The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-05
A CHANGEABLE BULLSEYE,
DR.. Riehl Says That 1t Is Not
Always Where 1t Seems
to Be.
IF the Theorist Is Correct Sharp
shooters Must Change Their
Sights.

Every marksman in this vicinity, and
there are thousands of them, will pay more
than passing attention to a new theory re-
Gently advanced by S. Riehl, noted
hydropath and champion long-distance
swimmer of the Pacific Coast, himself an
expert on the rifle range. In fact not only
to local marksmen will it come as sur
prise, not to say shock, but it will GER
tainly engage the attention Of target shots
the world over once the doctor has con-
cluded his researches and given them to
the world, as he intends to do.
To begin with it upsets all the heretofore
accepted ideas as to the location of the
bullseye. The doctor holds that, for a
short period of the day only, the bullseve
is in the place it seems to be, and that
a marksman drawing dead bead at any
other period of the day on what he thinks
is the desired black spot will hit outside
of it.
No one must think from this that the
coveted bullseye changes it's spots like the
leopard or the beautiful chameleon, Not
a bit of it. The bullseye remains fixed
surely enough, but the refraction of the
rays of the sun at the different periods of
the day operates so as to cause a simple
optical illusion. which causes the marks
man to imagine that the bullseye is where
it is not.
This is rather rough on some of the
crack shots of the country, who have been
knocking out bullseyes for these many
sorts of weather. Naturally they will
maintain that the bullseye is all right and
that all this talk of optical illusion is mere
fanciful bosh. They will stoutly hold that
every center they have scored is theirs by
right of superior skill and steady aim, DR..
Riehl's new theory to the contrary not
withstanding. This will leave the burden
of proof upon the doctor, and to support
his theory he must amplify it until not a
shadow of doubt is left.
AS near as can be ascertained, for DR..
Riehl guards his pet theory with jealous
care, he fixes that hour of the day when
the sun is at its zenith as the only proper
time to hit the center without a wobble or
fuke. AT that time, and that time only,
can the shot with steady hand and true
eye send his bullet to the black spot in the
desert of target. AT all other times the
best shots must lose, and only those made
unsteadily can hope to hit the mark-acci-
dentalIy, of course.
In general way, the theory has it, the
refraction of the rays of the sun is greatest
as they penetrate the longest distance
through the atmosphere. This is good
physics, and so far the doctors idea is
bound to hold good. At the first peep of
the sun and at its final dip into the west
ern sea, the rays would have to travel
through greater length of earth's atmos-
phere than at any other period of the day,
the refraction becoming less and less
marked until the light-giving body is at
its zenith, when there would be least, or
practically none at all.
Then as the earth turned and the sun
descended to the west the rays would be
refracted in such a way as to form the
illusion which DIR. Riehl contends must
necessarily interfere with the aim of the
true marksman.
That is the entire theory, as far as de-
veloped, and DR.. Riehl is prepared to
prove it shortly to the satisfaction CT the
most credulous marksman or the greatest
scientist. He has shot marvelously well
for centers and his sons after him, and has
studied the art of plugging the bullseye
very assiduously. His theory, therefore
is worthy of more than passing considera-
ton, and may ultimately lead to changes
in rifie-sighting tended to set off the inter-
ference of the atmosphere with the rays of
the sun