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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1955-11-30, Page 2Plough Turned Up Fortune in Gold A treasure worth a hundred and fifty million dollars — and all 'of it in instantly saleable gold-dust — would mean fabu- lous wealth to its finder any- where in the world. In Persia, where the peasants work for a few dollars a year; and where even for highly placed civil servants a salary of $600. a year is considered quite high, ' where there are neither hospital services nor a huge fighting service to eat up the revenue, $150,000,000 would go a long way towards running the entire Persian state for a year. This fortune was found only a few months ago by Muham- mad and Fawzi ploughing their narrow strip of stony ground in the province of Kerman. They were ploughing with a wooden. ox-plough. Their com- bined resources would 'not have run to a cheap western steel plough, let alone a tractor- driven plough such as the most modest farmer in Canada can afford. When Muhammed saw a gleam of metal in the bright north Periian Sunlight and bent down to pick up a gold coin, he called Fawzi over to search the ground. Eventually they found another gold coin, Both coins bore a classical type of head, and an inscription that the two men could not have understood, even if they had been able to read. The coins were gold right enough, as Fawzi diScovered when he changed them in the market at Ban. Geld is gold to the. Persian peasant, and the head of the monarch or the in- scription on a piece of money doesn't matter very much, pro- vided that the metal is genu- ine. Ban is a small town in the province of Kerman, a district famous for its carpets. Buyers from all over the world come to Kerman, and their presence in the district has sharpened the wits of the locals. So when the money-changer displayed the two gold pieces on hit market-tray, and the head- man of the town saw them, he was sufficiently knowledgeable to perceive that the unusual coins were worth an inquiry. His inquiries led him straight back to Muhammad and Fawzi whom he ordered to say noth- ing of their find. He then re- quested the men to lead him to the field in which the two coins had been found, and hav- ing marked the place, went away, to return soon afterwards with two or three of his rela- tives, all sWorn to secrecy. The exploring party, having dug the field at tile point where the coins had been found, ex- posed the surface of a brick- anclstOne vault that their picks quite easily broke through. ThroWing a blazing torch in- to the hole they had made, they SOW that the air was pure— otherwise the torch would have gone out: The headman's secre- tary' and nephew then vOluris terect to go down into the vault at the end of a rope. It was his cry of wonder which nearly caused the man paying out the rope to let it slip? The men on the surface hu d lle sh d ou t t o e d th d e o wlm O W f htahte i h Ole, an " itl" The voice of the man in the vault held strong Overtones of fright, for the Persian peasant it a Moherriniedati whose religion einitairit a ,powerful element of• the old paganism: The man 'at the end of the rope was rid* Certain that he had been loWer ed into some cavern. "Let me up!" he bellowed, and was promptly hauled to the surface. When his alarm had quieten- ed, he was closely questioned by his uncle. What the headman learnt was enough, to allay any fears of the supernatural in that official. He untied the rope from around his trembling ne- phew's waist, fastened it to his own and gave the order to his assistants to lower him into the hole. What the headman saw al- most took his breath away. He found himself in a long, vaulted chamber, the walls of which had been plastered, and which still bore traces of frescoed decora- tion in a, style quite unfamiliar to him. Even with his scanty knowledge of the pist, he could feel that he was in the presence of very great antiquity. A bolted door, the bolts and hinges badly rusted, showed how access could be had to the chamber in the ordinary way, and something about the sturdi- ness of walls and door con- vinced the man that this cham- ber had, been built specially to contain something of great value. What, indeed, he did not know was that he was in one of the provincial treasuries of the Sassanid Kings of Persia whose .dynasty was overthrown when the Arabs invaded Persia in the seventh century A.D. It had taken more than a century for the Arabs to conquer Persia, and there must have been plen- ty of time to build and fill a dozen treasuries such as this. A signal was given and the rope was drawn up. Orders were given to Muhammad and Fawzi that on no account must they breathe a word of this find. Perhaps it would have been better for the headman's plan had he let Muhammad and Fawzi see exactly what lay beneath that vaulted brick-and- stone roof. But he did not. He set a guard over the treasury, and bid the two ploughmen make themselves scarce. Then he went off himself to get extra assistance. What he had found was a hoard of gold-dust, all in earth- enware pots. Of all valuables, gold-dust is the most easily marketable in the whole of the East. Portable, virtually un- traceable, needing no smelting down to disguise it, there isn't a money-changer from Smyrna to Sinkiang who, won't buy it— and no questions asked. Unfortunately for the head- man's plan, which was simply to collar the whole of the gold- dust for 'himself and his asso- ciates, Muhammad and Fawzi had wives. And the wives felt that they, at least, had a right to know what it was that their husbands had found. And so, eventually, what with one person and another talking, the news reached the governor of Kerman, and then, in due Course, it came to the notice of the Government at Teheran. A commission swoopeddo w a: nearly everyone Who had had anything to de with the find WaS imprisoned—the headman and. his relatives are Still languishing in jail—and the gold Was collected and' valued A hundred atia fifty millioiw dollars! The law of Persia giVes third of treasure to the firider, a third to the Owner of the land in Which it is found, and .a third to the' state. It is unlikely that. Muhammad and ti eW4 Will share $48,60,006 but they have already learnt that they Will be richer than many a Persian liaS ever &earned et being. Told The Truth To Customs' Inspector When charming and talented Winifred Lawson was singing at an E.N.S.A. concert in the Western Desert during the war, she heard a titter run through the audience. "What's happening?" she ask- ed herself "Is my slip coming down? Has a cat walked on the stage? Has the back-cloth gone wrong?" No, a large 'rat had walked along the rafters just above her head and sat there looking calmly down as she sang "Who Is Sylvia?" • Theatrical anecdotes are usu- ally chuckle-provoking and Miss Lawson has plenty of fine ones to tell in her light, happy auto- biography, "A Song to Sing-O!" She tells about a celebrated actor who, a few minutes before curtain-up, was found in his dressing-room blind drunk and incapable of going on. "It's disgraceful!" fumed the furious manager "I've never seen anybody so drunk in my life!" "Oh, haven't you?" said the actor. "Wait till you see my understudy!" When Miss Lawson joined. D'Oyly Carte in the 1920s the opera company provided all the stage "props," even to the wed- ding rings worn for parts in the operas. Wanting to replenish his stock J. M. Gordon, the producer, went into a cheap jeweller's in Brighton one day and asked for "Six wedding rings — assorted sizes." Telling' a friend about it later, he said with a puzzled air: "And you know the man gave me, such a peculiar lOok!" With Bertha Lewis, the com- pany's star, Miss Lawson was invited out to supper after the show one evening by some peo- ple whose interest was chiefly in art and the season's Royal Academy Exhibition. Somewhat out of her depth, Bertha contri- buted little to the talk, then sud- denly announced that Augnstua John was to paint her portrait. Winifred was thrilled. "You didn't tell me!" she exclaimed. "When are you going to sit for him? Is he painting you in cos- tume?" — and thought what a fine picture Bertha would make as, say, the Duchess in "The Gondoliers," for she was now the success of the party, the centre of attraction. Later, as they left, Bertha said: "Winifred, yOu were mar- vellous the way you played up to-night." "Do you mean he's not going to paint your pertrait?" Wini- fred asked, "Of course not!" Bertha replied. "I've never even met him. But I got so fed-up with those people throwing their weight about and talking about art with a capital A, I just had to do something!" Once, during a supper party on tour, Henry Lytton embark- ed on a long-Winded anecdote, qost himself half-way through. and forgot the Point. "Never mind, Harry," Said Bertha Sweetly. "Tell them your other' one. He had his revenge a few days later When he took Bertha to lunch With friends at a near-by castle with an ancient keep. After lunch the hostess Suggest- ed that Henry, who'd been there before, should take Bertha' up the tower: Before starting to elirrib the long spiral,staircase lie said Solemnly, ! "I 'think Ought to' Warni yob, berthe, there's tin Old legend about this hiiieek, A curse Wat laid on It in the olden 'days by a knight *lid Wag Stabbed in the back by his enemy as he • mounted the stairs. Since that day .anyone elirnbing the tower for the first time must $0 up: backwards, otherwise some ter- rible tragedy will befall them, It's happened over and over' again," So Bertha, who was very star' perstitious, began slowly, labo- riously climbing the endless. spi- ral backwards till she was giddy arid breathless,-,$9111O. sightseers who *paSsed ahead' of them: stared, eiria4ed at her extra.- ordinary behaviour, henry, going on in front, shook his head and tapped his forehead significantly, and they were careful to go to the other side of the tower when he and. the "mad woman" at last are.. rived on top. Back at the castle, be recounted the story amid much laughter — Betha's being perhaps a little strained! Going through the Liverpool Customs on returning from Dub- lin, Miss LawsOn noticed their manager, Freddie Hobbs, stand- ing with a man in • uniform whom she took to be the ship's captain, "I do. hope they get my trunk out in time to put it :on this train," she said to him, "I would like to have it with me when. I get home, for .it's full of pre-. sents for mother," The man in uniform roared with laughter. "Why," he said, turning to her, "You're the very one we're after! You're the first person who's even, spoken the. truth to a Customs officer." And, sure enough, there was the word "Customs" in gold lit- ters on his cap.. He- asked what the presents were, said "That's all. right," saw that her trunk was unloaded, and had it put on to train without even opening it. Miss Lawson's favourite Cus- toms story, she says, concerns an old Irishwoman returning .. from France who said she had nothing to declare. The officer told her to Open her suitcaser- and there found what looked . like a bottle of gin, "Och, it's just a bottle of .holy water I'm bringing back from Lourdes," she explained. The officer took out the perk, sniff- ed. "Holy water be damned!" he said. "It's gin!" She clasped her hands, lifted her eyes to high heaven. "Is it gin now, begorra? Glory be to God, a miracle!" Gilbert' and Sullivan fans, par- ticularly, will enjoy this divert, ing book with its interesting photographs. 748,024 ROSE BUSHES Canadian producers .of orna- mental nursery stock sold 472,- 770 domestic rose bushes and 275,254 imported rose bushes in the 12 months ended June 30, 1953, SALLY'S SALLIES 10. t '4%kt, ttl,tie. row. ',nil., Wfila - "What a delightfully old-fash- ioned .way of proposing, dear!" Modern. Etiquette.... ttqRoberta Lee. Q, Mos 011.e receipt of ,a birth announcement obligate one .send 4..gift to the baby? • A. There is no Obligation, but, k, it is a nice gesture. If, however, .one feels one -.cannot afford a .gift or is not on intimate terms with the new parents, then a. congratulatory card. or hand- written note would be in Order. Q, What should a person say when about to be introduced to the person for the second time? A, A suitable expression would be, "Thank you, but I have al- ready had the pleasure of meet- ing Mr. Williams." Q, Is it all right, when enter- taining dinner gnests, to use a. folded napkin - to .brush. tit e crumbs .off the table? A, This is quite all right, • Q. My wedding . is to be very small and doesn't warrant the mailing of engraved.. invitations.. How should I word the short notes of invitation to those friends I should like to attend. A. They may be worded exactly as the engraved type of invita- tions are. Q. Is it proper for a dinner guest, when he has finished meal, to push his plate a little away front him to signify that he has finished? 'A. Definitely not! The dishes' never should be moved by the guests. A guest's way of showing he has finished is to place his eating utensils on his plate. 0. Should a letter to a man, always be-addressed to "Mr."? A. Always, unless, of .courses he bears some such title as "Dr." or "The Reverend." • Q. I, have had several dates, with a certain young man and: think quite a lot of him, His birthday is near, and am • wondering if it would be -pro- per for me to give .bim a gift. A. Properly, you should give this young'man a gift only if you are. engaged to 'him. Otherwise, a suitable card is the proper. re. meMbrance Q. Is there any rule of etiquette that governs the length 'of mar- riage engagements? • A. No; but long eringements are not so common as they were years ago. The usually accented length of an ..engagement todflY is about six months Q. What is the minimum num- ber of cos .tails ecurtev that a host serve his guests before dinner? A. One apiece is correct — and enough. Q. Isn't it all right, when intro. fluting a man to a woman, merely to say, "Miss White, Mr, filaclt"? A. Yes, with a slight pause be- tween the names. SINK STOPPER WAS SNAKE When Mrs. Sandra Burger, of Bloemfontein, South- Africa, found her kitchen sink blocked, she fetched, a snanner, and un- screwed the nut in the bend to poke the drain clear. A two-foot long cobra poked his head out and stared' her in the eye as the 'nut came away! She gave the snake a wallop on the head „with the spanner than shOuted for help. A kitchen knife wielded by her son finished off the job. a- demon-haunted • lunposf Points to Tomorrow Three-dimensional symbol at right recently pointed the way for scientists Meeting, Insigne of the Association for Applied Solar gnergy, arrows show that sun is initial source of all of mankind's energy forms, Scientists discussed theory and, Practice of har- teasing directly the sun's energy. They foresee a spectacular future for use of solar radiation, but caution that mankind's pre- sent engines will not soon be Outmoded. Among devices already east the theoretical stage are two, shown below. 'pilot ode Of radio, left,, uses current generated by light-sensitive cells atop its case, Solar oven, right, of aluminum, does the roast to a turn while milady suns herself, Solar water 'heaters are already em- PloYed by more than 30,000 Japanese families?. And, solar stoves are on sale in sun-drenched Egypt,'Sunposr points the way . •s!:, • . , 'to solar-powered radio . . and to meals done to a turn by sun-heated. solar ovens. • CANNED A youngsterYoung file' in We erim, Germany, displays. ingen ions toys he made of empty food cans in grammar school, At left is 0 miniature steam taller, and at right is a rider on a motorcycle: Other Students in his class we're given nigh empty boxes, wire, old alai's and screws to test their' creative 4;- DOUBLE-JOHOED—This calf can't stand by ittelfi becau seit has five legs, The "extra" kg of the animal, bornon the Frank Veldheer farm, separates from the right hind kg about halfway down and abbears to end in two hoofs. The calf oho has a double hip joint. Veldheer trays the Calf seems to be perfectly healthy. Time to at least think about that Christmas turkey and the following hints about how to roast it may come in handy, The Oirections for roasting, 7.91e1J *otice, are a bit different train What most of us are accustomed to — no water — no basting — but they come from a just-pub- Iished booklet put out by the "United States Poultry and Egg National Board, and we can be ewe that they tried all methods before settling an this as the best One., Anyway Anyway — here they are! 4 "Correct roasting is slow cooking by dry heat on a rack in an open pan. It requires no water. no basting, no cover and itto searing. Always roast turkey done -in one continuous cooking period. Low temperatures assure better flavor and appearance, less shrinkage, and less loss of juices. A. shallow open, pan al- lows the heat to circulate around the, bird, roasting it evenly. A, rack at least lb inch high raises the bird off the bot- tom dfs the pan, keeping it out of the juices. "For• best results follow these simple steps: 1. Rub cavity lightly, with salt, 2, Put stuffing In wishbone area to fill it out. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. 3. Stuff cavity well, but tO not "peek tightly.. 4. Truss bird and place on rack in shal- l& pan. 5. Grease skin thor- oughly with fat, If meat ther- mometer is to be used, insert so that bulb is in center of in- side thigh muscle or the thick- ist part of the breast meat. Be sure bulb does not touch bone, IL Cover top and sides of bird with' a loose cap of foil or fat- moistened cloth. 7. Place in pre-heated oven set at 325° F. S. Do not Sear, cover, Or add salt. 9. If cloth dries slightly during cooking; moisten with fat from bottom of pan. 10. When turkey is 3/4 done, cut trussing string between drumstick and tail. 11. Roast until tender. * * When buying your turkey, re- member that you'll need 4 to 1 pound of bird per serving (and if your family likes left- over turkey — which most families do — you'll want to buy more). If you get a frozen turkey, you'll need two daYs. for thawing it in the refrigerator or *ix hours under cold running water. If you want to add originality to, traditional turkey, make *1 CARACAS — Ex-President of Argentina Juan D. Peron is thown after his arrival in Cara- cas, Venezuela. He defended the actions of his regime, claim- Ina that he had tried to stabi- IlIze the Argentine economy dnd "avoid the fleeing of foreign ex- change"; that he had 'sought to increase the industrialization of the country, necessitating the multiple exchange rates he had Imposed. twice the amount of stuffing needed. Stil.ff the turkey as usual, and then to the extra dressing add mushrooms and bake in a loaf pan. Cut this loaf into one-inch slices, Place them in a half circle around turkey, garnishing with green parsley sprigs and whole, fresh cranber- ries, As your turkey is carved, it's easy to serve a slice of stuf- fing on each plate. When it's time for seconds, the man of the °use will find he has more time to take the stalling out of the turkey cavity. If you'd like minceceat pie for your dinner, try this filling with your favorite pastry, Makes 1 9-inch pie. MINCEMEAT FILLING 2 cups mincemeat 11/i cups unsweetened apple sauce orange; diced '1:4 teaspoon each, cloves and nutmeg Combine all ingredients and fill pastry-lined pie pan. Put top pastry on and bake at 450° F. for 30 minutes, * * Or, try making a one-crust 9-inch pumpkin pie filling with evaporated milk. PUMPKIN FILLING 1 cup sugar 1% teaspoons cinnamon 34 teaspoon each, cloves, all- spice, nutmeg, ginger a n d salt 2 eggs 13 cups cooked pumpkin 1% cups (I tall can) evapora- ted milk 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell Blend sugar, salt and spices together. Beat eggs with milk and add to' first mixture; add pumpkin. Pour into shell "'and bake at 425° F. for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F. and continue baking. about 40 min- utes or until knife inserted in pie mixture comes out clean. Cool. Beetles Succeed Where Guns Failed If Nelson were alive to-day he'd have drafter a new signal for the recent Trafalgar Day: "Stand by to sink the Victory beetles." For half a million pounds is needed to save the life of the world's most famous ship, Nel- son's H.M.S. Victory. The threat of the breaker's yard hangs over Victory in her dry dock a Portsmouth. What French cannon-balls failed to do when she fought at Trafal- gar, the deathwatch beetle has done. Victory, say the experts, ur- gently needs a £500,000 "surgi- cal operation." Her "heart of oak" must be replaced by teak and steal. Why not use oak? Because seasoned oak could not be ob- tained from the forests of. Eng- land and correctly matured un- til about 1875. By then it would be too late. For many years the Victory— launched at Chatham on May 7th, 1765—has been attacked by the dreaded death-watch beetle. Every Trafalgar Day Nelson's famous signal, "England expects ." is hoisted in. Victory. On the quarter-deck, where he fell, a memorial service is held. In 1844, thirty-nine years after Trafalgar, Queen Victoria visited the warship with Prince Albert. When she came to the spot where Nelson fell, she stood silently gazing at the tablet re- cording the fact. Then, in a voice tremulous with emotion, the Queen read aloud slOwly, the words of the inscription: "Here Nelson Fell." Stooping, she plucked two leaves as mementoes from the Trafalgar Day wreath of laurel -which had been placed on the historic spot. It is believed that those leaves are still preserved in the archives of our Royal Family.