Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-15
wAsHfNGTON's BIG VICTORY.
Our Team at Creedmoor Wins the
Great Hilton Trophy.


THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIZE FOR RIFLE sEooT-
mo EVER OFFERED IN THE UNITED STATES
THE D.c.S.s. WILL HOLD THE INTERNATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP FOR A YEAR AT LEAST.
stan Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
NEW York. NY, Sept Il
In one Of TIE fierces: storms of wind and
rain that ever swept over the emerald visage
of Creedmoor the District of Columbia Ma
tional Guard team yesterday won the biggest
riAeman's prize offered in the United States
the great international Hilton trophy-defeat-
ing the best teams of New York and New
Jersey in the struggle. for supremacy. There
are many prizes offered at the fall meeting
of the National Rifle Association. but the
most OF them would fail to draw paying at
tendance we're it not for the central contest
of the year. the fight in which the Washington
men came off victorious. The Hilton trophy is
the foundation of the program and those who
win the great shield, through their representa-
tiyes, have something of which they may we'll
be proud. Competition for Henry Hiltons
5000 prize is open to tho army and navy OF
the United States. the National Guard of the
states and territories and to teams from any
country on the face of the globe. 1t is a trophy
that carries with il an international champion
ship and for one year at least that champion
bHlb, VIII uilNc unUleputeu EcSluGICc III tue
national capital. But little mere than two
years ago the National Guard Of the District Of
Columbia first assumed shape and in June last
Its members were first permitted to practice at
the arsenal range; tonight rifle team comes
home from Creedmoor loaded down with hon.
Drs that veteran sharpshooters have aspired to
IN vain. The record IS great and complete.
OUR BOYS on THEIR GOOD BEHAVIOR.
There was great deal of careful preparation
on Friday night. Throughout the week the
quiet demeanor and indisputaDle sobriety of
the Washington team had been the subject of
much favorable comment, and OH the eve of the
struggle the local soldier boys were more than
ordinarily circumspect. At o'clock every
member of the little aggregation was in the
dOrmitory (Which was none too big) hard at
work making all necessary preparation for the
morrow. Rifles were carefully examined and
cleaned and every par. YVES tested thoroughly.
Triggers were adjusted so as to be IN condition
to satisfy the most exactng inspector, and the
condition Of nearly every bullet that was TO be
fired was critically inquired into. Hopes and
fears were freely expressed. the former being
IN decided majority, and vet everyone
of the little company could hardly help feeling
depressed when the solitary lamp was extin-
guIshed and no sound broke the continuity of
windy and rainy dynamics on the roof and We
randa- There was realizing sense that they
were strangers III a strange land"
THE WASHINGTON MARKsMEN USsHELrEREp
FROM A TwENIY-MILE BREEZE.
The first premonition of dawn had barely put
in an appearance when it became evident that
Saturday was going to be what Quartermaster
Singleton denominated "a holy terror"
wind storm made loose elapboards rattle and
strained tent ropes TO their utmost capacity
Occasionally cloud would roll by and il in
yarlably dropped few thousand gallons on the
drenched earth and washed-out buildings For
the men who were going to shoot there was but
little breakfast Fully laden stomachs are by
no means conducive to keen eyesight or steady
nerves. The imitation meal being over belts
were buckled, rifles shouldered, and then a
move was made TO the 200 yards firing point
just then there was no rain. but gale of wind
was doing Its best to uproot things and dump
them III the ocean. A little preliminary prac-
tice in those atmospheric conditions was hardly
reassuring to the band of Washingtonians and
the appearance of things did not improve in
the least when 1t became known that Mai
Pollard had been unlucky enough to draw as
slgIments to the most exposed targets at the
short range. Behind New York and of inesti-
mable value IN checking the force of the storm
was row of tents; New jersey also was bene-
fitted more or less by the spread of canvas
but poor old Washington caught the 20-mile
breeze right in the neck. This was a novel ex-
perlence for most of the members of the team.
they had never had any rough weather prac-
tice and knew not what 10 do to meet it
THE INTERSTATE MATCH.
The first score to be shot was the 200 yards
in the interstate match, and when each man
had fired the requisite ten shots Washington
was away in the rear with total OF 4i2, Just 40
points behind New York and 22 points behind
New Jersey. Both the latter teams were COM
posed of skilled rlhemen of long experience;
they refrained from nervousness, something
that was a trifle apparent in two or three of
the DONG. men. Lieut. tombstone got 43.
however, and Capt. Cash had AZ.
Then commenced the struggle for which the
INF .fQf had xlts
Only two members of the team-Capt James
T. Bell and Lieut.. Graham-made as high as
81 out of the possible 35, but the others
punched along well up and constructed total
OF 81 points behind New Jersey and Is points
to the rear of New York.
ISExCUsABLE DELAY
Dinner was in order before the 500 and GOO
yards work should begin, but there was only a
little of Landlord Scully's food eaten by Mai
Pollard and his men. Everyone was at the
5OO-yards firing point as soon as possible and a
few practice pool shots were fred. Two o'clock
was the time set for closing the pool targets
and going on with the match, but the hour ar
rived and departed without apparently attract
ing any attention from the authorities. Gen
Robbins the assistant executive officer clad in
yellow ollskins, was prone at one OF the firing
points, coaching New York men on TO the
targets, aud apparently obliyious of the rights
OF the visiting teams, who were shivering in the
storm that had chilled many of them through.
NEW JERSEYS PROTEST.
Attempts to break up this bold discrimination
and manifest unfairness met with nothing but
repulse and then, when the matches had been
delayed more than half an hour. Gen.
q. /. T. Howard, captain OF the New
Jersey team, declared his intention OF taking
his men OH the field as an emphatic protest
against such conduct as was being INDUCED in
by the management That came very near to
starting things up, but not quite. An extra
ordinarily heavy torrent of rain stopped even
conversation for awhile. and when the first and
most fierce gust was over and every one was
ready to proceed II was discovered that black
boards and chalk were not proper things with
which to record scores IN such weather More
time was lost IN manufacturing score boards of
rough lumber which the figures were
marked with lead pencil, but Capt Shepherd
used the utmost expedition and all was ready
at $40. one hour and twenty minutes after the
appointed time. All this was
TO THE ADVANTAGE OF NEW YORK
The Empire State team was ahead at 200 wards.
and II Il could only chop the score of there it
would win, and the chances for victory was
good at 500 yards, because darkness would
almost surely intervene before anything could
iasaH nFa a.