The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-05
Departure OF the American Team for
Ireland.

Departure or the American Team for
Ireland.
To-day the representative rifemen, to
whose keeping the honor Of America in the
coming contest for the prize Of skill has been
intrusted, embark for Ireland. They are tried
and trusty men, on whose achievements the
nation they represent may count securely. 1t
is not in the power of man to assure victory,
but whoever knows the men who sail on board
the good ship Chester for the Irish land know
that by no fault of theirs will the issue be
imperilled. Not a man in the team but can
show brilliant record Of craftsmanship and
honors won in contests with the best marks
men of this Continent and Europe. Under
these circumstances it is not to be wondered
at that they leave their native shores with the
confidence of men who go to reap laurels
and are attended by the proud and confident
anticipaions of their friends that victory
will rest upon their standard in the
coming contest So evenly matched
are the contestants that the battle will
be close and keen. Victory must be the
reward of the very highest skill, The slight
est blunder is almost certain to bring defeat
to the party making it. We have not data
sufficiently exact in reference to the compost
ton of the Irish team to enable us to
judge with any degree of certainty what
may be the result of the new trial OF
skill between Ireland and America The
scores made by the competitors for
places on the Irish team prove, however, con-
clusively that there will be no want of danger
Gus opponents. Some of the Irish scores re-
corded equal the phenomenal achievement of
MAJOR Fulton in the international match, and
a long string of competitors have made scores
throwing such brilliant shots as Messrs. Mil
ner and Johnson so far behind that there is a
prospect that these gentlemen may not find
place on the new team. In view of the strong
reserve the Irish have developed it is well
nigh certain that the Americans will elect to
shoot with six men, as did the Irish under
similar circumstances last year. It must be
the policy of the Americans to depend on the
extraordinary skill Of Colonel Bodine and
Major Fulton to insure victory. Probably no
two of the Irish rifemen equal in the brill
fancy of their shooting the two foremost
American marksmen but, en- reUanche there
is greater uniformity of skill among the
dozen or SO of marksmen from whom the
selection of their team must be made.
The average scores of the first eight
men among the Irish competitors seem
to be somewhat higher than our American
records. The difference certainly is very
slight and may be satisfactorily accounted for
by the fact that owing to the desultory way in
which the Irish practice is carried on we cannot
compare the scores made by all the competitors
on any one day with the scores made by the
American team on any Of their practice days
at Creedmoor. In the case Of the Irish rifle
men we are therefore obliged to credit each
man with the highest score made to him in
order to obtain some idea Of the possible re-
suit OF the contest BY this system the Irish
rifemen are made to ap pear at their best and
perhaps more formidable than they will provo
themselves, because it is well known that in
no matches do the individuals composing the
team do their very best work. Some men run
ahead with a remarkably brilliant score, as
happened to Major Fulton in the interna-
tional contest last year, while others will IN
accountably and suddenly drop far below
their usual average. Target shooting de-
ponds so much on the perfectly healthy con-
dition Of the human frame that the slightest
indsposition affects injuriously the riheman's
aim.
The Americans have decided advantage
in the age Of the men who compose their team.
With a single exception they have passed that
period OF lite when the excitement Of con-
test would be likely to render them unsteady
or unreliable, as happens frequently to
younger men. Their chances Of success may
therefore be looked upon as very good, and
the Irish raemen will find in them worthy
opponents. After all, what is most i'm
portant for America is that, whether we
win or lose in the coming contest we must
show that our claim 10 q front place among
the ri1emen Of the world is based on solid
grounds And this we feel assured, the men
who 60 forth to-day as representative Ameri-
can rifemen will achieve We can therefore
sincerely wish them bon Uoyage Should they
return victorious they viii meet with such a
reception as q Roman conqueror might envy;
but should Fortune, in her blind decree, con-
denim them to defeat-so they lose no honor
in the contest--America will still have warm
welcome for the men who strove for victory
though they failed to achieve it. There re-
mains but to wish the gentlemen Of the
team on behalf of the American nation
pleasant voyage and safe and speedy return
to their native land.
MAINE CENTENNIAL -Our correspondent
at Machias, Me-, gives an attractive mar
rative of the event upon which the
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