The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-10-13

The coolest place on tho range
was the rifle pits, right in the limo
Of fire. That rampant of green sod,
on which was sill or beam to hold
up the great iron targets, and which
again continued behind them far up
to II dark gray fence, was undermine
cd with Il corridor Of bombproofs at
least two hundred yards long.
Then beneath tho targets sat row
of laboring men, whose business it
was to mark and identify tho shots
and to Indicate them on the targets
SO that they could hc seen by the
rificmcn and spectators three-quar-
tcrs of a mile away. A committee
of investigation from each team
also hid in this cool subtorranean
den, and before the shooting the
Herald writer was allowed tho in
frequent privilege Of walking
through the place.
"What are you paid, boys, for
this kind of work ?" We asked lean,
er-of-fact Pat, who sat Oh one
Of the raised platforms under the
target X. Beside him was an old,
pipe smoking, fatherly NIilcsian.
"We bc's paid S35 the month
works on the grounds by tho
month"
"And it's dangerous work, young
gintleman, said the old man.
Every man in tho rifle pits has
been splattercd or struck with lead.
Nobody, bless God! has been killed,
but one poor follow lost an eye"
"Look at that plate glass over my
head" said the young man. Its
thick, amt it? Well, see it all
chipped and splintered by tho ro~
bounding balls"
"And the turf outside isl plough
ed by bullets as if q thousand
ground moles had broke out of jail" i"
said the old man. "Nobody in here
dare peep at that target except
through the glass, because if yo
look through tho slit, boyant tho
glass, the lead chips in and burns
ye."
Beside each man, as he sat in his
chan and watched the great white
iron frames above, six feet high by
nine wide, was his dinner kettle.
and near his feet were two tin pans
of white and black paint, with in
jcnisius brushes, which served at
once to indicate and to erase. Tho
back Of the brush was n red or q
white signal, and therefore while
the Ir2stles dipped in the paint
erased the mark of tho ball, the
distant spectators saw circular rod
signal displayed against the white
of the target, a white signal against
the black bulls eye.
''Show the gintleman, Billy, how
VIC do it. There, sir, when the
target is struck at all this lever is
worked by hand, SO. 1t puts up q
red iron diamond in the corner,
against the whito Of the target.
That means struck If it don't
appear there's miss But you
fellows don't miss often. Poor
Humphreys missed twice yesterday
His gun had the colo, I suppose" l."
"Well, sur" continued the young
man, eff the bulls-cyo is hit, J. pol1cs
up this bresh, and while / daubs out
the mark it shows q white signal
Outside tho bull's-cyo T puts up
the rcd~baclled bresh, and it covers
The spot where I'm wiping out tho
hit And, now, have you got bit
Of tobakky?"
Here for six long hours tho mark
crs keep their seats, never leaving
them, except when relieved, or
when there is dispute about q
shot. Then the red flag is poked
up through IN orifice at the target !;
it is responded to at tho firing
point by pair of flags in front of
each team. Markers and committee
men rush out to tho rampant
Everybody is excited. "What is
it ?" That is what they arc trying
to find out. At length the re-
sponso goes by telephone to the
firing point: Jackson, cipher !"
The audience mutter, and "Oh h-h !"
goes around disyustedly.
The PILGRIMAGE TO MEccA.-The
number of pilgrims who visit Mecca
annually is estimated at not less
than 100000 to 100000. The day
Of tho "Courban Bairam,' or Great
Feast, on which the pilgrims must
=