Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-08
THE NATIONAL GUARD
Hot Weather Has No Terrors for the
Riaemen.
GETTING READY FOR Sea GRIT
Company Teams Preparing for the
Competition.
OTHER INTERESTINGMAT1ERS
OTHER INTERESTINGMAT1ERS

All the National Guardsmen who are to
be found in and around the armory are en-
gagged, as rule, in trying either to be-
come cool or to keep cool. Military duty
is at a discount, much to the relief Of that
percentage of brigade membership which
is always willing to take a rest. OF course
1t was too hot to drill. One or two unfor-
tunate recruits may have had to wrestle
with some Of the fundamental mysteries Of
foot movements, but the harshness of mill
itary discipline came to an end at that point.
while the forces which ordinarily impel
man to deeds of blue-coated and brass
buttoned valor were expended in the de-
struction of watermelons and cool drinks.
But while there was lots Of laziness and
perspiration at the armory, there was hard
work galore and sweat by the gallon at the
rifle range. There it was hot enough for
all practical purposes on the office porch.
but even ninety-five degrees in the shade
just inside the window frames was icy
when compared with the torridity to be
found along the firing line. A reliable
Thermometer held IN the Immediate vicin-
ity Of the piles of sand on which the rifle
men must necessarily recline swore and
subscribed to anything from 115 to 100 de-
grees No better test could be made of the
enthusiastic sincerity of the National
Guardsmen than the hot weather. Any
man who will deliberately journey to the
rifle range while the mercury Is crowding
toward the thermometric roof can be guar
anteed to stand unconcerned in the face of
the hottest fire any enemy could blaze
fCrth In his direction. Troops Of the reg
ular army would growl like hungry lions
II they were required to practice under
such conditions, but the District National
Guardsmer who Are engaged in burning
gunpowder at Ordway go at their self
imposed task in a thoroughly busness-like
manner and without any regard whatever
for the elements
What the Brigade Team is Doing.
The brigade team is doing good work; it
never did better work at this stage in the
practice. Most of the veterans are doing
quite as well as they ever did, while sew
eral of them have established new records.
Notable during the past week has been the
work of Lieut.. F. l.. Graham and Iieut.
G. b. Young. each of whom put up a so
out OF possible 1O5 in the Hilton score at
40, oOO and go yards. Some of the results
achievcd would hardly have been surpris-
ing had the weather been only moderately
warm. but it is quite extraordinary thai
such scores should be made during the
prevalence of blistering sunshine Eyery-
th1ng that could reasonably be done to
make things comfortable for the team men
while at work seems to have been attended
TO- There are tent flies in sufficiency at
the various rargeS, and it Is the rule that
a big bucket Of ice water in which an allo-
pathic dose Of oatmeal has been soaked
snail be always at hand. Even so sensitive
a being, physically, a first-class rifieman
may drink all he pleases of that mixture
without experiencing the slightest incon-
venience.
This team of 1896 is going to have a
great deal to contend with and II it is ultj-
mately successful 1t will have more to be
proud OF than at any time in it's previous
existence. Never since the Hilton tronhy
hrst came to be the most desirable of
rifle shooting prizes in the United States
nave there been SO many state teams in
tent upon winning 1t: never has there been
such careful preliminary practice as has
been and Is now being INDUCED in by the
crack shots Of the National Guard in New
YORK. New Jersey. Pennsylvania, Massa-
chusetts. Maine and Georgia. 1t is whis-
pered that Pennsylvania has been training
team Tor nearly four months, and that
the organization is expected to be solidly
superior TO the best team Pennsylvania has
heretofore had If this proves to be
the case. then the District representatives
will need to be record breakers to win
Two years ago Pennsylvania gathered in
the Hilton trophy with a score of OsS
Last year the District took it with O9T
pennsylvania having fallen back to a total
OF 1.O47. If the keystone aggregation at
Sea Girt next month is better than the
team that made 1OsS, then the silver shield
donated by the late Henry Hilton will
probably be found at Harrisburg before
the snow falls. Massachusetts, too. has its
eye-good eye-on the big trophy which
represents REL the worlds championship. Lit
tie birds from New England are chirptng
prophecies which are nightly encouraging
10 the marksmen from the old bay state
There was time. in the middle of the
eighties. when Massachusetts had a team
SO skillful and SO successful that It came
to be known the world beaters" An
eHort Is now being made to build I'D lust
another such team as was that which for
four successive years won both the Hilton
ana the Interstate frnpbiea of
georgia is probably working Just a little
DIT harder than any other state for the
GROWING honor In the career of q rifle
team ann Maine inc, is saying very little. but is
gathering together a dozen Of its most re-
liable cracks; New Jersey-rare old Jersey
Is having Its uniform thickly padded in the
proper places. so that when the rest of the
teams walk all over 1t the promenade will
not hurt.
No Army Team.
Up to this time the chances for a team
from the army seem to be trife slim, al
though an effort along that line continues
to be made. The fact Is that Uncle Sans
boys realize that they are not in 1t with
the volunteers in known-distance marks
manship; it is, therefore, difficult to per-
suade the regulars to get into the COMPETE
ticn. When they find themselves on the
range with National Guardsmen they all
seem to feel as though they were in the
Immediate presence Of bunco steerers and
dealers in gold bricks-a reputation wholly
urdeserved by the Guard But there is a
possibility that Canada may send a team to
Sea Girt. The Canadian team captured
the Elcho shield at Bisey England, last
month, and as a consequence Canadians
generally have an idea that the Canadian
team knows more about shooting and can
put Its knowledge into the shape Of bulls
eyes and the like more effectively than any
other team on the continent. A visit to