The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-01 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Lord Clarence E. Paget, C. 8., accompanied by
Major Andrew Clarke, Royal Engineers, director of
Admiralty Engineering Works, and other officials,
was engaged until late on Tuesday afternoon in the
inspection of the extensive works now in progress at
Chatham for the enlargement of Chatham dockyard,
by the construction of the proposed new basins,
docks, factories, and building slips, preparatory to
the annual statement in Parliament on the intro-
duction of the Navy Estimates. In the early por-
tion of the day Lord Clarence Paget, accompanied
by the principal officials connected with the master-
shipwright's department, and other officers, made
a lengthened inspection of the ironclad frigate Bel-
lerophon, on which a large number of hands are now
employed. The ironclad frigate Lord Warden, in
the adjoining dry dock, also attracted attention, but
the chief interest was centred in the Bellerophon.
After luncheon at the official residence of Capt. W.
H. Stewart, C. 8., in the dockyard, Lord C. Paget
and the other officials proceeded to the eastern ex-
tremi ty of the dockyard, at the point where the exten-
sion works commence, over which they were conducted
by Major Pasley, Royal Engineers, and Mr. Ber-
nays, the superintendent and assistant-superinten-
dent of the undertaking. After making a tour of
the site of the new basins and docks, and ascertain-
ing the leading features and details of the works,
Lord Clarence returned to the dockyard, where he
spent a brief interval in the transaction of some
official business. He left the establishment late in
the afternoon for the Admiralty. In the prepara-
tion of the Navy Estimates for the approaching
year, which, with the exception of a few minor de-
tails, are completed so far as the Chatham establish-
ments are concerned, a considerable sum will be
taken for carrying on the dockyard enlargement
works by means of contracts with large firms, in
accordance with the decision of the Admiralty, and
subsequently approved by the House of Commons.
Under this arrangement a sum of £150,000 will be
required for the year 1866-67 for the contracts pro-
posed to be made during the present year, in addi-
tion to a sum of £40,000 for convict labour, which,
as will be seen, forms but a small proportion of
£1,250,090, the estimated expense of carrying out
the extension scheme in its integrity, this being an
increase of £306,100 on the original estimate, the
increase arising from the determination of the Go-
vernment to employ civil labour to a greater extent
than has hitherto been found practicable.
Her Majesty's screw iron-built troopship Simoom,
1,980 tons, 400-horse power, Capt. T. B. Leth-
bridge, made her official trial of speed, at light
draught of water, over the measured mile in Stokes
Bay, near Portsmouth, yesterday, under the super-
vision of the officials of the Steam Factory and
Reserve Departments of the dockyard. The ship
drew 17ft. forward and 18ft. 10in. aft. She was
complete in rigging aloft, but required her stores
and provisions, coals, officers, and crew, as also
troops to be on board to bring her down to her
deep load-line or sea-going draught of water.
The wind was from S.S.W., on the ship's port
quarter, in running over the course to the west-
ward, and on her starboard bow in running back
to the eastward. The force of the wind was
from 3 to 4, and the water, comparatively
speaking, smooth. Six runs were first made with
hill-boiler power, alternately with and against the
tide, which gave the ship's speed in each run as
11.803, 11.215, 12.203, 10.846, 12.456, 10.434
knots, the mean speed of the ship as worked out
from the six runs being 11.588 knots. The pres-
sure of steam was 201 b., the vacuum 25 inches, the
revolutions of the engines, maximum, 62.5 ; mini-
mum, 51-5. Four runs with half-boiler power gave
11.841, 7.985, 12.080, and 7.860 knots, the ship's
mean speed being 9.986 knots. The steam pres-
sure and vacuum were as in the previous full-power
trials, and the revolutions of engines ranged from
55 to 52-5. The steering wheel of the ship and its
connecting gear from before the mainmast to the
tiller of the rudder aft has been fitted, on the sug-
gestion of Capt. Lethbridge, after the plan of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Poonah's steaming gear, and has, so far, been found
to answer most admirably. Yesterday, with six
men at the wheel with full-boiler power, and five
men with half-boiler power, circles were made as
follows :—At power—Helm got up in 45
sec. to starboard, 52 sec. to port; angle of rudder,
29 deg. to starboard, 27 deg. to port ; turns of
wheel, 2.5 to starboard, 2.5 to port; half-circle
made in 3 min. 2 sec. to starboard, to port 3 min. 1
Sec- ; full circle madein 5 min. 52 sec. to starboard;
to port, 5 min. 56 sec. The revolutions of the en-
gines before the helm was put up were 62.5 ; after-
wards, 61. At half-boiler power—Helm got up in
54 sec. to starboard, 32 sec. to port ; angle of rud-
der, 30 deg. to starboard, 32 deg. to port ; half-
circle made in 3 min. 32 sec. to starboard, 3 min.
15 sec. to port ; full circle made in 6 min. 59 sec.
to starboard, 6 rain. 31 sec. to port. The revolu-
tions of the engines before the helm was put up were
52.5 ; afterwards, 52. The machinery of the Si-
moom is new, having been constructed for her by
the steam factory department of Portsmouth dock-
yard since the period of her last commission. The
engines are of the ordinary two-cylinder pattern,the