Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-23
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Steady Growth of Interest in Gallery
Rife Practice.
how IT WORKS In new YORK
The Engineer Corps Challenges the
Sixth Battalion.
OTHER MILITARY MATTERS

OTHER MILITARY MATTERS
The battalion rife matches In the gallery
have done much to awaken interest in rife
practice for the season Of 1894. and although
the general average Of scores has not been
exceedingly high, still the results are re-
garded as gratifying by those who are In
terested In the progress Of rife practice
There is no longer any question as to the
necessity for a great deal of work in the
gallery: 1t Is the best training that can be
given the young National Guardsman.
Years Of experience In New York have dem
onstrated that the command that pays most
attention to the preparatory indoor practice
invariably comes out In advance at the
close of the season. Last winter deter
mined effort was made to have every MEM
Der Of the famous New York seventh"
reach a certain standard Of efficiency at the
armory range. and the interest thus aroused
suffered no diminution during the summer
and fall. and a result the old seventh"
is away ahead in the matter OF qualifca-
tons and OF average ability. The wise sol
der is he who will take advantage of the
many opportunities for voluntary practice
afforded here. There is no reason why the
efforts to secure strings of ''possibles"
should not be made In December or Janu-
airy. instead Of being postponed until the
gallery is about to be closed Several of the
battalion and company commanders see this
point. and are urging upon their men to
visit the gallery as frequently as possible.
This Promises to BE Interesting.
As evidence of the spirit Of emulation
which is now abroad the following COM
| munication is presented:
Headquarters Engineer Corps, DONG,
a31 D street northwest. December %, 1893.
To Commanding Officer Sixth Battalion,
DONG. Through Inspector General OF
Rifle Practice).
sixth battalion. DONG, for a competition
in rife practice in the brigade gallery at
some date in the latter part of January.
1884. and according to the following terms
and conditions:
The date Of the match to be fixed and the
competition supervised by the inspector
general OF rife practice. Dong. A team
Of ten from each organization. without re-
gard to rank. Range. 20 yards. ten shots
each man. in stages of five shots.
The ammunition to be carefully prepared
and OF the same standard as used in general
gallery practice. The cartridges to be mix
| ed Unfortunately before being packed in
| the boxes or issued. Any manifestly bad
cartridge producing miss. to be replaced
by good one at the time of firing.
I make this challenge. believing that 1t
VIII add zest to our indoor practice and /
trust / may receive an early acceptation.
GILBERT THOMPSON.
Major Commanding Engineer Corps.
The Troopers Won.
Rather a warm competition took place in
the brigade gallery on Tuesday evening,
| he
company. and light battery A stood before
the targets and did their best-through
teams OF ten men each-to find the bulls
eyes. The troop and the cycle company used
carbines; the light battery representatives
| were armed with rifles. The troop score was
| 40; the cycle company gathered 366 points
| while the light battery aggregated 34s
commenting upon the score made by his
| team. Capt. Barbour called attention TO the
| fact that the man who made the loves,
score-a total of 2e-was in an untrooperlfke
state or absolute sobriety. But for that
fact the captain is convinced that his team
would have done better than 1885,
The "WheeI Soldiers, Have a Busle
Corps.
The second separate company is now
growing most healthily, and may be regard
ed as one OF the solid organizations OF the
guard. Last Tuesday evening it paradeo
column. 1t was the first appearance for the
musicians, and highly creditable. but Capt
Storey is not going to be satisfied with foul
pieces. so he and Sergeant Chandlee who
is principal musician, are going to recruit
rntil they have eight good men who know
how to blow out all the calls that were eyel
loaded into regulation bugle
Notes.
The publication in The Star Of the dis
figurement of the Hilton trophy-accom
plished by those who desired to commemo
rate Pennsylvania's winning the big prize
has interested a great many Nationa
Guardsmen throughout the country An anx
ious inquirer who asks whether the dam
age done was of the permanent sort is Gen
George w. Wingate, president of the Ma
tionai Rifle Association. 1t is quite proba
bic that under his direction the inartisti.
additions to the graceful design of the silye
shield VIII be removed.
AS the time for the issue Of the new arm,
rifle draws nearer there is growth of inter
est IN the weapon and its capabilities /
differs considerably from the original Krag
Jorgensen. and its pene tration is said to b.
about the same as that Of the Mannlicher
The chief surgeon Of the Roumanian arm,
has been making grewsome experiment.
With the new Manniicher rife with whicl
the forces are being equipped. He placed ,
I, | sol
diers on the field OF battle At GOO metre
i've bodies were placed a half yard benin,
each other. single bullet went through
three bodies in succession. Upon the sof
parts of the bodies the wounds were ner
haps. less serious than those inflicted by tn
old-fashioned rifles, the hole made by III
bullet being smaller and more even: but q,
! the whole the injuries are far more terrible
The range Of the new rifles is about tw
and a half miles.
The following changes have taken plac
in the engineer corps: w. z. Harvey ha
been promoted from sergeant-major to quar-
termaster.with the rank of acting first lieu
! tenant; Sergeant G. G. Dennison of compa
ny Z has been promoted to sergeant ma iol
The corps holds its annual meeting for cleo
/ ton OF officers, &c. December 80. Progress
, has been made during the past year, and a
|, soon as the heating fixtures are workin
, they will find their new quarters 93l
. street very pleasant and satisfactory,
l AT an election held by company 9. fit
2 battalion, ID. c. y. G., at their armory La $
] night Adjutant Guy E. Jenkins and Privat
: 1. w. Reid were unanimously elected can
! tain and second lieutenant, respectively.
In the Social Zoo.
e From Harpers Bazaar.