Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-10
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Something About the New Krag-
Jorgensen Rifle.
How ITS BULLETS WILL PENETRATE
It is Easy to Be Sharpshooter in
Maryland.
NEWS FOR THE SOLDIERS

| In discussing the new military rifle the
| Boston Journal says: THE first lot Of the
| new type of small caliber magazine rifles
| burning smokeless powder will, in a few
| day, be issued from the Springfield armory
| and placed in the hands of United States
regular soldiers. The first fortunate re-
| cipents Of the new arm VIII be several
| companies of the second United States in
| fantry, stationed at Fort Omaha, Neb. All
| of the important military powers of Europe
! have for some time, had these improved
| weapons in the possession of their troops.
America. unfortunately, brings up the rear
| Of the procession. But that is because
satisfactory form Of rifle was not officially
| adopted Until several months ago. Its
| manufacture has since been pushed with
energy. The rifle itself is Danish inven-
| ton. 1t was selected after a thorough test
of dozen European and American arms
| submitted in competition. 1t embodies
radical departure from the Springfield rifle
! now in in the army and militia Of the
| United States
The new weapon weighs about eight
| pounds, including its knife-shaped bayonet.
| Its barrel is thirty inches in length; its
| magazine contains five cartridges. 1t can
| be used either as a single-shot rifle or as
| repeater, and in the former case can be
| manipulated rapidly enough to discharge
| thirty shots minute. One striking char
| acteristic of the arm is it's small caliber.
| The present Springfield rifle has bore of
.45 of an inch; the new rifle one of 80 of an
| inch only. In other words, the barrel is
| just about large CROUCH to admit an Or
| binary lead pencil, One important ad-
vantage gained by this radical change is
I 81
| due to their smaller size, will enable the
soldier to carry us, or even 200, rounds of
| ammunition, instead of 100 at present.
| The bullet Of the new rifle is about an inch
long. of hardened lead, Goa ted with nickel
! The charge of thirty-seven grains of smoke
| less powder burns with little residuum,
| but the 'smokeless' is a relative term.
| There is a smoke, or light, feathery vapor,
but at a distance it is scarcely noticeable.
| Marvellous stories are told of the new
rifles power of penetration. At range of
200 yards 1t has sent it's tiny niclxel-clad
| bullet through forty-tive inches of poplar
| planking. At 1000 yards, or considerably
more than a mile, it pierced the body of a
| horse at the shoulders; 1t would have gone
completely through three men. At $500
yards it pierced four inches of panking. and
| at 800 yards 1t still had force enough to
| go through human body. But while the
new arm has developed this terrible power
| 1t Is true that at short ranges. at least, it
lacks the accuracy of the old-style rifle
its intricate mechanism may not stand the
test of hard service on the frontier.
| Nevertheless, the adoption Of the mag
aZlne type OF weapon, using smokeless
| powder, became absolutely necessary for
| the United States when the arm was gen
| orally introduced in Europe. AS well cling
| 10 the nlnt-lock when percussion caps had
been invented as resist this other Inevitable
| change in military armament. By next
autumn it is expected that the regular in
fantry will be entirely equipped with the
n md
the hands of the National Guard as soon
| as possible
| Easy Qualify ing in Maryland
By reading the following statement made
by Col. Boykin of the fifth Maryland regi-
ment, at the regimental presentation of
badges held recently, it will be seen that
the rifle practice qualifications of MARYLAND
| and the District regulations differ widely
| Col. Boykin said THE gratifying 1umber
of men who have qualified in their various
| classes shows that the orders issued last
spring, compelling every man to practice
at the range, has borne fruit Many who
| had never shot a gun were made familiar
with its practical use, which is absolutely
| necessary to the efficiency of a soldier
Without that knowledge he amounts to
nothing in action as he is liable to do more
damage to his friends than to his foes |
have determined to raise the standard of
craftsmanship by doing away with the 100
| yaruS range. Badges ana buttons VIII here
| after be confined to men who qualify at
200 yards. namely. sharpshooters, 30 per
| cent; marksmen, 50 per cent; first class
men, 20 per cent; second classmen, 80 per
| cent. In order to reach the 2OO-yarls range.
| every man who has not already done so
must qualify at 100 yards by making 40 per
cent This will tend to make you much
more energetic"
! BY the Maryland system of marking the
| average District guardsman might become
/ a sharpshooter with his eyes closed. To
| give sharpshooters' crosses and marks
mems buttons for such percentages at POO
! yards is regarded here as an inexcusable
| cheapening of the decorations.
| GOtham's Pride.
| The New York Seventh" the most ia
nous National Guard regiment in the
| United States, the history of which reads
| like history of the country during this
century, recently celebrated a notable event.
Its great armory is clear Of debt, and the
great regiment has prepared for a monster
celebration In honor of the event. Nearly
| 81, 100000 has been spent on the building
and its furnishings. and every dollar has
been raised by the members and friends of
| the regiment. The state and the county
We're not even asked for cent. The his
tory of the regiment and its servi ces to
city and state and country is reading of
the most interesting kind. Formed with a
central idea that in 1t should always be
the best elements of citizenship, 1t has al
ways chung to that idea, so that now the
battalion over whose name and whose uni
form many minds pondered and strug-
gled years ago has become one of the finest
military organizations in the world.
As to DishonOrnbIe Discharges.
According to general orders, No. 4, dated
March 81, 1894, the dishonorable discharge
of Private Clarence A Proctor, company
A, second battalion, has been revoked.
During the quarter the following named
enlisted men were dishonorably discharged:
William NJ. Alexander, private, company c.
fifth battalion; Charles Atkins, private
company b, first separate battalion; Will
liam E. Banks, private, company b. first
separate battalion; John Broadus private,
company ID. first separate battalion; Win
field II. Bryan, private, company b, eng-
neer corps; William H. Bundy, private,
company b, first separate battalion; James
Butler. private, company Il, first separate
battalion; Arthur A Chamberlain, private,
company c, NTH battalion; George Cox
private, company d, first separate battal-
ion; John II. Davis, private, company b,
first separate battalion; John Douglas, pri-
vate. company =, first separatG battalion;
Thomas a. Ellis, corporal, company A,
fourth battalion; Thomas Gains, private,
company D. first separate battalion; Will
liam Z. Kearney, private company B, engi-
neer corps; Harry Lem, private, company
L hat 70