The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-27 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will
arrive in Chatham this morning for the purpose of
commencing their annual inspection of the dock-
yard, the vessels of war, and the naval establish-
ment at the port.
The first supply of the eight-inch rolled armour-
plates for the ironclad frigate Bellerophon has been
received at Chatham Dockyard from the establish-
ment of Messrs. Cammell and Co., of the Cyclops
Ironworks, Sheffield, the firm which has undertaken
to prepare the whole of the plates of the above de-
scription required by the Admiralty. The eight-inch
plates are intended to cover the reconnoitring tower
which is now being erected on the fighting deck of
the Bellerophon, slightly abaft of the mainmast.
This tower, the iron framework of which was con-
structed in the dockyard, and afterwards removed and
fitted on the upper deck of the frigate, is very mas-
sive, and far surpasses in strength and capacity any of
the reconnoitring towers hitherto constructed. It is
elliptical and of sufficient size to allow several persons
to stand within it during action. The inner portion
of the tower is formed of the same prate-iron as was
used in the construction of the Bellerophon, riveted
to the ordinary iron framing. Attached to the
framing will be the timber backing, to which will
be bolted the armour-plates, which latter will be of
a thickness of eight inches on the port and star-
board sides of the tower, where the chances of shot
striking are the greatest, and six inches in thickness
on the fore and aft sides of the tower. The entrance
to the tower will be from the gun-deck, and com-
munication will be carried on from the tower to the
engine-room and steersmen by means of the electric
telegraph, the upper deck during action being en-
tirely clear, and the whole of the officers and crew
within the protection of the gun battery.
Rear-Admiral Edward Fanshawe, Gunnery Lord
of the Board of Admiralty ; Mr. E. J. Reed, Chief
Constructor of the Royal Navy ; Capt. Astley C.
Key, C. 8., and Lieut. Charles D. Saunders, cap-
tain and first-lieutenant of her Majesty's gunnery-
ship Excellent, at Portsmouth, yesterday attended
at Woolwich, by previous appointment, and in-
spected the working of Commander Scott's new iron
gun-carriage intended for heavy armament at sea.
They were met in the dockyard and accompanied
in the inspection by Commodore-Superintendent
Hugh Duncombe, C. 8., Capt. Connolly, appointed
to the Fisgard, for command of the Pallas ; Com-
mander George Towsey, Commander Biddlecombe,
Master-Attendant ; Commander Lake, Comman-
der Scott, Mr. Trickett, who superintended the con-
struction of the carriage in Woolwich factory, Mr.
Turner and Mr. Henwood, master-shipwrights, and
other officers of the yard. The carriage was mounted
with one of Mr. Anderson's 12k-ton guns (smooth-
bore), placed in front of a wooden section of a ship's
broadside, in order to illustrate the working of the
carriage in various manoeuvres as at sea. After
pointing out the principle on which the carriage
is constructed (which, it is stated, is adapted for
the fighting- deck of the armour- clad ram Pallas,
in course of completion at Woolwich), Com-
mander Scott gave the word for training and run-
ning out the gun for action. This was done by the
simple working of the machinery in the hands of four
men only, instead of hauling at the blocks and tackle
as formerly by 10 or 12 men. The compressor was
worked by a single man, and the transporting gear
by two. By this means the gun can be removed to
any part of the deck required with extraordinary
facility. The running-out gear is worked by an
endless chain, and the elevation and depression of
the gun was carried out with ease by a single man.
The committee, who spent a considerable time in
the inspection of the new gun-carriage, appeared
perfectly satisfied with the result.
Her Majesty's paddle steam storeship Dee, Master
Commander Raymond, laden with engines and
boilers for the Mermaid, building at Cowes, ma-
chinery for the Amazon, and stores for the western
yards, sailed yesterday from Woolwich.
The Lords of the Admiralty have issued instruc-
tions for a second trial of the breech-loading carbine
on Terry's patent, to be made on board her Majesty's
ship Excellent, at Portsmouth, under the supervision
of Captain Astley C. Key, C. 8., with a view to its
further adoption in the army and navy, the 18th
Hussars, Cape Mounted Rifles, and other regiments
being already supplied with this weapon. The
first trial of the carbine took place on board the
Excellent in 1853, when 1,800 rounds were fired
from it without cleaning, and its efficiency appeared,
by the official reports, to have been fully proved by
the result of the trials.
The Royal Sovereign, 5, turret ship, Capt. F. A.
[lerbert, has been directed by the Admiralty to re-
main for a short time after the departure of the
French squadron in Plymouth Sound to enable the
seamen gunners of the gunnery ship Cambridge to
become acquainted by a course of drill with the
principle of working guns of exceptional weight in
turrets. We understand that on the Royal Sove-
reign leaving Spithead for Plymouth Sound to meet
the French ironclad squadron, Capt. C. P. Coles
requested permission from the Admiralty to accom-
pany the ship on her cruise, but that the request
was refused, on the ground that the ship was not
proceeding on a cruise in the Channel or to Cher-
bourg, but was merely going as far as Plymouth
Sound and back thence direct to Spithead. This
appears to have been the answer of some subordi-
nate, as no member of the Board would be likely to
have framed such an absurd reply to so reasonable
a request.
The Helicon, paddle, new despatch vessel, 837
tons, 250-horse power, is in the Warrior dock at
Portsmouth, having a metal facing on her stern,
preparatory to her trial of speed over the measured
mile in Stokes Bay. To inquiries made yesterday
from the Admiralty as to the time when the Helicon
will be committed and ready for trial the dockyard
authorities were unable to return a positively defi-
nite reply. The metal facing for the vessel's stern
will weigh about 11cwt. It measures eight inches
in breadth, where it clasps the stem with its inner-
most part and tapers of to about 1 inches at its
apex, where it will cut the water.
The new description of boom constructed at
Chathani Dockyard, under the direction of the
Floating Obstruction Committee appointed by the
Admiralty, has been removed to the entrance of the
harbour, where it, is moored in readiness for the
trials to be made with it in the presence of Vice-
Admiral Sir C. Talbot, K.C.8., Naval Commander-
in-Chief, and under the superintendence of the
members of the committee. The paddlewheel steam
frigate Gladiator, 6, 430 horse-power, Capt. E. D.
Aplin, has been specially appointed by the Admi-
ralty to be used in the trials to be made against the
boo

The iron-cased cupola ship Royal Sovereign, 5,
Capt. F. A. Herbert, left Plymouth Sound yester-
day morning for the eastward.
The squadron of the 17th Lancers hitherto sta-
tioned at Ipswich has been removed to Colchester.
Lieut. Smyth, of the 63d Regiment, Ensign Burnell,
of the '97th Regiment, two sergeants, two corporals,
and six privates from the 4th and Bth Depot Batta-
lions, are ordered to proceed to the Hythe School of
Musketry to-day, for the purpose of undergoing a
course of instruction. Lieut. Whyte, of the 2d Bat-
taliJn 6th Regiment, is ordered to join the depot of
his corps; and Lieut. Skey, of the 38th Regiment,
is to remain with the depot until further orders.
Three sergeants, one drummer, and 25 privates of
the depot of the 41st Regiment have left Colchester
for Dublin, to join the service companies of the
corps ordered to India. Capt. Boyce, Lieut. Leason,
Lieut. Walker, Ensign Cowslade, one sergeant, and
86 rank and file of the 34th Regiment have left
Colchester to embark for Calcutta, to join the ser-
vice companies of their corps. A draught of the
art. Iv Evans,
fors, o t
th 82d Regiment, consisting of Ensign Collum, 3 ser-
geants, 3 drummers, and 20 rank and file, has left
Colchester,
78 ot
hs e T
to
ef g
iment embarkinghas
beenfor II
in,idtiha
...
Capt. ethpeu
drawn from the draught -of his
corps,'
under orders
for India, at the recommendation of the Army Me-
dical Board. Capt. Hassell, Capt. Maxwell, Ensign
Stanton, and 30 rank and file Ist Battalion Ist Regi-
ment; Ensign Price, 3 sergeants, 1 private, and a
number of women and children of the 103 d
Regi-
ment;
and 4 rank and file and some women and
children of the 16th Lancers, will leave Colchester
on Saturday for embarkation to India.
The following engineers and assistant-engineers,

belonging to the Sheerness:Steam Reserve, have re-
ceived second-class certificates of efficiency for having
successfully passed the half-yearly examination
from a series of questions prepared by the Rev. Dr.
Woolley, LL.D., one of her Majesty's inspectors of
schools, recently held in Sheerness Dockyard :
Xilliam Dark, engineer, to her Majesty's ship Fear-
less ; William Ross, engineer, to her Majesty's ship
Icarus ; RichArde E. Taplin, engineer, to her Ma-
jesty's ship Pigeon ; S. J. Bird, first-class assist.-
engineer, to her Majesty's ship Collingwood ; George
Sullivan, first-class assist.-engineer, to her Majesty's
ship Bellerophon; J. Bell, first-class assist.-engineer,
to her Majesty's ship Orestes ; 0. T. V. Forster,
first-class assist.-engineer, to her Majesty's ship
Cumberland ; James Mutter, first-class assist.-en-
gineer, to her Majesty's ship Thrasher; James J.
Conway, first-class assist.-engineer, to her Majesty's
ship Cumberland ; and J. W. Dupen, second-class
assist.-engineer, to her Majesty's ship Adder. There
were-. 31 candidates for examination.

The following naval engineer students yesterday
received their examination tickets at Woolwich from
Dr. Woodley, by order of the Board of Admiralty :
—Mr. J. T. Trickett, Mr. J. WGarahan, Mr.
Robert Madge, Mr. William Minn, Mr, William
Giles, Mr. Peter Baldwin, Mr. Thomas Parker, Mr
John Mather, Mr. William Hardee, Mr. William
Nicholson, Mr. William Stewart, Mr. Thomas Hat-
ton, Mr. Joseph Jefferies, and Mr. William Harris.
The examinations were conducted with great se-
crecy. The questions were transmitted to each can-
didate under a sealed cover, and the answers were
returned to Dr. Woodley in a like manner.
The following apppoihtments have been made in
the Royal Naval Reserve;-To be Lieut., William
Gardiner ; to be Honorary Lieut., James Seward
Field.

SUMMER ASSIZES.

HOME CIRCUIT.—MAIDSTONE, July 26.
(Before Mr. Baron Pigott.)
THE :STAPLEHURST TRAM:7.-11011r, Bongo, a man
having the appearance of a labourer, and Joseph Gallimore,
the former of whom was in custody, and the latter surren-
dered to take his trial, were charged upon a number of
coroner's inquisitions with the manslaughter of divers per-
sons at Staplehurst, on the 9th of June last.
The grand jury ignored the bill that had been preferred
against the prisoner Gallimore, but returned a true bill
against Benge.
Both prisoners wore arraigned for the manslaughter of
Hannah Cunliffe.
Serjeant Ballantine was specially retained (with Mr.
Poland) to conduct the prosecution on behalf of the South-
Eastern Company ; Mr. Ribton defended Benge.
Serjeant Ballantine, in opening the case for the prosecu-
tion, said that the two prisoners were charged with having
by negligence caused the death of a number of persons
who were travelling upon the South-Eastern Railway, on
the 6th of June last ; but as the grand jury had ignored
the bill that had been presented to them against the pri-
soner Gallimore, and he considered that they had exercised
a very sound discretion in doing so, he did not propose to
offetrany evidence against that prisoner, and the attention
of the jury would be directed solely to the question whe-
ther the offence was established against the other man,
Bongo. The case was undoubtedly one of a most painful
character, but he was quite sure that the jury would not
entertain any prejudice that must almost naturally be
created by such a terrible accident as the one that was
the subject of inquiry, and by which so many people lost
their live; and that they would come to a conclusion
upon the evidence that would be brought before them
as to whether the prisoner Bongo was guilty of the offence
that was imputed .to him. It appeared that he was in
the service of the company, and that on the day in ques-
tion he was engaged in superintending some repairs at
Staplehurst, and that ho had directed the removal of some of
the rails, and while the line was in this imperfect condition
the express 'train from Folkestone came up, and in conse-
quence of the state of the line the train toppled over a
bridge into a brook beneath, and a large number of persons
were serious injured, and eight or nine lost their lives.
It was not necessary for him to say that, upon such an ac-
cident occurring, it became the duty of the company to in-
stitute the most rigid inquiry as to the cause of it, and the
result they arrived at was that the melancholy occurrence
was entirely to be attributed to the neglect of the prisoner
Benge. The case, notwithstanding its very serious cha-
racter, appeared to him to be in reality a very simple one.
They were all aware that there were upon the South Eastern
Railway certain trains every day that were called tidal
trains, and the time at which they started from Folkestone
depended upon the tide and the time of the arrival of the
boat, and the time was changed almost every day. It was
obviods under these circumstances that it was the duty of
every person connected with the railway, or who had any-
thing to do with the repairs of the line, to take care that
there should be no such obstruction or impediment at any
period when a train was expected to come up, and to make
himself perfectly well acquainted with the hours at which
a train might be expected. With this object a variety of
rules had been framed by the company, giving the fullest
information as to the arrival of the trains ; and it appeared
to him that these rules and regulations were amply suffi-
cient for the purpose of preventing any accident, and that
it was entirely owing to the prisoner having neglected to
conform to these regulations that this melancholy accident
had taken place, and if he should establish this fact to their
satisfaction it would be their duty to convict the prisoner
.of the offence of which he was accused. It appeared that
on the day in question the tidal train left Folkestone about
half-past 2 o'clock, and was due at Headcorn, which was
the previous station to Staplehurst, at 3.15 p.m., and it was
due at the spot where the accident happened at 3.19 ; and
it seemed that at this period, owing to the state of the tide,
the hours would be the same on the Bth and 9th of June for
the arrival of the train, but on the following day the train
would not have arrived until 5.20 p.m. A book containing
the hours of the starting and arrival of the trains was given
to every person who had anything to do with the working
of the line, in which not only the days of tho month but
the days of the week were distinctly stated. This book
was given to the prisoner Benge, and it was found in his
possession when he was apprehended ; and he believed
there would be no doubt that the accident arose from the
prisoner having carelessly looked at this book, and seeing
that the tidal train had passed on the previous day at 3.15,
he had looked to the following column without looking
at the date or day of the month, and imagined that the
train would not arrive until 5.20, and, acting upon this
impression, he ordered the work to be commenced, and so
caused the melancholy accident. The learned sergeant then
read the rule to which ho had referred, and said that, as an
additional precaution for the safety of the public, this rule
directed that before any of the rails were removed, or the
line rendered unsafe, it was the duty of the person engaged
in such a work to send a man up the line with a signal
to a distance of 1,000 yard; and that he should also place
fog or detonating signals, as they were termed, on the way,
at every interval of 250 yards. These were probably all
the precautions that could possibly be taken for the pre-
vention of accident, and he should show that the prisoner
had neglected to comply with any of them. He did not
think that the slightest doubt would arise as to the cause of
the accident or manner in which it occurred, and also that
it arose from the prisoner having mistaken the hour at
which the tidal train would arrive, and that he expected it
would not arrive until 5.20. He thought it was due to the
prisoner to state that he did not appear to have made any
attempt at concealment, and that he expressed the utmost
sorrow for the accident ; but when the number of lives that
might be endangered by neglect of this kind was taken into
consideration, axed the terrible consequences that must neces-
sarily occur from any neglect of duty on the part of persons
connected with a railway, he was sure the jury would not
allow any feelings of sympathy to operate upon their judg-
ment, and that if they believed that the prisoner was proved
to have neglected those precautions which the rules re-
quired him to exercise, they would perform their duty to
the public by returning a verdict of guilty.
A number of witnesses were then examined for the prose-
cution, and their evidence in the main supported the case as
it had been stated by the learned counsel for the prosecu-
tion. A man named Will; who was employed as a signal-
man, stated that he went with a signal up the line to a dis-
tance of 550 yards for the purpose of stopping
an approach-
ing train; but in cross-examination he said that he didnot
do this by the order of the prisoner Benge, but on his own
account, and he also stated that, in his opinion, if the per-
sons in charge of the train had paid attention to his signal,
or had seen it, they might have stopped the train before it
arrived at the spot where the accident happened. It also
appeared that although the prisoner Benge was a sort of
superior officer in the, operation that was going on,
ho was
only paid a guinea a-week, while those to whom he gave
the orders were paid 30s. per week. A, man named Crombie,
who was engaged as the driver of the engine of the tidal
train, but who had been discharged since the accident, ad-
mitted that he saw the danger-signal, but said that it was
not more than 150 yards from the spot where the accident
happened ; and although he immediately gave a signal
to put on the brakes, it was impossible to bring.
the train to a stand-still at that short distance. It was
also elicited that when the train passed the Headcorn sta-
tion the all-right signal was displayed, and they passed
that station at the rate of 40 or 50 miles an hour, but it

appeared that even at that pace if a signal had been given
at a distance of 1,000 yards from the bridge the train might
have been stopped, and the accident prevented. It also
appeared that when the prisoner was asked by Mr. Eborall,
the manager of the railway, how the accident happened he
replied, " Why, to tell you the truth, sir, I mistook thetime
and looked at the Saturday train instead of the Friday."
The book referred to in the opening by Sergeant Ballantine
was found in his pocket. Evidence was also given that the
of repairing
prisoner had been formerly employed as a signalman, and
engaged
engineer in re
that he was well aware that it was his duty to have sent a
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man with a danger signal a distance of 1,000 yards at any •
time
r. when he wasAshcroft, the
he had 1
size, said line.
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