The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-21 00:00:00

New Rules for Rifle Practice.

The following circular has been issued :
" School of Musketry, Hythe, Jan. 13.
"The following changes in the system of rifle practice
are to take effect from this date, and to be continued in force
until further orders :
" 1. The number of targets and the dimensions of bull's-
eyes and centres for the several classes, &c., to be as
follows:

Dimensions.
Classes, &o. No. of Centre Bull's-eye.
Targets.Height.Breadth, Height. Breadth

From 150 to 300
yards inclusive, or

for 3d class 2

4 feet

1 foot

1 foot

6 in.

From 400 to to 600

yards inclusive or
for 2d class 3

From 600 to 900

yards inclusive, or

for let class 4

4 „

1 foot.

File and volley
firing
Skirmishing 1 .• .. 1,, 2,,
"2. Shots hitting the targets to to valued for all classes
as follows :—Bull's-eyes, 4 points—centres, 3—outers, 2.
All shots hitting the horizontal black litre, in file, volley,
and skirmishing practices, to count 4.
" 3. The points to be obtained as a qualification to pass
into a higher class, and establish a claim for extra pay as
marksman,' are to be as follows :—Number of points to be
obtained with Enfield rifle, in 3d class to pass into 2d class,
30, with small bore, 40—in 2d class to pass into Ist, Enfield,
30—with small bore, 40—in Ist class to be marksmen, En-
field, 20, with small bore, 32.
" 4. In executing the volley practice a man whose rifle
misses fire in the volley is not to be allowed to fire at the
target singly, but his round is to be counted as having been
expended.
"5. The order of merit regulating the issue of extra pay
to men who become marksmen to be determined by the
greatest number of points obtained in shooting in the Ist
and 2d classes—i. e., 40 rounds.
"6. The best shot of the battalion will be that man who,
having obtained in the Ist class upwards of 20 points with
the Enfield rifle, or 32 points with the small bore, scores
the highest number of points in the Ist and 2d classes—i.e.,
40 rounds, and is in the first class judging distance at the
final classification."

Alarming Occurrence at the Midland
Railway Works,

Yesterday morning, a few minutes after 10 o'clock, an
accident of a most alarming and serious character, involv-
ing the immediate death of six valuable horses, the destruc-
eon of a considerable amount of property, and the narrow
escape of a number of workmen, took place at the stupen-
dous works and excavations now progressing for stores and
Warehouses connected with the goods depot of the Midland
Railway at Agar Town.
That portion of the works where this catastrophe took
place is abutting on the excavations which are being made
for a coffer dam and docks to be constructed under stores
which are to be erected for Messrs Allsopp and Co. and
Messrs. Bass and Co., the pale ale brewers of Burton-on-
Trent. This excavation is situate between the western side
of the Regent's-canal and the King's-road, Camden Town,
and some idea may be formed of the magnitude of the work,
when it is stated that the entire contract will reach little
short of £300,000. On the south-western side of the excava-
tion there was, up to yesterday morning, existing a series of
exceedingly large arches forming the viaduct by which
means the old road from the King's road to the upper part
of Agar Town was carried up to the level of the iron bridge
over the canal, constructed some 10 or 12 years since by the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners on coming into possession of
that portion of the Agar estate. These arches and the bridge
were the property of the Midland Company, but by agree-
ment with Mr. W. Winn, contractor for the earthworks for
the stores, etc., he was permitted to occupy them as stabling
for the horses. The building contractors were Messrs. Smith
and Co., of Leicester, who had sublet their contract for pull-
ing down these arches, &c., to Mr. Lawrence, a builder, of
Hackney. Cracks had been observed in the arches for some
time, but it is stated not to such an extent as to cause danger
to be apprehended. Mr. Winn employed in his excavation 48
horses and somewhere about 100 men, but at the time of the
occurrence the whole of the horses were out at work, except-
ing 10, which, in consequence of the wetness of the morn-
ing, were not employed, but were left in the stabling under
the arches. The operation of commencing to pull down the
arches it appears was begun by Mr. Lawrence's men on
Tuesday morning at the third, or smaller of the three arches,
in which there were no horses, and were pursuing their
labours, at the time specified, yesterday morning, when the
cracking of the brickwork gave intimation that something
was wrong, and the men at once succeeded in makii3g their
escape, but had scarcely done so when the whole of the
arches gave way with a tremendous crash, crushing the poor
horses beneath t) death by their ponderous weight, being
eight or nine bricks thick.
The consternation at the moment, and for some time after
the occurrence, was very great, and this was heightened by
an extensively circulated rumour that several of Mr. Winn's
workmen were missing, and were also buried in the ruins,
and that some had been known to be in the stabling at the
time. In order to allay anxiety upon this point Mr Winn
immediately had a call of his employees, and found they were
all sate. A boy named White was knocked down by some
of the falling brickwork, but was only slightly contused.
As soon as the confusion had somewhat subsided, the
navvies were set to work to rescue the horses which might
have escaped injury, and singular to relate, out of the 10
poor anima's four were rescued apparently unhurt, but six
were dug out in the course of the afternoon dead. Three of
these had cost not long since 55 guineas each, and the other
three were valued at about £3O each. As the arches were
the property of the Midland Company a telegram was im-
mediately forwarded to Mr. Crossley, the engineer of the
Midland Company, at Derby, and from subsequent investi-
gation it has been ascertained that the workmen were abso-
lutely in the employ of the building contractors, Messrs.
Smith, but were working under Mr. Lawrence's superin-
tendence ; that requiring the bricks as rapidly as possible
for their new works the men, instead of picking out the
work by piecemeal, had actually removed the key ring of
the arch on which they commenced, which, on giving way,
caused the other etches to follow.
The news of the occurrence spread rapidly with plenty of
exaggerations throughout the district, and during the after-
noon hundreds of persons congregated around the scene of
the disaster, and would not believe but that there were
human beings as well as horses buried in the ruins, but
which we are happy to state is not the fact.
A question will arise as to who is responsible for the lose
sustained, the Midland Company, the building contractor, or
Mr. Winn, the contractor for the earthworks. In the first
place the arches were known to be cracked months ago, when
Mr. Win, Jay, the contractor, occupied them as stabling ;
secondly, whether the building contractor had any right to
commence the work of demolition without giving notice and
seeing that the horses of the earthworks contractor were re -
moved—or whether he had any business to move them at all,
it being stated to be usual, unless specially agreed to the
contrary, that all obstructions in excavating become the pro-
perty of the excavating contractor. The average depth of
the excavation for the dock, which is to be supplied with
water from tho Regent's Canal, was 30 feet. From 70,000
• to 80,000 cubic yards of earth had been dug out, and there
is about a similar quantity to be removed—so that this per-
' tien of the work may be said to be half finished.
of

ANOTHER NEW STREET IN SOUTRWARK.—A
new street, extending from Crucifix-lane, Bermond-
sey-street, to the east end of St. Thomas-street, High-street,
Southwark, is in the cortrso of formation. The northern side
of the street is bounded by the wall that encloses the termi-
nus at London-bridge and the new south line of the London,
Brighton and South Coast Railway. Traffic to the Lower-
road, Deptford, and places to which it leads, by taking the
new route, will avoid the overcrowded thoroughfares of
Tooley-street and Dockhead, as the street will pass along
Crucifix. lane, pass St. John's Church, Horselydown, into
FrLeschool 'street, and thence to the Lower-road. Oue-half
of the main sewer has been constructed, the pavement of the
carriage and footways laid down, and the side arches con-
structed. The works of the remainder are far advanced, and
it i
is expected that the street will be opened early in March.