The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-26
RANGE PLEASED HIM
CAPT. CONEY DESCRIBES WORK OF
THE MACON MILITARY.
MARKSMEN FROM SAVANNAH
WILL FIND POINTS OF DIFFER
ENCE FROM THEIR RANGE.


Capt. Conveys Description viii BE
Interesting to the Savannah Mill
tary. as Every Company Here viii
Send Team to Participate in the
ShoOt-Arrangement of the Butts
Buildings and n Pumping Plant
Macon Have Manifested a Great In
tereSt in the Event.
That the people of Macon are thor
cughly enthusiastic over the State
Rifle Shoot and Camp of instruction,
and are going to fulfill all promises
made to the Governor, when that city
was selected, there seems absolutely no
doubt Capt Walter Z. Coney who Wis
tied the range while in Macon Satur-
day, in company with Capt. Robert C.
Hazlehurst who has been working like
& beaver for it's success, paints a glow
ing picture of the range and its en-
YiTonments.
The range. Capt Coney said, is
about as far from the downtown sec
ton of Macon, as is the Avondale
range from Savannah, and is directly
on the line of the Bellevue extension
of the Street railway just above the
range is the Log Cabin Club. and ad-
joining the range, and Dillons dairy.
The country around the range is roll
ing and win present a pleasant pic
ture to the eyes of the marksmen.
The land upon which the range is
being constructed is the property OF
the county and is loaned for its pres
ent use tree of expense. Very little
grading is required to make the range
perfectly lovely and its surface is en-
trely covered with grass, as will be
the butts, upon which grass is now be-
ing sodded, in order to make them
more durable.
'Savannahians," said Capt Coney,
VIII be struck with the immensely of
these butts, which are being built
very high to prevent wild shots
from doing serious damage in the
country beyond. The 500 and 60O-yard
butt will be over 56 feet high and of
great length. The butts are now being
completed by convict labor. The Ma
con range is not so wide as Avondale.
and therefore the arrangement of the
butts and firing points is somewhat
different portions of the same butts
being used for 200 and 800 and the 500
and 600 yards also using one butt, the
DGtts beng constructed very wide for
this purpose
All the targets at each range can
be used and the skirmish run at the
same time, but the men firing at the
various ranges are almost side by side,
and the butts about one hundred and
ten yards behind the 200 and 500 yard
targets, but the customary distance
from the 800 and 600-yard targets. Ev-
cry marking pit will be connected with
the respective firing point by a separ-
ate system of telephones. One fine
point is that the sun is never behind
marksmen or targets
The contractor will start at once
TO erect the necessary buildings, and
some idea of their permanency and
size can be formed from the fact that
their cost viii be very near 81, 900
There will be an electric pumping sta
ton. which will lift the we'll water ia
a .600-gallon tank. the current for
which will be supplied free of expense
by the Street railway company: bath
houses; house for ordnance and for
administrative purposes, and an open
mess hall capable of seating 400 per-
sons at once. The mess hall is right
back of the 500-yard firing point, and
when not in service will be used as a
point of observation by the many Ma
conites who will watch the shooting
and visit the camp. While those named
are the principal buildings there will
be others, such as are used at a per-
manent camp.
Tire camping ground contiguous and
a portion of the range tract
are ample for the needs and
the situation and water supply
most healthful. There is plenty of
ground available for guard mount,
drills. etc, and If music other than
feld music, is wanted to enliven the
camp, an excellent band is available
in Macon.
Col. CAMS idea of combining gen
eral camp instruction with that of rifle
practice will doubtless prove very ben
eficial as well as popular. AS has
been stated before, Macon raised 81
900 for the camp expenses and the bulk
of the hard work is now over. AS evil
dencing the general interest in the
camp. it may be stated that the Mayor
and president of the Chamber of Com
merce, served as chairmen of subscrip-
ton committees in raising the neces-
sary funds Capt. Coney found the
officers in and around Macon very ia
Vorable to Savannah's big contest, and
feels sure that many teams will attend
here If the desired railroad rates can
be secured.
Every company in Savannah will
send a team of five men to the shoot
at Macon, and, for this reason, the de-
scription that Capt. Coney gives of the
range will be found of interest by all
the military men here. There will
moreover, be number of Savannah Of
ficers assigned to duty at the range
as instructors. Col Cam. inspector
general of rifle practice, will choose
the officers to assist him in this work