The evening times., 1899-11-13
4 FRIGHT IN ARC7URUS
virginians Arc sci by Some Care
less Target Practice.
seven-Inch Shells From Fort Foote
Miss Farmers at WOrk-COmpIaints
Made to the War Department by
Those Who Were Endangered.

That some ten or twelve people who live
at Arcturus, Va, have not been fatally
! mangled or MANNED for life by finch
shells fired last week at target practice by
the artillerymen at Fort Foote, is marvel.
they say.
Last Wednesday, Thursday. and Friday,
Finch shells, twenty-one inches in length,
and weighing ninety-odd pounds flew pro-
miscuously in and around the farms OF
Capt. w. H. Snowden, the postmaster at
Acturus; W. C. Van Nuys, Stacey Snow
den, and ]. H. Zimmerman. doing more or
| less damage to the horses and barns, cut
ting off limbs of trees, and piowing up
the earth but, fortunately, no one was
injured. However. it gave fright to the
recDle and the farm stock from which they
have not yet recovered.
These farms are within 100 yards Of each
hills overlooking the Potomac River, and
in an almost direct line of the target
ct which the artillerymen OF Fort Foote,
| a little over two miles distant TO the south,
were engaged in practice. The target,
| which consisted of two old oil barrels with
| piece of white canvas attached, was made
| fast to a stake in the river about 200 yards
north of Captain Snowden's place and in
| line with his house on the hill.
| Last Wednesday noon Captain Snowden
was picking apples in his orchard whsn,
without a moments notice. as he sald
to a Times reporter, Il heard shriil
whistling sound and saw a shell go hust-
lin COVER the tree under which l STOOD
About fifty yards to the southwest the
| she'll tore away the top limbs OF an apple
tree, continued in its mad flight for some
seventyfive yards in the same direction.
took a downward course and plowed a
hole in the ground large enough to bury
man. 1t then made another squirt OF
about a hundred yards, again plowed
small furrow and landed about ten feet
from the dividing line on Mr. Van Nuy's
place.
Il felt just like hunter who has shot
his deer and went in search OF the shall
which l found without difficulty. This all
happened in less time than it takes to tel
it. With the help OF one OF the men on
the farm, we brought the shell to the
house, and there it is added the captain.
The shell seemed in perfect condition
except for some dust which had been
ground into the grooves of the rifiing band
as a result of its contact with the earth
On one side of the shell were the figures
654. From the centre of the base protruded
the head of brass bolt. At the top o. the
bolt were the letters IF. A." under this
was the letter a and then 1896"
On Thursday similar shell is said 10
have sped over the house of Captain Snow
den 1t ricochetted for nearly 400 yards.
striking the stone wall of the stable on
J. II. Zimmerman's place, glancing of
without exploding, and was picked up by
the young men who were at work some ten
feet from the stable. Several shells ex-
ploded Thursday said Mr.. Van Nuys, but
at what point it could not be determined.
A fragment of shell went through the
upper part OF his house, tearing hole in
the wall large enough for a cat to climb
through. He found the fragment. which
weighed nearly five pounds, a few feet
south of his home On Friday at noon
shell exploded about 800 yards from Stacey
Snowden's house, the fragments flying in
all directions. One piece tore away several
feet of the caves on the wagon house; an
other went through the top of the hem
house. frightening the chickens and seat
tering them in every direction. None were
killed, however. Just few minutes before
the piece of shell struck the wagon house
the son of Mr.. Zimmerman was at that
point unloading barrel of cider. An
other piece OF shell fell in front of the
dining-room, giving terrible shock to the
O.
she is still suffering. Perhaps the most
remarkable escape was that of Stacey
Snowden and j. H. Zimmerman. They
were talking near the barn on the lat
ter's farm. probably $50 yards from the
formers place. when, they say, piece
of shell weighing four pounds whistled be-
tween them and buried itself in the ground
eight feet away.
BY this time the people on Snowden's,
Van Nuys, and Zimmerman's farms were
terribly disturbed. They did not know at
what moment those 7-inch shells would |
come among them and explode without |
warning.
J. C. Phelt who lives on Captain Snow |
den's place. called Lieutenant Johnson's |
attention to this serious matter. and re-
quested that he wire the authorities at |
Fort Foote and have the target practice,
which was endangering the lives and prop
erty of the people around them, stopped. |
The lieutenant said he could not communi- |
cate with Fort Foote. because there was I
no wire there from Fort Hunt. where he
is stationed. but he would telegraph to
Washington This warning, it is said, was
given on Thursday, but without effect. On
Friday evening. Therefore, heroic measures
were resorted to. Mrs. Kittie Snowden and
several young men entered a boat and
rowed to where the target was stationed. |
They cut the rope which held the barrels,
and towed them ashore.
Saturday morning Theodore L. De Land,
of the Treasury Department, at the re-
quest of Captain Snowden, went to the
War Department, and entered formal
At first the officials were dis
posed to treat the matter lightly, but when
Mr.. De Land pointed out the seriousness
of the situation. he was assured by Major
McNally and Assistant Adjutant General
Gilman that the matter would receive
prompt attention. Notwithstanding this as
surance, however, Stacey Snowden says
that on Saturday six shells were fired at
the old piers of the abandoned Collinswood
wharf. which is several hundred yards of
to the south of his home. One of the
shells exploded almost in front Of his
house, and the conclusion was so great
that it caused at least three feet of plas-
ter to fall from the ceiling of the room on
the top floor.
A Times reporter called at the War De-
partment and made enquiry concerning the
target practice. Chief Clerk Scoville and
Major McNally were not inclined to give
any information on the subject. and when
the major was informed that Captain
Snowden had found a 7-inch shell
which had been fired from Fort Foote the
major smiled, and said he did not think
1t could be shell, that it was more likely
a meteor.
Unless the dangerous target practice is