The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-10-13
America Again Victorious.

America Again Victorious.
For the fourth time the Americans
have carried off the trophy of long-range
rifle shooting, and the triumph of yester-
day is the greatest of all. Three years
ago the Irish team came here flushed
with the laurels won from the English
and the Scotch in 1878, and gracefully
laid them at the feet of the Americans
after close and exciting match,
won by the last bull's-eye of Col. John
Bodine, "Old Reliable" as he was then
called. Gen. Dakin, who captured the
victorious team, stood at the foot of the
score, and Miner was fourth on the
Irish team. The score was 934 to 931,
there being only six on side. The year
after the same team, with single excep-
ton, went to Dollymount and won
most decisive victory, the score standing
967 to 929. The match was won by mag
niticent shooting at the 900-yards range,
though Miner, of the Irish team, made
wretched showing at the 1, 900 yards
range. Gen. Dakil, who brought up the
rear the year before, divided the honors
of the highest score with Col. Glider
sleeve. After this match the American
visitors made a tour of the United King
dom, winning golden opinions by their
modest and gentlemanlike bearing as
we'll as by their skill with the rifle, Col.
Gildersleeve proving himself fine Cap.
tain in the field, in the hall and at the
table. They won several trophies after
this, Col. Gildersleeve carrying of Sec
and honors in one competition in which
Sir Henry Halford won the first. The
result of this signal triumph was the
great match of last year, when there
were five teams of eight men each en-
tered for the Centennial trophy. Again
were the Americans victorious over the
Irish, Scotch, Australian and Canadian
teams. 1t was two days match and the
came next, making 3,104. Gildersleeve
was second and Fulton, Bodine and Da-
kin were in the team. OF the Irish, Mil.
ner and johnson alone were veterans, and
the former redeemed his errors of the
year before by scoring fifteen consecutive
bulls.eyes at l 200 yards.
This year the Americans were matched
against the United Kingdom. Instead of
twenty-four, as last year, the best posi-
bic eight were chosen, among them Mil
ner, Fenton and Rigby, of the Irish team
The score this year far surpassed that of
1876, the winners scoring 1884, or 208
more than last year, and having 90 to
spare. Last year on the first day there
were only three scores in the whole forty
exceeding 200, and the highest was 203
This year the lowest on the American
side was 202 and the highest 213, with
the average greater than the maximum
of the year before. Nor was the British
team far behind. Miner, who last year
scored 1913, now scored 300; Lieut. Fen
ton rose from 1873 to 204, and William
Rigby from 191 to 207. The remarkable
gain over last year is quite as noticeable
as the sweeping nature of the victory.
This year the average of the Americans
was 4164, which was greater than the
total of the best man last year. The
average of the British team, 405I, is
within fraction as great as the total of
the best shot of last year.
1t would be Boosting to claim that
these successive victories of the Ameri-
can team, growing more and more pro-
nounced each year, are due solely to su-
perior craftsmanship. The men them
selves make no such claim. They have
always said that the American breech-
loader was far superior to the muzzle-
loader used by the foreign rilemen. The
arm as well as the man has always been
on trial in these matches. The breech-
loader can be loaded with much greater
rapidity than the muzzle- loader. 1t can
be cleaned more thoroughly and easily
1t can be manufactured with greater ac-
curacy and greater perfection. In short,
it is equal to the muzzlc-loader in every
respect and superior to it in many par
ticulars. The English have been 10th
to admit this, but four consecutive de.
feats, each successive triumph being
more decisive than that which went be-
fore, ought to be sufficient to convince
them that it is their arms and not their
eyes that are entirely at fault. Not that
victory would be sure if they used the
American rifle, but the match would at
least be close and the excitement little
PHILADELPHIA Times.