Evening star., 1896-09-19
Rife Practice to Begin at the 0rdway
Range Monday. v,a~
ANNUAL MEETING OF TIE ASSOCIATION
Current Gossip in Regard to the
Drill Hall Question.
NOTES OF INTERE S r

The ordered rife practice of the troops
of the National Guard at the Ordway range
will be conducted according to the follow;
ing schedule:
1st Battalion, Monday. September Is; I'd
Battalion. Tuesday, September -; Sd Bat
TALON. Wednesday. September 30; 4th Bat
talon. Thursday. October / 5th Battalion,
Friday. October 2; 9th Battalion, Saturday.
October 3: lst Separate Battalion Monday,
October 5; 1st and ID Separate Companies,
Tuesday, October 6: Engineer Corps. We'd
nesday, October 7: general staff, general
non-commissicned stan and the field and
staff and non-comm. .ssioned stan of regi-
ments and battalion inspectors Of rifle prac-
tice Friday. October 8. '-.
Organizations excepting the general STAFF
and officers and non-cor. .missioned officers
required to shoot with it, will be reported
at the Pennsylvania railroad station
promptly at a:;a' Am. on the dates speci-
fed. in undress uniform, armed and equip
ped. In case OF wet weather. overcoa,5
will be worn. The general stan and those
associated with 1t for rifle practice will re-
port at The Pennsylvania railroad station
on the day specified at 40 am.
Practice will be at 200. soo. 500 and oD
yards. Two scores will be fired by each
man and they will be recorded.
Government employees will be given GER
tificates for one day of duty performed un
der the requirements Of this order.
Battalio1 commanders. 1t Is provided. will
detail twenty men for duty as markers. to
be worked in reliefs. Markers will report
for instruction in the rife gallery at 8
O'Clock Of the evening preceding the day
on which their command will shoot.
Officers and enlisted men not properly
uniformed or who being commissioned or
| enlisted prior to April !. 1885, have failed
| to complete the gallery practice prescribed.
will not be permitted to participate In ths
regular practice.
No person other than the range officer. or
| some one designated by him. shall signal
! the markers or hold communication with
any person in any OF the pits.
On days set apart for official practice
sighting shots may only be fired on tar
| gets set apart for pool shooting. Pool tick
| cts may be purchased at the range office.
| Private George +. Cook, Company A. En-
| gineer Corps, Will be announced as dis
| tinguished merksman in the next general
| orders to be issued from headquarters.
Interesting Rife Matches.
The annual meeting of the National Rife
| Association will commence at Ordway
| Wednesday, October n and continue dur
ing Thursday, October %. Friday, October
p. and Saturday. October "a. Entries
| must be made to the executive officer OF
| the association, Maj George II. Harries,
| not later than II O'Clock noon, Monday.
October 49, and each entry In any indi-
vidual match must be accompanied by an
| entrance fee Of % cents. The first days
| shooting will include:
A company match Of teams of five men,
| each man to fire five shots at 300 yards.
battalion match of teams Of ten men,
| each company in the battalion to be repre-
| sented. Ten shots will be fired by each
| man at 300 yards. Both the company AMI
| battalion matches are open only to teams
| consisting Of enlisted men.
| A regimental match of teams of six men,
| consisting of officers or enlisted men. Each
|
| yards. and there will be one skirmish run
A heavy marching order match. open to
| fantry and engineers. Each company In
| the battalion Is to be represented. The
| teams must be commanded by commission
| ed officers of the line. The members OF
| the teams must report in heavy marching
order. carrying in addition to the reEu-
| lation fatigue uniform blanket bag with
| overcoat therein. woolen and rubber blank.
| cts. haversack. belt with bayonet canteen
| and tin cup. The team will assemble al
the 800 yards firing point and proceed a,
double time to the 600 yards firing point
then turn to the right and march 4S yards
| in quick time, next move to the rear. pro-
ceed 100 yards in quick time and then move
in double time 3D yards.
This will bring the team again to tbs
600 yards firing point. 1t will thence move
at double time to the 300 yards firing poin,
and fire three volleys at silhouette figures
the firing to be completed within sixty
| seconds. time limit will be placed Or
1 "A
| conclusion of the volley firing an inspec
| ton of the teams will be made, and If any
| portion Of the equipment Is missing penal
ties. to be agreed upon later. are to be at
| tached.
| On the second day of the meet the Mer
| chants match. open only to enlisted men
the Magruder match, and perhaps The
| Evening Star match will be shot. The
! third days program will include the cham
| pionship match and the May medal match
The latter Is expected to be unusually in
teresting because the distances are 800
| GOO and 100 yards 1t Is quite probab tina
| other medals and prizes will be awarded IL
these two matches. among those having
promised to donate trophies being Captain
| Allison Nailor.
The fourth day Of the meet will be de
voted purely to matches open only t.
members OF the Rifle Association. for casl
and other prizes. Guardsmen may becom,
members Of the association and thereb!
| be entitled to shoot in the association
matches by paying the initiation fee. Tn
matches each day will begin at 9:3O a. m
and continue as long as firing is possible.
Necessity for Drill Facilities.
Now that the awakening in Nationa
Guard circles has begun. after the regula
summer season of inactivity, the chic
topic of interest among officers and enlisted
men is the matter of drill hall. or rathe
standing seems to be that the contrac
for the use of Convention Hall by tn,
. Guard for drill purposes has been or is t,
tie annuled However, the management
of the hall claims to have no knowledge O
any such action intention. The super
, | intendent Of the armory also has receive,
, no instructions in regard to the matter
, ard unless orders are issued to the con
, trary will open the doors Of the drill en-
closure October 1.
The ice palace will not be opened until
the latter part Of November.
, So long as the weather continues fair
, : will be possible for the companies to drill
1 on the streets. but with the coming O
} winter maneuverfng outdoors will be foun,
impracticable, If not impossible. 1t wa
, Il oroughly demonstrated last winter tina
, interest in the several organizations, an
in the guard in general. rapidly wanes witt
2 ! the dtscontfnuance of drills. The men ar
e | ordered to report at the armory for drill
they do SO several times with no result an
| fEally. and naturally. give up In DISCUS,
Z | Company commanders are complaining
and by no means quietly. that unless
: drill hall Is provided for regular wor
: during the coming winter they will be un
: | able to recruit or maintain their com
E mands at even the present conditions of ef
r | flciency.
Not few guardsmen are suggesting tha
9 1t would be wise policy to again secure tn
> quer ters over the Center market. a localit
that waS pOnular with alrn0of quarry rs,,