Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-19
United States Army.-we take the following

| To man this fleet would require Is captains !;
commanders, rs; leutenants Isl masters, pass
ed midshpmen, and mdshipmen, 746. For other
stations, which are established by law: captains
! IS; commanders, 81 lieutenanis, 81 This would
be total of officers required for active duty, with
out reliefs. Of captains 81 commanders, 46; lieu
tenants, 1886; masters, passed midshpmen, and
| midshipmen, TAG. The following recap ulaton
shows the overplus and the deficiencies required
| to officer this fleet and shore stations, having all
1 in active employment.
| Required captains, 81 commanders, 40; lieu
tenants, 1886; masters, passed midshipmen, and
/ midshpmen, TAG; on the register, 3l9. Now on
the Navy Register captains, 6S; commanders,
81; heutenants, 327; overplus in captains, II; in
commanders, 81 deficiency in lieuenants, s !;
deficiency in other grades, 427-total of officers
| deficient, 435.
| There are now employed and unemployed the
following ships and vessels, effective and delec-
| tive:
Line-of-battle ships employed-out OF IL, none
| frlgates out OF employment, 10 there are EN-
| ployed of q sloops-ofwar, Is employed out OF
steamships and small vessels, (29) there are 20
employed-total employed, so vessels. vi these
| fifty vessels must be reckoned useless, on account
OF being too small for cruisers, 12eaving 3Sefiec
tive vessels for protecting commerce.
II must be noted that, out of the rs captains, not
one oftten born in this century. Ofthe list Of
/ 81 commanders, so of them were not born in this
century-making 1l2 officers over half century
old. Besides, il must be remarked that, OF this
number IS have been over forty years in the navy,
and employed in all the wars in which the country
has been engaged. The youngest captain on this
list cannot be less than Sc years old the eldest is
known TO. be bordering on So The eldest COM
| mander is Sc the youngest not less than 40 years
| of age. The eldest captain entered the navy in
the last century, and has been in it SIS years. the
! youngest captain has been in it Al years. The
! eldest commander has been in the navy Al years /;
| the youngest 81 years. To reach the foot of this
list of captains, requires Al years and, under the
/ ,l.t.c va
arrived at the age Of SIS before he is entitled TO
command frigate.
Important Arrest at Dayton, Ohio.--Severa
days since gentleman named Holman had
trunk, carpet bag and valse filed with valuable
clothing, stolen from him at the railway depot in
| Dayton. The police of that city, in connection
18th those of our city, have since the robbery
been strenuously employed in ferreting out the
guilty parties. On last Friday morning, conductor
| Thompson observed woman, named Emily Sand
ford, get the cars with carpet bag, and on her
person dress shawl and bonnet, all of which
| correspondent with the description OF part OF the
| property stolen. Her conduct on the way down
from Dayton confirmed Mr. Us suspicious that
| she was knowing to the robbery. AT the depot
he called officer Lamus and Lieut. Phillips, and
had her arrested. The officers questioned her
| closely, and she soon told them that her husband
1 and other persons stole the property and brought
| it 10 her house. She gave information of the
whereabouts Of Mr. s., and that she was to meet
him at Spring Valley on Sunday afternoon.
/ Marshal Hitchcock, ofDayton, was telegraphed,
1 and coming down on Saturday night, the whole
1 party left for Spring Valley yesterday evening.
Arriving at the place above named, Mrs. Sandlord
got off the cars and preceded the police who were
| in disguise. Her husband, James Sanford, met
her, and both were leaving for the hotel when the
officers arrested them. Sanford, upon being in
terrogated confessed his guilt, and told where all
the goods were. The two then gave the officers
a history Of where much stolen property could be
found when and by whom stolen, which, if their
statements prove true, will lead 10 some lnipor-
tant developments. Mr.. and Mrs. Sandford were
brought 10 the city this morning and lodged in the
station house. They will be taken TO Dayton for
4 examination this afternoon.
Personal.--A Florence correspondent of the
/ Newark DAILY Advertiser, dating Goth ult, keeps
the run" Of Americans, just now in Italy, thus !:
| Elk President Van Buren, and son have been Joined
here by ex-Attorney General Gilpin and lady, and
| Mr.. G. Kemble. Mrs. Trotter, who resides here
1 with her son, has invited them and some OF our
countrymen TO dinner! She processes to regret
the publication Of her villianous book Of travels,
and seems disposed to conciliate American feel
/ ing. Our institutions and countrymcn have sin
cere, approaching friends in the Brownngs,
Robert and Elizabeth BarrettD who have just re-
turned from summer sojourn at the baths OF
| Lucca, accompanied by Mr.. and Mrs. Story, OF
Boston. Powers the sculptor, has Just received
| from Washington unsought commission as
agent Oh the sotdtCo a.
He is constrained to decline it, since the duties OF
the appointment wholly foreign TO his probes
sional pursuits. much more appropriate com
i pliment has been conferred upon him in London,
by the European Association for the encourage.
i ment of Arts and Industry" which has ELECTED
him one of its honorary vice presidents, learn, by
highly complimentary letter from Lord Belle.
Among our numerous American visitors l notice,
besides those already mentioned, Hon. John A.
i Rockwell Of Connecticut, and Mr. S. Abbot Law
| aft Raw Mr. Prime of the New
York Observer, left this morning for Rome, Ell
route for the Nile accompanied by two young
gentlemen from Newark, and one from New Ha-
| ven They hope to be able TO make the tour OF
Syria and Constantinople.
English Improvements--Railw Breaks
The succession Of frghtfu accidents on English
railways has occasioned much attention 10 the
discovery of some means to prevent their frequent
occurrence; and on Saturday last, trialwas made
of Newalls new patent railway break on the East
| Lincolnshire railway, between Manchester and
Accrington The chief features ofihe patent is a
long shaft which passes over the top of the entire
train, from the engine in front to the van at the
/ rear and is connected with each separate break,
so that it is in the power OF any of the railway
servants in charge of the train, from the driver
himsefto the guard behind, to apply the whole OF
the breaks with which train may be furnished,
at once, and in instant. The difference OF
height on the carriages, if the train be curved,
elongated or contracted points all provided for.
If the coupling chains or side chains break, and
the carriages separate, the slide OF the shaft at the
top being drawn out of the socket would itself
apply the breaks. The connexion between the
shaft at the top Of the train and the breaks is eff
fected by an upright cylinder at the end of car
riage or van, which contains spiral spring, acting
on crosspin and worked by wheel and pnon
at the top, between double racks, with connecting
links to act on the lever. The object of having
two upright racks, one only being used at time,
is to enable the motion Of the carriage to be re-
versed. This is effected by an eccentric throwing
one rack out and the other in gear. The breaks
are all seEacting The trial ships were eminenty
successful At speed of twenty miles an hour,
in drzzling RAIN slippery rails, the train was
stopped in eighty yards. run down an incline,
one in thrty-seven and one in fortynne, at thirty
Ave miles an hour, which previously il was never
dared to attempt over ten or fifteen miles hour,
and the train stopped by the breaks in two
hundred and twenty-eght yards Upon gradi-
ent Of one in forty-eight, at speed of forty miles
an hour, the breaks were suddenly applied and
the train brought to standstill in three hundred
and eighty yards, It is calculated that with inn
| ,,b Laat, ptal nr1i