The Portland daily press., 1901-01-11
SHOOTING Bv AID OF rELEscoPE

1he use Of the telescope as an aid TO
sharpshco.ipR will be an important factor
In the modern offensive taotics OF infan-
try. As far back as the civil war the
telescope mounted on a military rifle, did
deadly work at long range, though COM
paratively crude in construction. The
Improvement OF the rifle within recent
years has made the question OF telescope
sights much more important, the killing
range being far beyond the scope OF the
human eye. A man could be hit at q
distance of S,0.0 yards. Some OF the
wonderful shots made by the Beers are
to be attributed TO telescopes manfso'
tured by the Cataract Tool and Optical
Company OF Buffalo. About year age
this company mounted telescopes upon
several Mauser sporting rides in accord
anoe with orders from It's New York
agent. The company has since learned
that these rifles were shipped to south
Africa, and they 70 doubt are some OF
the weapons which have boen used so
effectively by the Beers at ranges OF 2 eco
20 5000 yards. 1t is recorded that In
several Instances officers and men in a
moving British column fell dead, pierced
with bullet holes, when no enemy was 10
be seen, an no shelter sufficient TO cover
men seemed within range of the tloops.
Like many others, the United States
army has taken up the subject. A test
OF the Cataract Company's sights has
been conducted at the armory here. The
tests were eminently satisfactory, the
deadly accuracy of the rifle equipped with
sights OF this description being perfectly
demonstrated. Ths result was an order
that six rifles be equipped with these
sights at Buffalo. These weapons have
been completed, and await the disposal of
the autho titles at the Buffalo factory. 1t
Is said that the Navy Department ordered
q small number for a test OF their efii-
cheney in actual service upon the battle
ships and cruisers. 1t is surmised that
the army rifles will go to the Philippines.
While 1t is very possible that one or two
of these telescopic rifles Will be provided
for each company for emergencies, Ii is
hardly probable that any considerable
percentage of the men will be armed
with the wearon. Even in its present
improved form, 1t Is necessarily rather
cum bersome instrument. 1t would be
continually disarranged by the yicissi-
tudss of the service, ands In fact. would
bs both too uoftonte and cumbersome to
be or general use. In the navy the tele-
scope mas been ussd for years in aiming
Kuuas TUT bnlb q l&tIkc anu UuulDcEbbIuC
instrument can te used. 1t Is held at the
side OF the plece in small bracket, aud
at the instant of firing is removed from
the bracket, SO that the reooil OF the gun
Will not shatter the instrument. This
telescope magnitles from one end one
half to three diametsrs. The telescope
furnished to the army and navy for SER
vice rifles magnities eight diametsrs,
weighs less than one pound, is impsrvious
to water and dust, and Is not at all Affect
ed by the sharp recoil Of the gun. 1hs
authorities at the armory are greatly
pleased with 1t. The field of vision is
very large ana free from ohromatic aber-
rations. The illumination is so perfect
that In the night the telescope affords a
m uch better vision than the naked eye.
p The employment Of smokeless powder
in military guns has opened the way TO
the adaptation of the telescope to them.
A great advantage gained in using the
telescone In shooting is the elimination Of
the Opaque or metallic forward sight,
which increases IN apparent diameter as
the distance bstween the mafksmsn and
the target Increases, often more than COW
ering the entire object at long ranges
The principle OF the rifle telescope is the
same as that employed by the surveyor,
who, through the medium of his teIe-
scope, equipped as 1t Is with delicate
GRO ss-hairs, Is enabled TO make accurate
observations when sighting upon objects
at great distances. Springfield Repup Bill
can, January 2.