Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-13


SHOOTING IN TIE R,IS-THE MATCHES TO-DAY
CONSIDERABLE oRUMBLISG on ACCOUNT OF THE
MANAGEMENT OF The RANGES.
Stat Correspondence of The EVENING STAR
CREEDMooH, LII. Sept. IL.
One more day of shooting and probably Of
rain and the fall meeting of the National Rifle
Association Of the State OF New York Limited)
will be over. By tomorrow evening all the
prizes will DO won or lost and the victors and
yanquished will have gone to their respective
homes The yictors will probably be more
than pleased; the vanquished may or may not
be satisfied 1t all depends on the various dis
positions and temperaments involved. Some
Of the winners will growi. for much dissatis-
faction is expressed with the management Of
the corporation which controls Creedmoor
Visiting marksmen say that it has been evident
almost from the beginning of the shooting that
outsiders were not wanted here and that New
York was the only state that was really in II. -"
SO marked have been the local preferences and
so easy has il been TO see the Determinations
against strangers that many have wondered
why representatives OF other states were in
Nited TO put ia an appearance.
DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINED OF.
The most important of all Determinations,
according to the complaints of visitors, and the
most important individual matches. is the handi-
cap given the Reming ton gun and the black
eye which the Springfield gets every time it
puts III appearance. Not one of the New
Workers will admit that the Remington gun is
inferior TO the Springfield, and they Can offer
no logical reason why they should be the con-
tInuous beneficiaries OF one. two or three points
at the ranges where the Remington guns have
undoubted advantage. Neither protest nor ar
gument IS of any avail under the present man-
agcment.
There was another annoying occurrence yes
terdHy which many visitors complained Of Bit
terly. although no one could say it was dono
purposely. Old ''shots" who have been COM
ing 10 Creednaoor for years insist that the trick
IL worked at every available opportunity.
When a man who is shooting protests shot;
le.. insists that the marker did not give him
the full value of the last shot made, every tar
get is at once closed up while mounted officer
rides 10 the pits and examines the target i'll
question. Quite frequently the markers take
advantage OF such an opportunity to do some
fixing" and a lot Of valuable time is wasted.
Yesterday the presidents match for the mid
range championship of the United States was
contested and it noticed again and again
that whenever a Washington or Massachusetts
or Pennsylvania or New Jersey competitor WAS
doing exceedingly we'll New Yorker would
protest against the marking given one of his
Cthe New Yorker's) shots. Every target would
then be closed and while the officer rode down
10 examine the target the gans would get cold
and the weather conditions undergo more or
less change. This would invariably result in
the first shots after the waits" being OF little
value, anG that was precisely what was aimed
at
Gen. G. E. p. Howard of New Jersey who
was captain of the American team that went to
England in 1888 is one of the most thoroughly
Disguised men on the ground. and he discusses
the situation with good deal of freedom. He
was one OF the victims of the protest bust
ness and he and his team have suffered consid-
haN Of ha ,1oIx al,
ing is run in the interests Of New York and
New York alone. The Jerseymen use the
Springfield gun and have naturally been strong
sympathizers with the District boys.
MAI. PoLLARD's TEAM.
Satisfaction is on the features of every men,
Der of Maj. Pollard's team. More than a fair
proportion of the little crowd have secured
good positions in the various matches Some
thing of which all are especially proud were
the performances of Sergeant Stewart and
Lieut. Graham, in the Presidents match The
winner OF that event. Maj. Gaus of New York.
was but one point ahead of Stewart and
Stewart was only one point ahead OF Graham.
The allowance given bennington guns had a
good deal to do with the New Workers winning.
Both Stewart and Graham won prizes Of a
minor cash value
Wind and rain in about equal proportions,
and both OF very violent nature, have made
the past three DAYS uncomfortable beyond de-
scrIption. Fine shooting has been almost I'M
possible even TO those who are familiar with
the meteorological eccentrcities that prevail
here at all periods. Today the rain is less
heavy, but the strong wind puzzles the best of
shots. 1t was almost pitiable sight when the
Washington men who were IN the Presidents
match laid down at 500 yards. The storm
peited down ON them with tremendous force
Gully two men shot together at a target and
their hiring was alternated- In a shelter tent
TO their rear the other members of the team
stood or sat, hoping and praying that the two
competitors would make nothing but bulls. :"
Then when the targets were closed how some
thing akin to profanity arose TO the lips Of the
mildest of the group and continued to arise
while the rain dashed ccaselessly upon the
soaked and motioniess forms of the rificmen
who were waiting for the signal to recommence
firing.
THE cREEDMooR RANGE.
Creedmoor range is ON Long Island, about
fourteen miles from New York city. 1t is on
tie narrowes' p : OF tho Island, about mid
way between the All ,lic ocean and Long
Island Sound and not mora than four miles from
either The necessity for large rifle range
was nrst made practically apparent about eigh-
teen years ago, and in 1873 the state of New
York appropriated a sum of money with which
seventy acres of land were purchased. Since
then thirty additional acres have been leased
and an effort IL being made by the state 10 con-
troll $50 acres more. This latter accession is n
necessity. Last year the sum of $500 was paid
people whose property was rendered practically
vaiueless because New York National Guards
men would fire over the top of the butts-thirty
or forty feet above the targets-and scare folks
with unexpected bullets. No one wants TO farm
land that produces nothing Blu; misshapen lead
hence the damages and necessity for an addi-
tional purchase. None of the toilers behind the
range ever get hurt but they have had many
narrow escapes by being absent from places
where bullets fell. From the beginning OF the
range to the present time only one man has
been hurt and he had his arm pie reed by ball
This Is a remarkably good showing when it is
remembered that more than 900 individuals
pump lead at the targets in the course Of the
year When the range was first established
there were but fifteen targets; now there are
thHty-four. OF this number twenty-eight arc
OF iron, while the others are canvas
ANrIoUArED EQuIPMESTa
When the state legislature next meets IL will
appropriate $4,000 for the purchase of land
and the improvement OF the range / asked
Gen. Robbins II new targets would not be part
OF the new equipment and his reply was an
emphatic negative. In fact he was rather in
dignant at the idea that the state OF New York
ought to accept and the targets which are
now the standard in the regular army
Anticipated ideas and methods are largely
IN vogue. Now, at tire close of the nine
teenth century, there is no telephone con-
nection between the various firing points and
targets and the bare mention of such a valua-