The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
snowrH OF TRAP SHOOTING.
wevn with Insnitsste Targets Hns Greatly
rSpuIsrixed the Sport.

the aDOrt oil lnnnlulhte Dllu UT hEbihtlh 'hihNh
shooting is practlsed. Capt. Bognrdus was
probably the first to lnfuse new lifc Into
shooting In general and trap shooting In par
ticular, by the introd uctlon, over twenty yea .
ago, Of the glass ball as n dying target. This
was the means OF booming the sport and OF the
organization Of numerous gun clubs throughout
the country. Previous to that time all trap
shooting was done with live pigeons for targets,
and was generally frowned upon by most peo-
pic, even by those who INDUCED In game shoot
Ing In the field.
Outside OF q few gun clubs which numbered
in their membership such men as Messrs. George
LorIllard, Carroll Livingston. and Perry bei,
Long Branch. there were hardly any real organ.
i%zations for shooting purposes, although Long
clubs and a few Of lesser note. Hut the intro
duction OF the glass ball az n substitute Tor i've
sport, Witch has increased up TO the present
timo nnd bids fair to keep on Increasing indef-
entering wedge raGL sI but # tI had It's draWbacks. among
which was. the broken glass that ruined grass
s SaS ~ sPs snSs, tns ss0 %sTe On pTi, Tn wiah 10 TEN much n spe-
cess, and experiments proved that ,hG Sa,,s
the shot. No means had been successfully In.
vented, however. to change the direction OF
their flight, SO the shooting became monotonous,
and n fair shot could score nearly oil or them.,
George L~igowsky, Invented the clay, pigeon. 80
so unique in Idea and so much like real live
bird shooting that langulshing gun clubs ,reor-
and is imitatops and i mp we're the
cause OF more Runpowder burning than any
though e hailed sfS With G delight By t the trap Patsy Shoot
ers. was only q stepping stone, however, having
IT was burned or baked like bricks. SO some
shooting men In Knoxville, Tenn.. purchased
the right to make artificial targets from n mix
turo or pitch. plaster. and other ingredients. a
patent having been issued for this combination
The same bright spirits cud gelled their brains to
make a trap to throw these, new artificial birds
one,, and succeeded to such, an extent that the
business has grown Until the entire output OF
s%en nty.Gt'ei millions ri msk IN iss sn0 targets was '0"o
OF course The great number Of shooters and
e enI6s w ,hsm nd an9 ,do in the IN , Sport nee sh. laws ov 10
rules. which. II read now. would show some
ridiculous mistakes. In 1855 the National Gun
Association was organized in New Orleans, and
show that the projectors Of the enterprise had
wording Of the document was as follows:
,b n there ssoa Is ' By S Sns s%n "Son = ha mops ts fSo,, nRo !, 4.
sh has q ] re sun. I'M. lGr saT,sas SessSns 0 0sn
s ss% SS'aGSs f u ISs ass Of 10 both SS a liquors FS"S 'h %%a r foapassc
s ssS sss :. " H 4 ss;n sa,S S s + $ III "a Is, Ss,: sys; and Sp gene
eI e. IN G ,nat {, /, s@ condaeiv 81 to tns the er1 mil RSTS. Strength o,
s .eS fSsn n ii;n ,ss 81 ss sss p of foS St the o tSrss%m military
more than half a trained soldier
At the first meeting Of the association nearly
a hundred gentlemen Interested in shooting
were presentin person, and as many more rep.
rssea,ea . IS PGE National arc Gun ai' s.so tiw is%o wSs in.
corporated under the laws Of the state Of Ken:
army officer and one of the prime factors in the
movement, was the first Secretary; The asso-
citation formulated rules for artificial target
shooting. which. with some innovations to keep
pace with the improyementin traps and targets,
or course such an organization had to give a
tournament, and the first shooting meeting was
held IN Chicago IN ~ Nay ~. is rs in which sho fourteen rteha
from from all over the country competed for the clay
Club Of New Hampshire, with what now looks
one hundred. c. II. Stark Of the winning team,
making sixteen out Of a possible twenty, was the
for the highest individual score. The prizes dis
tri6uted In this tournament aggregated $4,000.
international tournament was held in Mardi
Gras week, during the Worlds Industrial and
amounting to IS. 600. The championshlp' con-
test was engaged In by six teams Of three men
an in div prize IL valued ia at psiio6 for the
highest score. The Boston team No. l won. the
she GInSinnati AND aaae Boston aa sN 10. we're re; in ae wn,sh
Ben Telpel of CINCINNATI won the individual
tH%eresting tie shoot Of four rounds with McMur.
chy of the same town. Fifty-four shooters par
%tiGlpsted In this meeting.
in Springfield. o.. in May. in which $4,000 in
prizes was, guaranteed, and in October still an
saw che shooters at Washington. d. c.. and
after New York and Boston had been visited tho
National Gun Association dropped into desue-
tude. after building the foundation for a sport
IN which probably more persons are interested
In 1889 the American Shooting Association.
with the same object In view, made It's bow to
grades Of shooters were now in the Held that It
was deemed necessary to form some system Of
the gun. several tournaments were held under
Its auspices. and additional impetus was given
unsoived. Tho assoeiation. Ro%ever, wa" accom- s1ll.
plished a revision of the rules for both live bird
some alterations, is Standard in this country.
During all this period, fired by the example of
many large shooting tonrnament ,s' fin IN WHICH
artificial birds were used exclusively. were held
s fSr the ne clubs shSo, tihroush9Sn auth the e. country, Hereto
being unknown, the angles known. This wilma
enough shooting could be bad to satisfy the en-:
thqsiasss; Western genius inaugurated what
but this style Of shooting was not genereiiy
known until the Cory iPaJ Gun Club brought
method 1t was possible for six men to IRE as
many shots In q given time as ono had been able
IN loading his gun being occupied by the others
IN shoStinE; So rapidly could the shooting be
OF ak men have shot at ten targets each, or
sixty In all, in l minute and IL seconds.
or course tho greater number OF shots the
larger the profit to tho MANAGEMENT of tile
tournament, and rs a consequence the rapid fire
Is now the only system used at nearly all meet
lngs when targets are used. Besides, the lively.
rafting pace of a crack rapid firing squad at.
tracts the shooters, aud to that system may be
credited the large tournaments OF tho present
day, and the ability OF tho managers to offer
Inducements to shooters to come long distances
TO attend. Every year these inducements are
more attractive, and circuits. like the racing
circuits, have.been formed TO enable the shooters
III n IL etulrDAnlAn1D dir
During 1890 there Will be several OF these cir
cults: IN April commences what Is know as
The Western Spring Circuit, Atchison. Kan
Omaha, Neb.. and Joplin, Mo. The induce,
nents are 81 900 In each added to the sweep
stakes. The Grand Circuit commences In NAV
with IA mammoth affair. to be held on the Gut-
tenSnrg race track, In which four complete sets
OF nve traps each will he used, and 81. 600 in
cash added money. Following this the Memphis
nun Cino holds its annual meeting. $4,000 in
that also. Cincinnati follows with 81, 900, In.
dianapolis next with another large prjze list
and then Milwaukee,. sos"