The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-30
MAN TARGETS.
The New Industry at the Arsenal and Armory
on Rock Island.

Rock ISLAND ILL.,. June pa new industry
has been started at the Rock Island Armory and
Arsenal 1t is the manufacture of man targets
tor use in the regular army. These targets are
made of steel and as near the form of an average
sized man as can he outlined with steel They
are made in three positions-upright, at front,
then in the position of firing with arms raised as
if holding nusket Col. Flagler himself invent
ed the machine that works the steel to the proper
shape. The steel frame is covered with cloth in
such manner that at a distance the resemblance
of man is marked-and, what is important it
can be told in just what part the 'man" is hit
arm, leg, breast, stomach, neck, shoulder or
head. -Four hundred of these stee, targets
are being made, requiring the use of los 900
pounds of steel.
Ia the target practice they will be placed in
squads, in platcons, in companies, and the
vari Gus other forms in which soldiers move in
the opening of an engagement The practice
will commence at range of $50 to 800 yards
and then be gradually increased to long dis
tances. The targets will be sent to military
posts at which such practice can be best carried
on. The only drawback to the effectiveness of
this practice is the fact that the steelman targets
cannot fire back; if they could, the soldiers who
are firing at them might not be so expert Re
member Andrew Jackson's duel with Dickinson
in I806l Jackson's friends begged him to
practice saying that dickinson was practicing
daily, and could hit pullet in the head at so
many PAGES every time"
docs the pullet have pistol in his hand to
fire backV asked Jackson.
NO. was the reply of the astonished friend
''Then don't care how much he practices
And Jackson killed Dickinson in the duel
When the war of the Rebellion opened the best
weapon in the world was the Springfield mus
ket,s which was effective for a thousand yards
but no soldier could load and fire that musket
once minute even in fight. The soldiers
carried but forty rounds in their cartridge boxes
Now, think of the difference. The army musket
of to-day can be fired twenty four times a
minute, and is effective for destruction of life at
a distance of two miles. That is the reason they
are making the mantargets at the arsenal and
work in battle is at an end and one can be
informed at the arsenal that artillery shields
have become necessity for the protection of
gunners. With the effective muskets of the
present day battery would be deprived Of its
men by the sharpshooters of the enemy as far
as they could be seen, and be unable to do any
thing in return, for the old methods or sup
porting and protecting battery by infantry,
keeping back the infantry the other side, is
at an end. The enemy needn't be within a
mile of the battery, and yet pick off its men
with the new weapons and the use of glasses
So shields of steel, thick enough to be imperv-
Gus to bullets, which can be placed before bat
terry of Calling guns or new steel gun, light
breech loading, but of good range, and thus pro-
tect the gunners from long range infantry, have
become necessity.