The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-24
COL. CANN TALKS OF TARGETS.
Will Probably Retire From the Cap
tafncy of COmDany G.

Will Probably Retire From the Cap
taincy of Company C.
Col. George t. Cam, member of the
team of the Savannah Vol
unteer Guards, who attended
the matches at Sea Girt. returned
from New York yesterday. on the steamer
Chattahoochee. A pleasant trip, with
but a few exceptions, is reported by Col.
Cam. Not desiring to return to Savan-
nah at once, after the matches weresover,
he spent sometime in New York and Penn
sylvania.
In speaking of the targets used at Sea
Girt, and improvements which had been
suggested upon them, Col. Cam said to
Morning News reporter:
The targets used at Sea Girt were
those recently adopted for use in the reg
ular army. The old bulls eye being rep
resented for two and three hundred yards,
by the silhouette of a man lying down,
resting on his elbows and aiming at the
marksman. AT five and six hundred yards
1t was represented by the silhouette of a
man, kneeling and aiming at the marks
man.
THE object in adopting these targets
was to prevent the men from shooting
high, this being always the tendency in
actual service. But the general opinion
at Sea Girt seemed to be that these tar
gets would have just the opposite effect
from that desired, because the bulls
eye or figure, was placed in the bottom
of the target. The man who shot low
made miss, while the man who shot
well above the figure, scored as high as
three at two and three hundred yards,
and as high as two at five and six hun
dred yards
80
Sea Girt, who were interested in rifle
practice, seemed also to be that these tar
gets would discourage expert shots, be-
cause the bulls eye was larger, and high
er scores could therefore be made by
poorer shots.
ITO obviate these evils, a target was
suggested by Gen. Spencer, inspector of
rifle practice for the state of New Jer-
sey. His target was similar to that
above explained, but with these sugges-
tons: A white collar, about two inches
wide around the mans neck, which would
make the head of the figure about the
same size as the bulls eye of the old tar
get, that is eight inches. There is also a
white band, six inches wide, extending
below the figure, which enabled the
marksman to make low shot, and yet
not be counted miss. Above the head,
and to prevent shooting high, the target
was divided, SO as to give very
small count, for shot above
the figure. This target, it was
thought by Gen. Spencer could be adopted
by the army board and still retain the sill
houettes, yet overcoming the objections to
them.''
Capt. Cam was appointed inspector gem
| eral of rifle practice for Georgia by Gov.
Atkinson, about three weeks before he
left for Sea Grit This appointment gives
him the rank of colonel on the governor s
staff. Had he qualified at once, it would
have prevented his entering the matches
as a member of the Guards battalion team,
or of his own company team. He, there
fore, asked permission of Gov. Atkinson,
at the strong solicitation of the members
of Company c of the Guards, that his quail
flying to the new position be deferred I'M
til after the matches at Sea Girt in order
that he might not be barred from entering
Speaking of his new position, which he
incidentally stated would probably neces-
state his giving up the captaincy of Com
pany c, of the Savannah Volunteer
Guards Col. Cam said that the trip he
had taken to Sea Girt would be of inesti-
| mable value to him. He had been afford
| ed the privilege of familiarzng himself
with matters of rife practice, which would
aid him in the administration of the af-
| fairs of his new office.
Col. Cam preferred not to discuss at
| present the matter of retiring from the
captaincy of Company C of the Guards.