Trials Of Pontoons.
The Times, 1824-09-25T00:00:00

Thursday, the 9th instant, a rommite of oicers otf tse lRoyal Artillery and Engineers (consisting of General Cup tge, P. A. President; General Ililler, ILA. ;. Sir A, Fr r, 4 tolonel Williamson, It. A, . Sir J. C. Smyth, R. B.: Sir-tWM -Ite, R.E- and Maior Jones. R.. E.) asserhbled at 01tatham; kfly to the instrucetons of hti Gyrac the hTater-(wGen.ral q thBianatice, to repert upon the efficiency and relative ers.X th. poatoorzs of Lieutenant-Colonel Pasley, R. E., and t&orLkuWeliit.coionel Sir J. T oll=ton, of the Roval Staffsco*ps. The attentions of the Comssittpe was first dtrettet fa tae pontoons Invented by Lieutenant- colonel Posley which at twelvtrsfock pro- ceeded frem the gun-wharf, at Chatham, up the tiver towards Rochester. After showinS with what faclity the rafte noved and roved, the ordser VaS given to form a bridge, which was efsected rapidly; and a twelve ponnder (which, with its carriage, had previ- ously been embarked on board one of the rafts, with ita sirafta on anm other) was dragsed .tlong it with perfect Security. The bridge was then dismantled, and in less than a quarter ofan hour the rafts were again under weigh, proceeding towaeds Rochester.bsdge. Arrived, at about thirty yards below the starlingss the. ~ontoon-bridge was again formad and exposed for two hours tothe action of the ebbftide, whilch, thlomAs it runs withl extraordinary force at this point of the river, the bndge withstood in the most sathsfactory mwanner.. The pontoons, or buoy rafte, invented by Sir J. Colleton, bad in the meantime advanced along the left bank of the Mledwtay, ansl the attention of the Committee was directed to these rafts, as they moored in a similar situation on the Strood side. UOne of these rafts had carried up with it an iron tselve-pounder. They also were submitted for a similar length of tinle to the violence of the ekb tide, which they appeared most efrectiallY to resist. At half-past four, his Royal Highness the Dake of Clarence ar. rived in the state barge of the flag ship on the station, attended by Vice-Admiral Moorsom, and ether naval offlcers. Having inspected the rafts of each invento,, his Royal Highness witnessed the pro- cess of dismantling, which was executed with a degree of rapi- dity and precision thlat caUed forth his Royal Highness's eatire alpprobation. On the return of the party to Chatham, LIeutenant Colonel Pasley's rafts were landled and completely dismaratled and again formed and launchled. We noticed that the operations did not occupy more than 20 minutes. Rochester-bridge and the shores of the Dedway werelined through. Out the day with multitudes of persons, anxiously iiewing the nro- gress of this interesting spectacle. In tihe evening, his Royal High- ness honoured the mess of the Royal F,ngineers with his presence. About 40 persons sat aown to dinner, among whom were noticed Sir H. Torrens, Admiral Lord Torrington, the Commissioner of the Dock-yard, Lieut..General Sir H. AonItresor, and other distinguished charact&rs. who had witnersed the proceedings of the day, Sir Ulsses Burgh, Sir H. Hardiige, Sir . Jackser, Royal St sCorps, and several others, having previously returneil to town. On the following morning the operations ef the canoe rafts, or pontoons. of I.ieur.-Colone.l asley, wrere renewed, with the view of showing the facility with which each single raft can transport a large number of men, and the degree of tecurityj as weU as facility, with which it can transport and land heavy guns. WVe observed that a 24-pounder, with its carriage, was landed and re-embarked in less than 20 rninutes. A comparative trial was next made with the buoy rafts of Sir J. Colletort, on one of which a 24-pounder was lowered. The pontoon-carriage, with its stores, &c., complete, of each in- ventor, was then submitted to the inspection of the Comnmittee. At the termination of these proceedings, two kindoof scalinglad- ders, constructed by i,ieutenant-Colonel Paslcy, were exhibited to the members of the Committee. We have not yet heard whatlis the decision of the Committee vwith regard to the relative merits of the rival systems of pontoons. and it would be indelicate in us, under these circumstances, to offer any opinion of otrr own but we may be permitted to srty, that for the zeal displayed in the prosecetion of an object of suck vast import- ance to the efficiency of an army in the field, the militar werld is deeply indebted to both officers. The ingenuity of eac; invention | must at once be admitted, but it was manifest to those engaged in watching the proceedings, thatthe twodid notenter the field in terms precisely similar. While Sir J. Colleton's was simply exhibited, without pretension either to system or arrangement ini detail, that ef Licutenant-fColonel Pasley was shown complete in all its parts, and reduced to a system which may be considered as hating almost at- tained its utmost limit of perfection. The skiU with rthich the dif- ferent operations were conducted, and the deRree of intelligence and zeal displayed by the Royal Sappers and Miliners etnployed on the occasion, were throughout conspicuous, and reflect no le credit on the individuals themselves, than on the exertions of Lieutenant. Co.onel Pasley, their able and zealous in2tructor..Eveningpaper. , - . L. . -, 2IRMS op