Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-04
0UHNERa AT WORK
courage and endurance. No matter
what the test. the sailors Of Uncle Sam

1UNyERa AT WORK
and endurance No matter
what the test. the sailors Of Uncle Sam
are up to date. U
The reason of this is not hard to find.
Take the regular navy, or the regular
army, and target practice with all sorts
of weapons is a main feature OF the
education at Annapolis and West
Point. The young officer who enters
either branch OF the service carries in
to it a deadly and trained precision in
the use Of the guns, and the navy and
the army bear the mark Of efficiency
impressed on those who command
them The COO; head and the clear eyeare
the main ingredients, and when found |
in combination are trained to the high
est notch of accuracy. GuHners are born
not made. is a very old remark. but, tr.
a sense, a very true one, and the gun.
ners of our navy are picked for their
work from the ablest men of the crew
! in that line Target practice at An
napolis is very frequent. In addition
| to the broadsiue practice with the
larger suns il Gassaaaasissaax, prizes
IiSfe given to t1rst-c1ass men who Dt>
come most expert with rapid-firing
guns in rough and smooth water These
they learn to handle with amazing &C.
curacy There is also rife practice AZ
the butts. from 100 TO 600 yards, and
whole companies are exercised in vol
leys Hence, there is not an ensign
in our navy to-day who has not been
made a master at the guns before he
leaves his naval homo on the Severn.
He is capable of taking a raw crew and
converting the men into experts ilts
himself. and only the best are finally
placed i'll charge of the guns. Carry
out this regimen on board of every
warship that flies the flag, and the Au-
perior g,lnnery OF the navy can be IN
derstood
Take the native American blood, aud
} its expert gunnery can be accounted
for by the law OF Inheritance Our
forefathers, who prowled the woods for
game. and had Indians to dodge, wele
obliged to be marksmen if they w:tr1cd
to live. The old squirrel gun Of me
Revolution and the rifle of the stui jy
pioneer of the West We're simply the
forerunners of the magnificent g,lnnery
seen in the army and navy to-day
Blood will tell. The gun has been oar
native weapon since the republic was
born. When the gallant band that de-
Tended the Alamo in 1886 was butcher
J ed to a man by the Mexicana under
Santa Ana, they left four times their
number of the enemy dead on the field
The last to fall was the immortal Davy
Crockett, and when he faced his foes
.sAI L az ! A.. 4
was completely encircled by bodies Of
the Mexicans W. had slain with his pta~
tol.-New York Mail and Express.
Has Nh Extensive Knowledge OF Alaska
Many years residence in Alaska Ian
made Mrs. Brady, wife Of the COVER
: nor, familiar to R. great many facts IN
known to the general public Her eY-
> tensive knowledge OF Territorial at
: fairs was brought to the notice OF Il
;. publisher during recent visit paid by
him to Washington. Mrs Brady was
. then at the capital. The publisher sug-
: gested that she put her knowledge into
: book form, and Mrs. Brady has about
: consented to undertake the work. In
this she will receive great assistance
from the governor, who has also lived
S long in the land Of gold and seals l,
Il is not generally known that Mrs. Brad,
= was missionary in Alaska when she
8 first met her husband there twent,
n years ago. She is devoted mother
and during her trip to Washington re-
J. Gently visited the national congress O
is Fmothers. attending early every session
She is a charming and unaffected wo
man, whose heart is evidently divided
Nctwcen her childre.:.
,t Marketable Autographs.
The autographs of most people are c
little value unless signed to a chez
that is backed UP by bank account Q
70 attached to Il deed or note secured b
m property At recent sale Of theatrics
at relics, however, certain autograph
sold at prices ranging from 81 to 50
he An autograph letter written by tt
M great English actor Edmund kean sol
for $40, while letter written by Free