The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-29 00:00:00

New Music,

•' THE FIREMAN." Addison and Lucas, Regent-

street.

" The Fireman" is a very capital characteristic
song. The words are by C. H. Randolph, Esq.,
and the music by F. Osborne Williams. It is in
the key of F, the accompaniment is highly effective,
and altogether there is a spirit and dash about the
composition perfectly exhilarating. The song is
certain to become a favourite during the ensuing
musical season. It is specially dedicated to Capt.
Hodges, whose exertions for the preservation of the
property of others, at his own expense, entitles him
to the highest praise; in addition to which, the pro-
ceeds of the sale of the song are to be devoted to a
very benevolent object.

The Gun Question.

-0- -

On Thursday the committee met at Woolwich to
test the endurance of the three 12-pounder guns
which had stood the 3,000 rounds with regular
charges. _ _ _

The guns were fired-with an " air space," which
is the severest trial to which they could be subjected.
For some of the rounds the shot was jammed into
the barrel with pieces of metal.
The committee met again on Monday to continue
the trial with the following charge :—Double charge
of powder, 6 solid shot instead of one, and 6 inches
of air space between the powder and shot.
The Armstiong breech-loader yielded at the forty-
second round, the steel tube splitting from the
muzzle to the trunnion.

The Armstrong shunt muzzle-loading gun burst
at the sixtieth round, splitting in a similar manncr
to the breech-loader, and bursting the trunnion
hoop.
The Whitworth (muzzle-loader) continued for the
rest of the day, and completed 89 rounds. To all
appearance it looks as serviceable as ever.
This interesting trial will be proceeded with on
Tuesday.

Shipwreck of Scarborough and Loss of

Seven Lives.

On Sunday morning, at an early hour, a fats,
shipwreck occurred at sea, about 15 miles from
Scarborough. All on board, save the master, were
lost—that is to say, five men and two boys. The
circumstances are of a painful interest. The unfor-
tunate vessel was the brig Guardian, of Whitby
(Breckon master), from Shields to Rotterdam, coal
laden. "At about two o'clock on Sunday morn-
ing," says Capt. Breckon, " our vessel was about 15
miles off Scarborough, and while labouring in a heavy
sea and strong weather, she sprung a leak. At the
same time one of the boys was washed overboard
and lost. It was very soon evident we could not
keep the ship, which began to settle down fast. The
boats were cleared, and one of them was launched
and occupied by four men. They made fast by the
ship's stern, waiting to take me in, with another
man and the remaining boy, at the last moment.
As the brig suddenly began to sink, I jumped with
the boy in my arms. I saw the man who jumped
with me reach the boat, but I was drawn down two
or three fathoms into the water by the vortex of the
sinking vessel. I lost hold of the boy, and on com-
ing to the surface I was providentially washed
alongside of, and by the next sea directly into, our
other boat, which had floated clear of the foundered
ship. At a short distance I then observed the boat
in which I had just before seen my crew floating
bottom upwards, with two of the men upon her. I
could render them no aid whatever, and they ap-
peared to be washed off directly. I suppose the
boat had been upset either in the endeavour to get
the man who jumped with me, or from the rope by,
which she was attached to the ship not being let go
in time. This was about five o'clock. I was drifted
to the shore in the boat, through a heavy surf, and
was thus most providentially saved."