who had taken him from a ship in the King's Dock. At tills stage Mr. Jenkin Jones, the clerk, noticed that prisoner had something under his arrii. a.iid asked him what it was. On examination it was found to be a German Goad took charge of. Inspector Hayes, continuing, said lie asked de iendant if. lie was a German subject, and he replied, "Y c.,s." that when he joined the ship he told the captain he vvaS Swedish, and produced documents t-y that effect he also ga-ve the captain tiie name of Gustaves Neil son. This defendant admitted. Wit- ness Liieii a..ked him if he had served in the German army, and he replied that he had served three years m the German navy. Defendant, through an interpreter, now said that lie thought because he was on an American ship he was all right. The magistrates at this stage remanded the prisoner in custody for a week in cider to ma.ke further inquiries. Prisuner was also charged with being an alien in possession of firearms and atnlnutr. tion in this prohibited area of Swansea, but this caso not heard.

COCKLES MAY BE CONDEMNEDI Ponela wdd W&t&r They Are Washed In. The South Wales Sea Fisheries Ccin- iuitt.00 met at Swausea on Saturday, Aid. I Tutton presiding. A discussion arose as to the condition ot the water in which cockles were washed ?nt P<?n.c?awdd. The subject h?d been be- for o a previous meeting, when it wa de- cidod, before taking any action, to have1, tht"\ water p.!1alJsed, The analysis was now read, and it i shewed that two of the streams used Mere not fit, arid that a third was bacterialiy ) unfavoura hIe and a souroc of suspicion. It was thereupon decided to inform the I [ cockle fishers of the condition of tilings, jand to warn them tluit if the two streams I condemned continued to L3 used for the cashing cf coddes th? prob bJe conse- ?'upuce would be that the c-ock? ?uMid he condemned. It was ah'o dp?dPd to send the nna?pis to the health authorities so that the water might n?t be Ht'd for drinking purpo?c?.

I MAYOR AT ST. MARY'S. I Nations! Prayer" Day at I Swansea. I v of ■ Rational Prayer in this time of wai, and the I iMnyor T. MerreHs) in his robes jof office, and the Town Cierk (Ix. 1:1., Laiv | C-:Uh), in wig and gown, attended Divintf service at Si. M.Ory' Parish Cliurch. Swan- z*i, on Sunday morninc, when the Vica (Rev nnd Hon. W. Talbot Rice) preached a I tho ag n 11 u 1 dis-c:o u l'.se. The rev. gc-ntkman urged that the altar God roust be built in the individual, the home, the school, civic life, and the nation. Militarism or commercialism, he said, had bsen worshipped until it had produced envy :d hatred instead of iove. and thev ghould I pray t-?-dav that the nations m?ht be united ')s on? f?m?y. The brotherhood ?f man depended upon th° Fntherhood of fon LLANELLY. Service? of intercession were held at all the places of worship in Llanellv on Sunday. The Mayor a.nd Corporation attended St. Peter's Church in the morn- ing, together with the officials of the Council and the members of the Y.T.C when the Vicar (Rev. D. Davies, B.A.)' preached an appropriate sermon. In the ereninii they attended Park Congrega- tional Church, when the pa.stor officiated.

:=-=- SMART ABERAVC? CONSTABLE. At Aberavon on .Saturday Rees Williams was charged Yt-ith U ing^i deserter from the X>ivy.—P.C. Williams, said he saw, <?fendant in plain clothes ?cd ?pcke ?o' him. W?IiauiS at first d'"?i?] being a! deserter, but on ?in? t? to areompanv ?."tr)? ? -r? th? ?H? ..t.s<in!) h" admitted! it. —The Chairman Un] Jow.-). mi roraanding prisoner to await an useon.' orvnphmciited Cont-fAbi". "^ilhatns bis smartnc: and ordered that all him. I

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR AT STUDT'S WINTER GARDENS. COTTAGE HOMES AND WORK- HOUSE TREAT. Through the never-ceasing kindness and gereroMty cf Mr. Hy. Studt. tlie well- Enov. n local showman, the inmates of the Workhouse and, children of the Cottage Home; hd their annual treat- at the Winter Gardens on Saturday last. AmGiigsi those present were 63 defectives and a number ot old folk frcm the Work- house, and iua-uy of the Cottage Homes children. Guardians W. Owen and A. P. Ball attended, as did also Mrs. Kelly, Atr. Rees (deputy eierk). and Mrs. À. Davies, the superintendent of the Cottage Homes. Thera was one, however, who was not there, and whose genia-i Woon- ality was sorely missed and will be missfed throughout the ooming »ars. Tlrii was the late, Mr. H. A. Chapman, J.P. Twenty-one years ago, in 1S85, the sug- gestion was made to Mr. Studt by the late Mr. Cli apii-ian that ¡"uch an entertain- ment he civen. After the inmates and children had had a long ride on the zoological roundabouts and scenic railway, prizes were distributed to those children who had reached t-he highest state of efficiency in agricultural and industrial training, and also good cond lid during last year at the Cottage Homes school. The prize-winners were as follows:— Girls: Sophia Harrison, Hilda Stephens, Florence Grilliths, Pl(vllis Lloyd. Clara Doyle, JJlodwen Forest, Henrietta Aitken, Margaret Floyd. Mary Jenkins. Dolly Wallace, Mary ilaekett and Margrot-ta Beale. Boys: John Hill. Ernest Beaie, Percy Kowntree, Wm. Bolt, Thoma.s Higgins, Coo. Morgan, Morris King, Thomas Smith. Albert Truby, Lelland Forest and Ivor iiuidv*. A Lima Address. Ine piizes consisted of beautilullj- bound and suitably inscribed volumes, and were distributed to the boys by Mr. Hy. Studt, and to the girls by lly. »* ii ut. In addition to these sweats, fruit and cakes were diS*nbu;ed to those present and pro- vided by Mr. Studt. Previous to the dis- tribution carols were s;i;_g by the Cottage Horn- children, and Mr. Studt expressed his sincere delight at hearing them sing. ft was not in ihr programme and was more Jtan anticipated. He felt quite proud -•f the fact that they could sing. It had ■eer. acl that if the children were only riven a footing on the first rung of the lad- 'er they would soon work their way on, | nd he wished that afternoon to help them ad give them as good a time as was possible. fe related the story of one of the Cottage ronies children who had been at the winter i.dens one year and who was now wearing [ -p clothes of King and country. Mr. tudt had met him at. Forthcawl. and his greatest thanks were given him for the en- joyable time provided at th? winter gar- .'ovccole time pmvided at tli- wirter gar- Mr. Wm. Owen, in proposing a vott of thanks, spoke of Mr. Sludt's unbounded generosity. 2nd said they were more thank ful to him than he could express. TIJè- deeply regretted the long of Mr. H. A. Chap- man, who, 21 years ago. mooted the idea pi the entertainment to Mr. Studt. who bad generously adopted it, and also of his daugh- ters. who had lent such great assistance. He mentioned the fact that there were now 136 children of the Cottage Homes sei-ving in France. Mr. A. 1. Ball seconded the proposition, which was endorsed by Mrs. Kelly, and three hearty cheers were accorded the popu- lar benefactor of the inmates and children, whose very face and kkidly smile was a pleasure to sec.

& "FEBRUARY THE FI R ST." RUMOURED DATE FOR CONSCRIPTION. | "I have good reason to believe that the proclamation calling out the second set of four groups of attested sinttle men will be issued early next week (declares the Lon- don correspondent of the Manchestei G uardian "). Before this was known arrangements had Leen rutde by most of the local tribunals and advisory committees in London to get to work on the applications from the first four groups within the net few days. The tribunals have been told that they must get. t-hi-ough wit-h the first four froapa within the net few days, and that it will be no use putting men into groups less thau eight in .'trier (--Ri, as the Dfxt four groups are to be called up immediately. Nearly all the appeals already mnde are baseci on the two groups of—<1) family rea- sons, and (2) indispensable to business. Single men who are able to show that, they are the sole support cf a family (and there are many such) are being put back into later groups, and it looks as if it will be the chief vcrk of the tribunals to deal wit h such ce.r-es. It also looks as though the earlier Derby groups are going to be called up much quicker tha.n anvnne imagined. February 1.—Compulsion? teoirary ■ is. i near, in? most probable date by which attestation will be made com- pulsory (says the London rorrtspondent of the "Daily Dir"patch Any penalty for non-atteefeatiou by that date, which might, take the form of fine or imprisonment, or even, as in France, deprivation of civil rights, would not necessarily absob-e a mttn from service.

THE ONLY SON. WESTERN MINERS' AGENT'S BEREAYEMENT. I The funeral took pia.-e at Allt-wen. Pott- t-ardawe, On Saturday of the late Mr. EVto Morgan, of 152. King Ed ward-road, Swan- H3., the Revf. D. Eurof Waiters, M.A., D.D., Swansea. W. J. Ree, Allwel1, and Llew. Bov.-ver (Dacygraig) officiating. There was a very large attendance despite the in- clement weather, and the chief mourners j were :—Mrs. Morgan (mother), Mrs. G. Thomas (grandmother), \1r. D. Hicks Mor- i gan, B.A.. Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Morgan, Mr. Evan Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mor- gan, J\lr. W. Thomas {'Neath), Mr. and Mrs. IX*niel Thomas, Mr. Thonmg Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas (uncles twnd aunts), Messrs. Evai: Thomas and Nathaniel Thomas (uncles), John Thomas (cousin. Maesteg), J. Phillips (cousin, Pontypridd), Mr. G. Evana and wife, Mr. Albert Skinner (brother-in- law). and ethers including repre&efctativee of the Western District Miners' Association. These were Messrs. D. Lloyd, Treboeth (chairmanl, W. J. Jonpe (Birchgrore), W, H. Davies iPenclawdd), Daniel Hopkial (Clyd- adl). W. E. Morgan (Cvm). and T. Evans (Treboc-thj. Theie were also many floral tribute*. The late Mr. Eva-n Morgan was the only son of Mr. E. Morgan, of the Western Miners;' Association, Swansea, who himself in to attend the. funeral. Letter:; and telegrams of sympathy we root hod from nnmero:i? frie.ids, includfeg ->1' John illianii-, M.P., ajtd Councillor W. H<v:.5. Trebosth. The funeral airang^raents ia hands cf ^Ir. Protser Dav.es, Alltwen. -t