New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-06
rREEDMoOR WAKING UP
RIFLE PRACTICE BEGINS AGAIN.


ru.xcvs At the BuTTs-THE PROGRAMME
FOR TIE YEAR NOT YET MADE OUT.
m. o-aol ~ the National Churchman'S Rifle
h.ard NJ Creedmoor on Wednesday, when
--Oso,tatives from several regiments were present
- hegin the seasons free practice General Rob-
~ General Inspector of Rifle Practice, was
- an tho ground with his markers and scorers,
"a .bongb the morning chilly and seemed
:. ,breaten rain the ammunition boy brought his
.ort ont with a load of cartridge blocks, and by
a, o'clock q formidable squad was before the
.o,cets. The breaking down OF the west range
49,, has rendered useless for the present five OF
the targets there.
m. butt was constructed with planldng on
10 rovs Of uprights 33 feet high, the spaces
sa,uren the plankng being filed in with cobble-
..ones. The uprights had rotted in the ground,
80 General Robbins will replace them with yellow
-,,s which makes more durable post. lie
a,,rac,s 10 have the repairs completed In about q
,raoh To prevent as far as possible, the ricochet
% hnIlets which fall short of the target, the
o-ound has been plougbed to a distance OF fifty
IDS in front of the butts and upward Of sixty
u,non-loads of stones have been removed In
- down the mound of the west butt, several
,so,ssnd pounds of lead, in the shape Of fattened
h,llets las been been recovered, and Is worth as
old Lead Ia cents per pound
ALMOST ALL THE MEN MUST PRACTISE
During the present season rife practice will be
,eouired Of every officer and enlisted man In the
.ervioe. except musicians and members of bat
teries not armed with rifles. The young guards
man is furnished with forty rounds Of ammunition
and free transportation to and from the range
and has several chances OF distinction. In the
first class, for instance, score Of twenty-hv
and upward makes him marksman.' and
entities him TO the State decoration; while a
score of forty-two in the same class gives him
the title Of sharpShooter," and adds silver
bar to his badge. The practice will be continued
at Creedmoor at intervals up TO October 20; at
Rensselaerwyck on June 4, G, and 8; July Z,
August 4, September l and October and ~;
and at Bay View, June 10, IA, IS, 1e; July T.
August a, September l and October and ~.
The State prize viii be competed for at Creed
moor as usual, during the second week In Sep
TENDER and it is expected that there will be
several other interesting matches, but the pro
gramme for the season has not yet been arranged
Teams are expected here from Maine, Connecucut
Massachusetts,, and Pennsylvania
Speaking of the importance Of the State taking
charge of the range, General Robbins said a." The
land hereabouts is becoming more valuable all the
time since the rapid transit makes IL aValia3 f
maintained it will be almost an absolute necessity
10 acquire the land within the danger line az
the and sides OF the DuJtS i ne people VIII
own these lands cutting away the trees, giving
freer scope to stray shots, and II they should
attempt to cultiN ate their ground while the
practice is going accidents might happen
THE QUESTION OF STATE PURCHASE
On the reporter asking what advantage the
National Rife Association would gain by the trans
fer Of the range to the State authorities, General
Robbins replied: None whatever. The $4,000
asked for in the bill before the Legislature is to
enable the State to acquire these danger lands,
and to increase the usefulness Of the range The
Rifle Association would simply retain its right
TO the use Of the range at stated periods lie
thought il extremely desirable that the state
should take this step, by which it would come into
possession, at nominal cost, of most suitable
and convenient place for training the great metro
politan branch Of the militia In the use OF the
rifle The 9TH Regiment will shoot at Creedmooi
MAY 2l 20 23, inclusive, and will 60 through
the manoeuvres Of volley-iring and firing as sSlrm
ishers on the advance and retreat which closely
resembles real warfare, except that there IS nc
enemy in front to thin out the gallant sklrmlshers
The Qualification and Marksman's Badge matehe
will take place at CreedmOOr, on Saturday, june
o and % respectiIe ely, beginning at $3.50 a. m
and on Wednesday, July 4, at $3.50 a. m Inc
entrance fee TO these contests has been reduced
from 80 cents each TO 81 for three to the Marks
mans Badge match, and from 80 cents TO 20 cents
for the Qualification match. The object OF the
Association in making these reductions Is TO render
the matches more popular.