The morning times., 1895-12-08
DISTRICT SOLDIER BOYS
One Weeks News and Gossip
Around the Local Armories.

The department of rifle practice has
| taken q new move An order Will De
issued In a few days providing for team
shouting in the rifle gallery this winter.
Every night during this month the gallery
| will be open for voluntary practice. An
! inspector will be present, and any nne
SO desiring can have his scure certified.
| Any guardsman who desires to enter
| any of the teams can practice Ia nus
hearts content and prepare for the start.
1t is expected that a great interest WIN
be awakened. Prizes are TO be offered al
| the end OF the season, for the shooting Is
! TO extend until April.
The prizes are to be competed for by
I company, battalion and regiinental teams.
| The company teams are tu be composed OF
| five men each, and every company in the
| guard must be represented. Formerly
officers were barred, but this season the
best men can be chosen.
The battalion and regimental teams are
composed of ten men each. The company
teams will shout this month on the 18TH
and 18th, the. battalion teams nn the
| 27th, and the rcgimental teams on the
| 30th. In December and January the dis
| tance will be 200 yards In February 800,
IN March 500, and in April 600.
| THE RELAY RACE.
| The Cycle Company men beat their
schedule time to New York, In the relay
! race, one hour and twelve minutes. This
is remarkable time, when 1t is taken into
| consideration that the men were not
| picked riders.
| The run was made under many adverse
| circumstances. For instance, II was found
| that the road between Railway and
Metu chen was impa ssable for bicycles
| owing Ia the mud. Under the circumstances
| IL was decided to ride In Elizabeth via
Plainfield, Westficid, and Crawford, thus
| adding seven miles TO the relay.
| Capt. Virgins gained forty minutes on
| the first relay bat the time was lost In
| Philadelphia. The hardest running was
| found at the end Of the race. Lieut..
| Libbey made his last ride in the face
| OF storm, which, beginning with snow,
| turned first TO sleet and finally to rain,
soaking roads and riders.
A New York paper closed its descrip-
| tion of the run, with: 1.-The route, through
Metuchen, Plainfield Westfield, Crawford,
| Elizabeth, Newark, and over wet p!anks
and cobbles to Jersey City, distance OF
| fort y-two miles, was covered in 3 hours
aud o minutes despite the very unfavorable
conditions. The river crossed. the run
| to the barge office, at the battery, was soon
| over, and the message was handed to Lieu
| tenant Donovan, the personal representa-
| tive OF Gen. RuEer, at AS a. m, hour
aud 2 2minutesah ead of schedule time. The
!
| miles more than their schedule, and those
| on the last relay seven miles additional.
| The time from Washington, a distance
| as ridden, of 260 miles, was 81 hours and
| As minutes. remarkable piece of work
| under the circumstances. In this connec-
ton 1t is interesting to note that
the riders were not picked racing men,
| familiar with every inch of their way.
as is usual in ordinary relay rides All
| are members OF the Second Separate Com
| pany, N. g. ID. c., the organization which
arranged and carried out the relay. The
company consists of the ordinary run OF
soldiers, such as would lie found In any
| regiment in time OF war;
| Lieutenant Libbey avs that enough pra ise
cannot he given the bicycle clubs for their
kindness. Everywhere the club to which
the PAGERS belonged did everything to en-
courage the riders. The cycle company
will long hold them In remembrance.
a TEAM FOR ENGLAND.
In the Engineer Corps matters are very
9ute, Just now Company A held a meet
| Ing Monday night One new member was
elected. Major Thompson is expected uome
| any day.
The project of sending team to England
he engineers. They feel pretty sure they
| could make a good winning, and enough
money can be raised to pay the expenses
| over.
| AT the last meeting of Company A the
| plan OF sending over two representatives
| this comlng summer was discussed. These
! of course. would be good shots. The money
| prizes offered in these English matches
mount to "a considerable fA<ure. The two
| crack shots from The District could win
| enough money to nearly pay the expenses
/ of the team in 1897.
| The plan was received with SO much en-
| thusiasm that it would not be surprising
| to see two representative go abroad.
| They would have the earnest support Of
headquarters, and that may mean good
| deal this coming year.
| The two representatives, While Compet-
| Ing for individual prizes, would Of course
| study the lay of the land. They would find
| out Just exactly how everything stood
| This knowledge would be of almost in
| estiInabic service In the contest In 1897.
| The engineers can feel sure OF tue aid OF
the citizens, of the. District. Everyone
| Will watch them with pride in their effort
| to show Britishers how To shoot.
| THE THANKSGIVING SHOOT.
| There is some trouble over the Thanks
| giving shoot at Ordway. 1t lies in the
| fifth class of contestants. This was
supposed to be composed of men who had
never qualified as sharpshooters.
| Capt. Bell is now at work Strengthening
| out some of the crinks in the result. He
| has thrown out a Duinbcr of contestants.
| and in this class Private Williams OF the
Engineer Corps is not the winner, as an
| nounced last week.
! Who won.the prize in this class viii not
| be known for several days yet. The entire
trouble has been the result of misunder-
standing. ana Capt. Bell is sexperiencing con-
| siderable annoyance in fixing it. so
| 1t was announced on the ground that the
! entries would have to he made on honor.
| The result of this years shooting had not
| been officially reported, but each con-
| testant knew what he had made.
Somehow the impression got abroad that
| the score made this year, but which had
not been published, did not count. So a
| number of men who have qualified as
| sharpshooters entered the class. This was
| decided drawback TO some of the con-
| testauts. Just as soon as Capt. Bell and
| the other inspectors learned of it, they be-
| gan to investigate. The moving of these
men from the fifth to the fourth class ma y
| change the prize winner there. That re-
| mains to be seen.
| CHANGES IN THE ARMORY.
| There are some changes coming in the
| armory. a company OF the Fourth Bat
| talon get another room, the one occupied
| by the Veterans. They go to the old room
| of Company b. Company ID OF the Third
| Battalion also takes the choice of the old
| rooms of Companies B or c.
| Major Wilson has reported to headQuar-
| ters tnat the cons olidation of B and and A
| and companies had been concluded. He
| transferred all who were acceptable and
! honorably discharged the remainder. In
| dispOSinU of the men he did as follows.