News Letter 10 Final.pub (Read-Only) - The Binns Family

Here is the third and final instalment of aletter written by Arthur William Binns (1858-1931) in 1890 from Springfield, Ohio to hisparents Wilkinson and Martha Binns, ofOakworth, near Keighley, Yorkshire. In theletter he describes a visit he made toCalifornia under the auspices of TheBrotherhood of Locomotive Firemen andEngineers. The original letter is now sadlylost but this early transcription was made byJoyce Kidd, to whom the editor is mostgrateful.After dinner we took the cars to goout to visit the Presidio, FortWinfield Scott and the GoldenGate. The Presidio is the firstplace on the bay that was settledby the Spaniards. It is about threemiles from the centre of the city,and is about a mile east of theGolden Gate. It is at the presenttime a Military Reservation of theU.S. There are large barracks fordifferent branches of the services.The grounds near the officersquarters are laid out with niceflower beds and grass plots, butthe quarters of the men looksomewhat forlorn. I did not seemany soldiers about, I supposethey were all at work. After lookingabout for a while we started forwardto Fort Winfield Scott. It wasone of the longest miles I everwalked across the salt meadows.We passed the Lifeboat Stationand went in and saw the boats androcket apparatus. Everything wasas clean as paint and elbowgrease could make it. Some timelast year, during a fog, a steamercalled the City of Chester was rundown and sunk, right opposite theboat house. Some of the peopleon her had taken breakfast inFrisco and were back there fortheir dinner. Others went down intheir cabins and were taken outafterwards by divers. The day wewere there, it was difficult to imaginethat such a calamity couldhave occurred and leave no trace.We passed yards where therewere scores of cannons and guncarriages. They were old muzzleloaders, some of them monsters,but sadly out of date. Fort WinfieldScott is situated on the point ofland that forms the southern wallof the Golden Gate. The entranceto the Bay is about ½ mile wide, sothe guns at this place commandthe passage. The Fort is built ofGranite and iron. It has three gunplatforms and places for light gunson the roof. On the inside thefloors are arched and supportedby big granite pillars. There areentrances to the magazines oneach floor. I think there are about100 guns in the place about 8inches bore muzzle loaders perhaps20 feet long. A modern Ironclad with her 80 ton guns wouldbring the whole place down in tenminutes. It was a famous placewhen it was built 30 years ago, butit is only useful for a show place atthe present day. On the headlandabove it they are making earthworksand putting big breech loadersin them, so that they will notneed to get in a panic for fear of aChinese iron clad coming to bombardSan Francisco. At the time ofthe Chinese exclusion act passing1888, the people of Frisco wereterrified lest a Chinese fleet shouldcome over to argue the point.They could scarcely sleep. I guessthey feel better now. The UnionIronworks Co. of San Franciscoare now at work building Men-of-War for Uncle Sam, so they oughtto be able to fix up something totake care of themselves. After gazingour fill at the Golden Gate, andwatching several ships go by, westarted back for town. I think themile from the Fort to the Presidiowas about equal to three ordinarymiles. My poor feet suffered terribly,but we got over it somehow. Iwas glad when we got back to theplace for street cars. We had afine view of the bay as we weregoing back. It looks splendid withits ships and islands with the distantmountains for a background. Ithink I could have looked at it awhole day and not been tired. I amnot surprised at Californians thinkingso much of their state. I wastaken with it myself.After dinner that evening I metFrank Rennie for the last time beforestarting east. We sort of madeit up to meet in Chicago in 1892 allbeing well. He told me that hewould introduce me to a new dishthat would keep our friendshipwarm. We went to a restaurantand he ordered some tamales. Heexplained that they were a Mexicandish, and were much esteemedby some of the people ofFrisco. They came to the table allhot. They looked like a bunch oflong leaves tied at both ends, anda string round the middle. Theleaves are the husks of Indiancorn. We took our forks and wentto work to dissect them. First cametwo or three layers of leaves, theninside was a little pudding aboutthe size and shape of a sausage.Inside, the pudding was filled withhot spices and a piece of chicken,it tasted first rate, but it nearlyburnt the skin off your mouth. Iwould not doubt that they would dofamously for a bad cold. After thiswe walked round the streets untilmidnight, then shook hands andwent our respective ways, to meetagain in 92 at the Exposition ifpossible. I went back to the Hoteland packed up my traps ready forthe return trip. We were to leaveSan Francisco at 7 a.m. in themorning, to catch the train at Oaklandfor the east. I tumbled intobed and took three or four hourssleep, to brace me up for my journey.We were up early next morningand ate our breakfast with arelish, our appetites were not spoiltby being journey proud. The last Isaw of San Francisco was as shewas swallowed up in the mist thatwas hanging round. We arrived inOakland in due time and took ourseats in the train. The journey toSacramento was accomplished by11 a.m. Here wemet ne of the !!

delegates that had started outthe evening before, Wm. Merkleof St. Louis, Mo. We joinedforces and went to dinner. Thatwas always our first point of interest,a place to eat. A countrylooks much better when gazedat over a full stomach. The CaliforniaState Fair was in progress,so we started to take it in.We rode out on the street carsto the fair grounds. We lookedround for the exhibit of machineryand produce but could notfind them, so we stared at theBulls, cows, goats, pigs, poultry,etc. till we were tired. We thenwent to the place where theraces were going on. It did nottake us long to get tired of that.We started back into town, andwhat we had to say of the StateFair was not very complimentary.We next went to the SouthernPacific Shops, where theRailway Co. does all their repairingof Engines, cars etc. Theyare very large shops and filledwith machinery of the most improvedpattern. There are sawmills,foundries, blacksmiths,boiler and machine shops. Theymust employ a large number ofhands. It took us two hours to gothrough. Near the shop is apiece of stagnant water 5 or 6acres. The natives call it LakeComo, and grin. It used to producelots of malaria, and attimes half the men in the shopswould be sick. The Railway Co.procured a lot of Australian GumTrees and planted them aroundthe shops. The malaria has disappeared.They are also dumpingall their ashes and rubbishinto Lake Como so in course oftime it will be a thing of the past.Our next meal was dinner 6 p.m.We met a lot of Brotherhoodmen, they asked us if we hadbeen to the Pavilion, we askedwhat that was, they told us andwe concluded to take that in. Wecame across an Indian camp onour way there. There wereprobably 300 of them, big andlittle. They had come to town tovisit the State Fair. When we gotto the Pavilion, we found it to bea big building of the Crystal Palacestyle. It was one division ofthe State Fair containing the Arts,Manufactures etc. This turned outto be what we had been seekingin the afternoon. There were fineexhibits of the products of thestate. In the machinery dept. therewere steam pumps, windmills,traction engines, threshing machines,reapers and mowers andall other kind of agricultural machinery.The machine that struckme most was the “Reaper King”for cutting wheat. The machinerequires 30 horses to pull it, it cutsa swathe 20 feet wide, gathers upthe straw, thrashes it and separatesthe grain from the chaff, andruns the grain into bags ready formarket. This machine is made atthe Benica Agricultural works onBenica Bay. There are somesmaller ones made but the “King”is the one used on the bigranches. A machine of that kindwould be no use in Ohio wherethe farms are smaller. There werea few exhibits of Springfield firms,but not so many as I expected tosee. The Art Galleries were largeand well lighted. There was ashow of pictures and statuary thatyou would scarcely expect to seein a pioneer country. One wouldthink there would be no time forsuch things. But anyone coming toCalifornia and expecting to find aplace barely civilized would beagreeably disappointed. Therewas a fine band discoursing sweetmusic, as the newspapers say,and lots of other attractions. Thefirm that Frank Rennie is with, hadan exhibit there. It was put up inthe shape of a portable house. Allthe decorations and trimmingswere made of tools, guns, and allkinds of ironmongery, standing alittle piece off it looks as though itwere painted in fancy patterns, butget up close and you see different.I have never been to an exhibitionat London, so I do not know whatthey do there, but judging fromwhat I have seen, the people hereshow a lot more taste in getting upan attractive show. They will maketheir exhibit look nice, if it is nothingbut shovels and horseshoes.their exhibit look nice, if it is nothingbut shovels and horseshoes.There was one stall showed nothingbut nails, but they were workedup into fancy patterns. Youstopped to look at the designs andyou could not help but notice theirnails, if they had just been set outin boxes, no one would havelooked at them. The building waslit up by numerous electric lights,so everything showed off to goodadvantage. We stayed at the Pavilionuntil ten o’clock, as our traindid not leave till midnight.To turn back a little. I will say thatSacramento is a curious lookingtown. All the houses have bigverandas that come to the edge ofthe sidewalk, so when you arewalking along in the business partof town you are under shelter. Inthe residence part, the houseshave lots of shade, in the shape ofverandas, and the gardens arefilled with flowers. Palm trees growout in the open air, from 10 to 30feet high, so that speaks well forthe mildness of the winters. Theyhave a very fine courthouse and Ithink the State Capitol is here.With all its pleasant places I do notthink I should like to live at Sacramento,it is too flat and there aremarshes for miles to the west andsouth of it. Marshes may be goodfor ducks and geese, but they arenot very healthy for men andwomen, still the death rate is saidto be very low and I suppose thatis what they judge the healthinessof a place by. We bought our tin ofoysters and some biscuits to getready for starvation etc. and thentook our way to the depot. We leftSacramento at 12.25 and promptlyfell asleep, to be continued in ournext.I am going to send Leslie’s off in afew days, also pamphlet of Monterey.The Xmas cards came O.K.we were pleased to be remembered.I intend getting the longtalked of camera, next month.With best love to all, we remain,yours affectionately,Arthur and Emma !!

" Sonnet to Williams and BinnsWilliams and Binns, the youthful patriots,Have sternly dared the tyrant’s iron frown,With manly fortitude- such as shall crownThem with a people’s heartfelt thanks, mid notesOf unexampled gratitude- from throatsWhence emanate a nation’s voice, and showThe people’s strength, that lays in justice low,And set up truth, the bane of all despots,Like opening flowers in some unsheltered spot,They bend beneath the bitter pelting storm;Still Springs rude blast will shortly be forgot.Its rage is past- it ceases to deform.Soon you will struggle through life’s mingled doom,Knowing that after death ‘tis yours to bloom.by James VernonPublished in the Northern Star, February 13th 1844.#$"#!%&'&(James Jepson Binns and the organsfor which he was renownedfeatured in Binns ConnectionsNumber 8. In the summer of 2005,one of his organs was offered forsale on the internet auction siteebay. The following details thathave been extracted from the informationoffered by the seller givesome idea of the size and qualityof what is said to be an incrediblyimpressive organ.“Currently dismantled and in storage,when assembled the dimensionsof this organ are; total width12' 6", depth 10ft., height 18ft.central tower, 13ft. outer towers.Swell box: Height 7'9".Width 9ft.Depth 4'6"“Built in 1912 for a church in Bridgend,Glamorgan and situated in agallery at rear of the pulpit. TheConsole stop type is knobs withIvory Labels”.The organ has pedal, great andswell departments with a total of19 stops.If you want to hear what a Binnsorgan sounds like you could purchasethe CD called ‘The SymphonicOrgan’ from Priory RecordsCat. No: PRCD 479 on whichAdrian Partington plays the restoredBinns organ of the AlbertHall, Nottingham. !!

As related in Binns ConnectionsNo. 9, Jack Robinson Binnsgained fame for being the first touse wireless telegraphy for summoninghelp to rescue passengersfrom a sinking transatlantic liner in1905.Sadly, his claim to the Binns surnamerest only on the maidenname of his mother Mary AnnaBinns, who was born at Brigg inLincolnshire on the 17 th February1864. Her parents were JohnBinns, who was born at Ashby,Lincolnshire, in about 1816, andAnn, probably also a Binns, whowas born about 1825 in Wheldrake,Yorkshire. Interestingly,John was the son of William Binnswho originated in Escrick, nearYork and only about 4 miles fromWheldrake, which provides strongevidence that this Binns familythat emigrated to Lincolnshirefrom the York area maintainedcontact with their home groundover a period of at least ten years.John Robinson Binns, alwaysknown as Jack, was born in theBrigg Union Workhouse atWrawby, Lincolnshire on the 16 thSeptember 1884, but by the timehis mother Mary Anna marriedFred Gamble at Holbeck nearLeeds in December, 1891, she hadtwo daughters, Laura and Annie. Inthe census of 1891 Mary AnnaBinns was recorded as an unmarriedhousekeeper living in thehome Fred Gamble in Grimsby.Also present were her daughters,Laura Gamble, age two, and fourmonth old Annie Gamble.In the same census, Jack RobinsonBinns was recorded living withhis Uncle William Binns, hismother’s brother, in Peterborough.The identity of Jack’s father istherefore open to speculation but itseems most likely to have been aMr.Robinson, who for some unknownreason “disappeared”shortly after Jack was born.After Jack settled in New York hemarried a New Yorker, Alice AnnMacNiff and they had two daughters,Grace A, and Alice Virginia.Virginia Utermohlen, granddaughterof Jack and Alice, remembersthat during and afterWW 2 her family packed and sentfood parcels to family in Englandand in 1949 she and her familyvisited aunts, uncles, and cousinsin England. In return the Englishaunts knitted sweaters whichwere sent to Virginia and her sisterGrace. The last visit Jack andhis family made to England wasin 1954 or 1955Jack died in New York in 1957.We are indebted to Nicola Pikefor providing much of theabove information.#No more sightings of the Bradfordbased inpressario,Ernest Binns,have been reported since hismention in Binns Connections No.9. However C. J. Mellor, in hisbook “The Northern Music Hall”,attributes the ‘discovery’ of MaxMiller to Ernest who “gave him abreak at the old Lidget GreenPavillion in Bradford in 1921 and ayear later at the Shay Gardens inHalifax as a pierrot.”Another very well-known Northerncomedian, Albert Modley, washighly regarded by Ernest, who presentedhim to the Morecambe holidaymakers during the 1930 season. !!

#%)%$Your editor makes no claims to sporting fame but was pleased to hear of theprogress of Simon Binns on the Rugby field. His grandmother Lilian Vere talkedproudly of him when I visited her in York during the summer. Since then I’velearned a little about some other Binns’ and their sporting exploits.For instance…………….I’m happy to report that V. Binns was the joint winner, with S. Gomer of the HoweTrophy, a silver plated cup presented to the winners of the Exeter under 16 OpenJunior Girls Doubles Tournament. A previous winner was J. Jury and I believe that S.Gomer too was once a British hopeful. Alas, in spite of this early promise shown byV. Binns in 1979, there is no record of her winning the Ladies Singles at Wimbledon.*As you might expect the Binns family are represented on the cricket field. AlfredPhilip Binns appeared in 5 Test Matches for the West Indies. He was wicketkeeper and right-hand bat, born in Kingston Jamaica 24 July 1929. He played infive tests comprising eight innings, scored 66 runs and was not out once. Hemade his test debut against India at Port of Spain 21 st Jan 1953 and his last testmatch appearance was against New Zealand on 9 th Mar 1956 in Auckland.)%The Sport of Kings has also had some attention from our family. In the early decadesof the 20 th Century, horsesby the names of “Hunt Supper”, “Kings Letter”,and “Frequent” raced at various courses, including Lincoln, Newcastle, Liverpool,and York, in the colours of Mr. E. Binns .+% !"At about the same time H. W. Binns and M. A. Binns were distinguishing themselvesin the swimming pool, as representatives of the “Otters”, a London basedclub, in both individual and team events.$#$Meanwhile, at Harrow, L.F. Binns was playing football and cricket for the School. !!

*% #We have our very own former World Champion in the form ofArnold Binns (b. 1884) who came from Hebden Bridge. InJune 1930, he skated non-stop for 40 hours 13 minutes atBurnley – a world endurance record and in July the sameyear, he skated 912½ miles from John O'Groats to Land'sEnd. Some months later, he skated for 61 hours 18 minutes atPreston – living on tripe, eggs, milk and Horlicks. In 1933, heskated for 177 hours 13 minutes only to break this record by 2hours in a session at Batley. Arnold looks dressed more appropriatelyfor golf rather than skating. Perhaps he was hoping,in his spare time, to compete for The Binns Cup, a trophypresented to the winner of the Denbigh County Golf Championship.,%-Bill Mirfield has very kindly passed on this information that he discoveredwhile visiting Kangaroo Valley, in the Southern Highlandsof New South Wales.Bill noticed two photographs inthe Historical Museum. What particularlyinterested Bill was that thepictures were of Christopher JohnBinns and his son Richard.Enquiries revealed that Christopherand a man named Huxleyhad settled on a farm in KangarooValley some time before 1860,after which Christopher sold hisland and became a builder. In1869 he secured the contract tobuild the first school in KangarooValley at a cost of £212. In May,the same year, he informed thecouncil that he would not be ableto finish on schedule due to problemswith materials and then inOctober he had a severe fall whichlaid him up for a month. Theschool finally opened in 1871, initiallywith eight pupils but after onlythree weeks numbers had swollento twenty-seven.In 1872 the first School Board waselected and included among thefive members was Richard Binns,the eldest son of Christopher whofarmed close by at Beaumontwhere he raised a large family. Allhis children were baptized at theChurch of The Good Shepherd,which was Church of England.Included in the subscribers towardthe building of the church hadbeen Mr. Binns, R. H. Binns, andW. Binns.The Descendants Book for thechurch contains the signatures ofKennith Binns, a great greatgrandson of Christopher Binns andof Ian Binns, a great grandson ofChristopher Snowden Binns.Bill was touched to learn that thelady who looks after the HistoricalSociety in Kangaroo Valley wasborn on the farm that ChristopherBinns bought in the mid-nineteenthcentury.The appearance of the nameSnowden in this story may indicatea Cowling origin for some of thesepeople. !!

) +%$– We wish to thank Arthur Evans for writing this interesting account of hisUncle Fred and the discovery of new cousins in Australia.When John Binns (b.1814) ofCowling married Phoebe Smith atSkipton Registry Office in September1850 his son James by a formerwife was already in his midteens.James married CarolineThompson at Bolton AbbeyChapel in 1858 and they settled inBurnsall where they raised a familyof five sons and two daughtersbetween 1859 and 1881. Theiryoungest son, Arthur (b. 1870)married Rosetta Barrett in 1896and Fred Binns was the first productof their union.Fred turned out to be a colourfulcharacter and it is his story that isoutlined below.Fred Binns managed to enlist inthe West Yorks Regiment around1916 at the start of World War Ibut had the misfortune to be capturedby the Germans and endedup in a prisoner of war camp(details not known). After his releasehe married Maude Barnsleyin 1921 and in 1926 they immigratedto Australia with their sonDonald (b.1922). He travelledaround a lot and wrote home to hisyoungest brother Jack (b. 1916) in1930. Part of this letter has beenfound by Jacks daughterand recounts his travels from Sydneyup through Queensland tosettle in the far north. A transcriptof one of his letters mentions severalplace names and provides avivid account of the wild life andscenery.He eventually worked in the MountIsa copper mining region inQueensland, but his letters makeno mention of his wife Maude.Whatever became of Maude wemay never know, but Fred met upwith a lady called Florence Hartewith whom he had two children,Gerald (b. 1932) in Mount Isa andAnne Rosetta (b. 1936) in Brisbane.Fred’s complex family liferemained a mystery until January2004 when Anne Rosetta (nowCoverdale) finally sought out herfather, via the internet and theCowling web site.I was then in a position to tell herof her family’s roots in Cowlingand we exchanged photos andinformation about her father. I waseven able to tell her of a brotherDonald she never knew. Remarkablyher “new” brother Donald wasliving not far from her brother Gerald.I put her in touch with Donald’sson Gary who was also living inthe Brisbane area.Fred had kept in touch over theyears with his eldest sister Lily andyoungest brother George andwhen my mother, Mary, George’stwin sister, gave birth to a son, me,George passed the news on toFred. It was 1940 and the last timewe ever heard from Fred. Whenhe wrote his congratulations to mymother and father he added,"I suppose you got a shock tolearn that I had again joined thearmy. Well it would appear that theold spirit of adventure is still alivewith me and as you will see by thephoto I am sending you underseparate cover. I am looking infine condition and believe me, Ifeel as well as I look, and if fatedecrees I must once more have asmack at "Jerry", well I think I cangive as good an account as I didlast time, the difference being Ithink there is really something tofight for this time"Fred enlistedinitially in the Home Defence butlater was shipped overseas to Singapore.His son Donald, who was noweighteen years old, was a groundengineer in the Australian Air-forceduring the war.Anne obtained all Fred’s army recordsand although they requiresome deciphering they recount ahorrendous catalogue of hospitalvisits in various location in theMalayan peninsular and Javawhere he was a prisoner of warfrom 1942 until he was "recovered552from the Japanese" on the 20thAugust 1945.He remained in hospital,sometimes aboard hospitalships, until discharged in July1946.Anne’s story is also rather tragicas she was in an orphanage from4 months old till she was 18 whenshe had a child who was takenfrom her, and lived not far fromher, near her other daughters butshe did not find this out till 43years had passed.Gerald too was in an orphanagebut went to live with his fatherbriefly at some time maybe afterthe war.Anne who has six children, tengrandchildren, and up to now threegreat-grandchildren of her ownhas now discovered anotherbrother and ten cousins thanks toher determination to unravel herfamily history.I met Fred’s son Donald 10 yearsago and was told that Fred haddied in 1976.After the war Fred had become aJehova’s Witness and all contactwith the family was severed. WhenI asked about his father’s experienceshe told me that awful thingshad happened to him and hewould not talk about them. It wasgood to meet my cousin for thefirst time and hopefully I may meetmy "new" cousins someday.Fred’s account of travel from New SouthWales to his home in the north ofQueensland will appear in the nextNumber of Binns Connections.55 !!

)+*%, $Lincoln Beacon, April 1885Last Tuesday morning at 5 o’clock,W.F. Binns, proprietor of theBinns’ House, in this place, built afire in his kitchen stove and whilehe was at work in another part ofthe house, the ceiling of thekitchen and the upper floor caughtfire from a defective flue. Hearinga suspicious noise and smellingsmoke, Mr. Binns returned to thekitchen only to find the upper partin flames. He immediately devotedall his energies to rousing the inmates,22 in number. A few wereawake when the fire started but aheavy south wind was behind thefire, which started in the south sideof the two-story frame building,and wild stampede for the outsidewas the result as soon as the inmatesrealized the state of affairs.Three guests who slept in oneroom threw their trunks out of awindow and among them lost onlya watch. Four men who slept directlyover the kitchen stove lefttheir room as the floor and bedswent through. The silly remarks inthe Banner about M.A. McIlvaineare lying and unjust. He left hisroom with his companions and hadhe hesitated for a second to huntin the blinding smoke for hisclothes, would never have left thebuilding alive. He was the last oneto awake and for that reason alonesaved none of his effects. Everyperson in the building had a closecall and all lost something, andnone got out fully dressed. In additionto the clothes each lost, MeadHughes lost $10 cash, E. Biggs$49.50 cash, and F.J. Stanesbeckof Odell, Neb., $320 cash, twogold watches and a revolver. AnEmporia man lost $50 in cash.Miss Emma Kraut was seriouslyburned about the head, face andhands and fainted away in a hallwaywith fire falling upon her. JohnWest, of Minneapolis, rescued herand was painfully burned whiledoing so. T.S. Kerns, a printer inour employ, was burned about hisface and his hands badly blistered,and as he is unable to work theBeacon is short of help this week.Hard work alone saved Coolbaugh’sstore, Robinsons’s RedLivery and all the adjacent businesspart of town. Large quantitiesof fire were blown down 4 th streetand whirled up the alleys and severalfires lighted by these emberswere extinguished on the northside a quarter of a mile away. Itwas the subject of general congratulationsthat the erection of thenew Beacon office has been delayed,as had it been up, Coolbaugh’scorner and the Red Liverycould not have been saved. Immediatelyafter the fire a subscriptionpaper for the immediate relief ofMr. Binns and family (who arehighly esteemed) was largelysigned. Not over $10 worth ofproperty was saved of the householdeffects.% %&'Kirk Rawnsley Binns was the sonof Frankland Kirk Binns and hiswife Margaret. In the census of1881, seventeen-year-old FranklandKirk Binns is recorded as livingin Lower Town St., Bramley,with his parents John and SarahBinns, and was working as a railwaybooking clerk. John, the headof the household, was a shoemaker,born in about 1825 inThorpe Arch.When Kirk was old enough, hemarried Eleanor and the coupleset up home at Middleholme,Jackson’s Court, Pontefract until,upon the outbreak of war, hejoined the Royal Navy. His time asan Able Seaman was tragicallyended when he was blown topieces aboard the H.M.S. PrincessIrene on 27 th May 1915. The PrincessIrene was launched on 20 thOctober, 1914. She had been builtas a liner for the Canadian PacificRailway, but was requisitioned bythe Royal Navy for mine layingduties and was based at Sheernessin Kent. Aboard the ship, stationedin the River Medway on thefateful day, were the crew of 222officers and men as well as 80petty officers from Chatham and76 dockyard workers. They werepreparing mines to be laid twodays later when, at 11.15 a.m; sheblew up in a massive explosion. Ofthose on board there was only onesurvivor, sadly not Able SeamanBinns.The few bodies that were foundwere buried in Woodlands Cemetery,Gillingham, and the rest arecommemorated on a memorialthat stands opposite SheernessRailway station.It seems that inadequately trainedpersonnel had been hurriedlypriming the 500 mines on boardand although there were rumourscirculating of sabotage by Germanspies the inquiry concluded that afaulty priming pistol had been thecause. A commemorative plaqueand medals presented to AbleSeaman Binns’s family have recentlybeen offered for sale on theinternet auction house ebay. !!

".The Binns Family News Letter No.2 published in October 1997 containedan interesting account of“Post Mortem Photography” inwhich some of the details of poorMaud’s short life are recounted.Tragedy however was no strangerto Maud’s father John WilliamBinns who was a son of SutcliffeBinns and according to the 1881census was born in Haworth inabout 1857. Also, in 1881, athome with Sutcliffe and his wifeMartha at Clarendon Road, Haworthwere his unmarried brothersSedgwick and Walter. John Williamhad already left home andmarried Mary Ann Heaton fromnearby Keighley and was living atCross Roads, about halfway betweenKeighley and Haworth,where he was occupied as a grocer.Two younger siblings of JohnWilliam, sister Sabina and brotherBenson, had respectively died inMarch and April 1871 at his parentsformer home in Albion Place,Haworth. They were buried ingrave D 250 in Haworth churchyard.The loss of a brother andsister, both under six years old,must have been an unpleasantexperience for the fourteen-yearoldJohn William.That the death of his little sisteraffected John William is suggestedby the fact that his first child, bornto him and his wife Mary Ann, inabout July 1880, was named Sabina.However it was not to belong before events took anothertragic turn. Mary Ann, his wife ofvery few years, died on 28 th March1882. She was buried in thechurchyard at Haworth in grave D547, to be followed in due courseby her father, the coachmanRobert Heaton in 1889 and hermother Elizabeth in 1908.Happily and presumably out of thenecessity of having a carer for hisfour year old daughter Sabina,John William married ChristianaPark of Ilkley, on the 9 th January1884, at the Wesleyan Chapel,Ilkley. Christiana was about threeyears younger than John Williamand although she was born inKeighley, she was living with herfather, Ridsdale Park, who in the1881 census was recorded as afarmer in Ilkley. On August 1 st .,1886, at 15 Haworth Road, Lees,the first child of John William andChristiana was born. She wascalled Maud Mary Binns and herdeath on 21 September 1888 leadto the decision to have the photographtaken that was the subjectof the article referred to above.From the inscription on the reverseof the photograph it seems thatJohn William Binns had a sonVernon, but what became of him,Sabina, and their parents is not yetknown. Hopefully they all livedhappily ever after but as the abovestory demonstrates life was veryprecarious in the late 19 th century.##1) 1866 Shields Daily News April 6; at United Prebyterian Church, Hexham on 5 th Alfred Hume, son of the lateJames Hume of Newcastle, to Cornelia Spencer, daughter of James Spencer of Hexham. Ceremony conducted byRev. Joseph Binns, Ashton under Lyne, uncle of the bridegroom2) Thomas Binns birth found in Army Returns 1796-1880. Born Gibraltar 1836-7, p. 179. is at 1 Larchfield Road,Hunslet in 1881 with his wife Matilda born in Leeds. He is a labourer in iron works.3) Illustrations on the covers of The Dalesman in 1948 were by Dan Binns. It is reported on the Binns List that Danwas the father of David Binns, the well-known wildlife artist5) The History of Huddersfield Town Football Club was written in 1984 by George S. Binns.6 ) Percy N. Binns was a solicitor in Howden, East Yorks. 1868-1897. In the 1881 Census he was a 14 year-oldpupil at a boys Boading School at 28 Fairfield Sq., Droylsden, Lancashire. The head of the household, was a Mr.Rea, who was a Moravian Minister.7) The Western Flying Post and Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury for 19 Jan 1778 carried an advertisement forJonas Binns’s boarding school at Looe, Cornwall. !!

##((Before WW1 E. Dennison Binns of 44 Mersea Road, Colchester, was publishing photographic postcards of localinterest.# Donated by Maggie HartleyDeath16 th July 1872 registered in Horton, Bradford, Yorks. At Denhome, Thornton, Rebecca Binns, age 50 years, wifeof William Binns, a powerloom weaver, of phthisis.Marriage6 th February 1842 registered at Calverley in the Parish of Calverley, Yorks., Joseph Asquith, age 22, bachelor,stone mason of Pudsey son of John Asquith, clothier, to Esther Binns, 21, spinster of Pudsey, daughter of WilliamBinns, cordwainer, at the Parish Church by banns. Both bride and groom marked. Witness Richard Pearsonsigned, witness John Binns marked.++/1) Who is the Charles Binns who co-authored with R. E. Marsden “Principles of Educational Woodwork” Published1904?2) Who were the Binns whose catalogue for “Boilers and Accessories for Central Heating” was published in 1931.The Company was called Binns and Speight Ltd.3) Who were Joseph Moore Binns and his wife Flo Ann Noble Binns. Flo Ann is buried in cemetery in Carndongh,in the far North of Ireland. She was born 1822,died 1894Advert in Sunderland Echo 21 Jan 1848Selling off at reduced prices (owing to the advanced state of the season) H. Binns.Remaining stock of furs etc. To purchasers of sables the present offers a favouriteopportunity, as some fine specimens still remain unsold, which will be offered atextremely low prices. H. B. has recently purchased a lot of Union Damasks, which heis able to offer from 7d. per yard, also a decided lot of All Worsted at 13d. – a greatbargain. High Street, Sunderland. ! !

0, .1I recently had the good fortune to be able to visit the British LibraryNewspaper Collection at Colindale London and amongother things I was able to find information about Henry Binns(1837-1899) that was new to me.The Natal Mercury, 7 June 1899pointed out that Sir Henry Binnshad been born only seven daysafter the accession of Queen Victoriaand that had he lived threeweeks longer he would have celebratedthe 62 nd year of his age. Hehad left England in June 1858shortly before his 22 nd birthday withhis relations, the late Mr. JohnAcutt and his four daughters. Theyleft London bound for Natal on the1 st June, aboard the ‘Early Morn’, aship of only 226 tons, under thecare of Captain Lowry. After a voyageof 105 days they reached PortNatal on the 14 th September.Three years later he married hiseldest cousin, Miss Clara Acutt,sister of Mr. Noble Acutt. Their sonMr. Percy Binns (who also marrieda cousin, Miss Ethel Laura Acutt) isnow a member of the firm of Shepstone,Wylie, and Binns, solicitorsof Durban. “Mrs. Binns from thebirth of her child, however, hasbeen an invalid, and thereforenever was so widely known as herhusband afterwards became in publiclife.” The paper went on to describehow he made a success ofsugar farming and was able to amalgamatehis business with that of Mr.Robert Acutt and Mr. Scotch Wilson.In about 1868 he returned briefly toEngland to float the combined enterpriseas the Umhlanga Valley Company.The Times of Natal, Weekly Edition,for 10 June 1899 mentions that hewas nominated to the legislativecouncil in 1879 and was electedrepresentative for Victoria County in1883. In December 1893 he hadtravelled to India to try and securean agreement for the compulsoryrepatriation of Indians whose indentureshad expired. He was reportedto have been a keen observer andadmirer of the activities of the Societyof Friends. The paper alsostates that Percy Binns was his onlyson, another son having died in infancy.The Natal Mercury, 9 June 1899records that the Natal IndianCongress placed “on record itssense of deep sorrow for the lossof Sir Henry Binns, Prime Ministerand tenders its humble sympathyto Lady Binns in her sadbereavement”. A reply was forwardedto Mr. Abdul Kadir.The newspaper reports of thefuneral at Fort Napier MilitaryCemetery mention the followingas the chief mourners; Mr. PercyBinns, Mr. Leonard Acutt, Mr. E.l. Acutt, and Mr. G. W. Swales,and Mr. And Mrs. William Acuttsent a wreath. Unfortunately,with the exception of Percy, norelationship with the deceased isgiven.In all the accounts I read there was not one mentionof a daughters.David BinnsI would like to thank all those whohave made significant contributionsto the content of this News Letter,especially Arthur Evans and Bill Mirfield.My thanks also to my wife Elainefor her enthusiasm and energy inlaying out the copy and to my sisterMarion for volunteering to proofread.Thank you too to Alan P. Binns forcontinuing to perform the task ofdistributing hard copies.Of course I take full responsibilityfor all errors and omissionsthe web at:- We are grateful to Ian A. Binns andPeach Digital Ltd . for theircontinuing support