The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-13 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Her Majesty's ship Hecate, Capt. Richards, in basin at
Woolwich, is ordered to be paid out of commission on Mon-
day next.
In order to facilitate the entry of boys for her Majesty's
naval service, the number now required being 50 per week,
an Admiralty order was yesterday issued at Woolwich ex-
tending the term for admission from 141 to 16 years of age,
instead of from 14 to 15, as heretofore. The order specifies
that all boys must be well grown, of perfectly sound and
healthy constitution, and that those who can read and
write will be preferred. The consent of their parents or
nearest relatives must be given in writing, and the boy him-
self must be willing and desirous to enter.
The Bustler steam vessel, employed in harbour service,
was yesterday taken into the inner basin a; Woolwich to
undergo repairs and to be supplied with new boilers.
By the promotion of Capt. the Hon. James R.Drummond,
C. 8., one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to
the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue, consequent on the
promotion of Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, K.C.8., to be
Admiral of the Fleet, a vacancy occurs among the naval
Aides-de-Camp to the Queen.
Yesterday the War Department transport Marlborough
sailed from the Ordnance-wharf, Chatham, for Woolwich,
with the slides which had been originally intended for the
guns of the iron frigate Achil!es, the Lords of the Ad-
miralty having decided on fitting that vessel with a diffe-
rent description of armament from that originally intended.
The Achilles is pierced to carry 46 guns on her main deck,
and four guns on her upper deck, although it is probable
her armament will not exceed 32 guns, but these will be
of the heaviest possible calibre.
The workmen connected with the works' department at
Chatham Dockyard are busily occupied in pile driving and
making the necessary preparations for the construction of
a dam at the entrance to No. 2 basin to facilitate the ope-
ration of fixing in its place the new iron caisson which
is being prepared for fitting at the entrance to the dock.
As soon as the caisson has been fixed the keel of Mr.
Reed's new frigate Bellerophon will be laid down in the
dock, which is the same as that in which the iron
frigate Achilles was built, The heavy forgings for the
Bellerophon have been for some time in hand in the
smithy, and large quantities of plate and angle iron have
been received at the dockyard, so that no delay whatever
is expected to take place in the commencement of the new
iron frigate when the dock is ready. The Bellerophon, it
is believed, will be afloat in a little more than a year after
being commenced.
A fatal accident occurred on Monday on board the paddle
wheel steam sloop Spiteful, in basin at Woolwich, The
ship is in course of being prepared for recommission, and is
under orders to be cleared of her machinery and boilers for
that purpose. One of the boilers was being hoisted up by
the steam power attached to the sheer logs when the back
guy chain suddenly snapped, and carried with it the whole
of the apparatus, which was twisted and broken from its
solid cast iron socket, and fell over across the ship's berth-
ing. The load, weighing 29 tons, had just made its appear-
ance above the hold, and was swinging about one foot clear
of the deck, when the chain gave way. The unfortunate
men were in the act of steadying and bearing off the boiler
with handspikes as it rose from the ship's hold, and were
crushed in its fall. Wm. Johnson, leading man of labourers,
Patrick Hcely, and Richard Adams were killed on the spot,
and Edward Reid and Cornelius Regan were severely and
dangerously injured, the one having sustained a fracture of
the skull, the other a comminuted fracture of the legs ; and
a sixth, Wm. Price, is less severely injured. The staff sur-
geons of the yard, Drs. Jameson and Broster, promptly at-
tended, and the injured men were ultimately conveyed to
the Royal Marine Infirmary. The bodies were transferred
to the dead house to await the coroner's inquiry, which is
appointed to take place at 9 o'clock this morning,at the Free-
mason's Tavern,Woolwich. The sheer legs were broken into
six pieces with the force of the fall, and the deck timbers and
other portions of the ship, which had undergone a thorough
sounding, and had been pronounced in excellent condition,
are much damaged. The sheer legs were made at
Woolwich, in May, 1860. The extreme height from
the base was 22 feet. The remainder of the chain was
tested yesterday by the hydraulic apparatus in
the dockyard, and withstood a strain of 50 tons. This con-
firms the supposition that the broken link had been damaged
by the late frost.
The following appointments were made on Saturday at
the Admiralty :—Commander William Chimmo to the Fis-
pad ; Commander Francis A. Hume to the Duncan ; Lieut.
Arthur 11. G. Richardson to be Flag Lieut. to Rear-Ad-
miral Sir James Hope, K.C.8.; Thomas J. Giles, assist.-
paymaster, to the Victory, as secretary's clerks Albert
Warren, assist.-paymaster, to the Majestic ; Arthur M.
Wade, assist-paymaster, to the Asia; Robert G. Gordon,
clerk, to the Aurora; E. 0. Crichton, chief engineer, to
the Duncan; George Mills, engineer, to the Asia, for the
Albacore; Edward Brown, engineer, to the Duncan;
Robert Highet, supernumerary in the Asia, promoted to
first-class assist.-engineer; Henry W. Thompson, William
Maellar, and W. G. F. Colley, assist.-engineers, to the
Duncan.

The following appointments were made yesterday at the
Admiralty :—Capt. G, W. Preedy, C. 8., to the Hector;
Capt. G. 0. Willes, C. 8., to the Prince Consort; Com-
mander T. Barnardiston, and Commander G. L. Sulivan
to be Inspecting Commanders in the Coast Guard ; Com-
mander Frank T. Thompson to the Hector; Commander
William A. Smyth to the Prince Consort; Staff-Com-
mander Charles H. Dillon to the Victory; John F. Loney,
acting master attendant of Honkgong Yard ; William
Blackney, paymaster, to the Sutlej, additional for surveying
duties ; Stephen Bowden, surg., to the Prince Consort ;
William Hoggan, surg., to the Hector; Arthur Adams,
surg., to the Majestic; Matthew Trenan, acting assist.-
surg., to the Prince Consort; and James D. Smith, acting
assist.-surg., to the Hector.