The Washington times., 1902-08-14
This Years Contests to
Be of Unusual Interest
to MarkSrnen,
OTTAWA SHOOT POSTPONED
American Marksmen Glad of Change of
Date-GiveS Them Excellent Chance
to Recapture Palma Trophy, Won by
Canadians Last Year.
Especial to The Washington Times.)

Especial to The Washington Times)
SEA GIRT. y. j.. Aug. IS.-with the
annual shoot of the National and New
Jersey Rife Associations and the United
States Revolver Association only two
weeks away. the S2-target range at Sea
Girt this week has taken on very busy
air. For the tournament individual
rifemen from New York, New Jersey,
Washington. and Pennsylvania are al
ready here, practicing for the individual
matches. and by the end of next week
Gen. Bird W. Spencer, president of the
National Rifle Association and executive
officer of the range. expects the cracks
TO begin to arrive in large. numbers.
Most of the State teams have notified
him that they intend to put in about
weeks practice this year before the red
flags drop and the greatest of American
annual rifle tournaments opens on the
morning of August 29. The Massachu-
setts. Pennsylvania, and the United
States Marine Corps delegations will
reach the range on Monday, August %.
INTERNATIONAL SHOOI EUSlpVUSu.
The date of the international match
for the Palma Trophy, to be shot this
year at ottawa. Canada. by teams from
Canada, the United States, England, Au-
stralia. and New Zealand has been
changed, to the great satisfaction Of the
National Rife Association and the con-
testants who are seeking places on the
all-American team. The match will not
be shot on August %, as was at first
arranged. but on September 13.
This change, which was made at the
suggestion OF the Canadians because the
EngIishmen said they would be unable
to come so early, pleases- the United
States rinemen, because it gives them a
much better chance of recapturing the
trophy. which the Canadians handily
took out of the country last year for the
first time. The National Association will
now not have to pick its team until
after the tournament, and as a conse
quence it will have not about twenty
five, but from 125 TO $50 men to pick
from-men with the ten days tourna-
ment practice behind them. The Ma
tional Association was furthermore glad
TO see the match postponed, because the
candidates who have been working here
every Saturday during the summer have
not come up TO the championship mark.
The ten days tournament, however, will
bring out the very best material and
the Palma team win be picked Monday
evening. September 8. after a specia.
contest that day. The team will prac-
tice on Tuesday and Wednesday and
leave for Ottawa by special train, ac-
compGned by officers of the rife asso-
Citations, Thursday, September H.
Porto Rican Marksmen Entered.
Porto Rico is the latest entry into the
Sea Girt rife lists And IL is an entry
that is arousing much interest. when
The Porto Rico battalion asked to be
entered for the Hilton trophy match for
the $4,000 prize presented by the late
Henry Hilton, of New York, the officials
were in rather a quandary on what
grounds to admit them-whether as CO.
lonial troops from a foreign country or
as troops Of a territory of the United
States. They finally decided to enter
them as belonging 20 the United States
Army. On that ground the Porto Ricans
have also been entered for the interstate
military match open to teams or twelve
from the United states ARMY, Navy and
Marine Corps, and the national Guard
OF militia OF the States and Territories
and the District Of Columbia.
OF the nine States which, beside the
United States army (which for the first
time in the history OF the Sea Girt shoot
iii l. .
will compete in the 1902 tournament
one-Illinois-has withdrawn. The State
notified General Spencer this week that
lack Of funds would prevent the team
from coming. The competing State
teams viii be from New York, the Dis
triet of Columbia. Pennsylvaaja Mary
land, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts and
New Jersey. The Georgia Hussars OF
Atlanta, are also coming, and Missouri
may send a team.
To Improve Army Weapon.
Steps taken by the National New Jer-
sey Association toward perfecting the
rifing of the army weapon have ELECTED
warm commendation from the Ordnance
Department officials at Washington The
associations announce that for the pur-
pose of assisting, if possible, in the
perfecting the national arm and giving
an opportunity for testing the present
rifing they will this year admit to all
the individual matches, excepting the
Presidents, service rifles fitted with bar
rels by private makers, provided the bar
rel is capable Of using standard Govern
ment ammunition; and provided the
competitor describes in detail just how
his barrel differs from the Govern
ments: and provided that no change be
made other than those in the character
and pitch of the riaing, and that out
side dimensions, sights and prevailing
weight be retained. The entrance OF the
finest products of private makers will
naturally add an element OF decided in
terest 10 the contests.
The English system OF suuadded com
petition has been introduced this year
into several OF the large ufatcbes 70
make this change the ASSOCIATIONS were
forced by the increased Dymber of the
entries. In the Wimbledon cup. Pregi-
dents, Leech cup and Inspectors
matches the contestants must this year
shoot in pairs and at the scheduled time
or not al all.
Leach Cup Match
or the eight new matches added this
year to the FIVE contests OF the Ma
tional Rifle Association, none is enlist
ing quite SO much interest. as Indicated