Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-08
FINE RIFLE PRACTICE
Marksmen at Sea Girt Show
Skill With Their Arms.
NATIONAL MATCH ON
LEIGH CUP MATCH WILL BE CON-
CLUDED ON THURSDAY.
Little Tilt Between Gen. Harries and
Col. Laucheimer Over Methods
In Vogue.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

duce are competing here today In great
team military rifle match. which will not be
concluded until late tomorrow. 1t Is the
national match for a trophy and cash prizes
| provided by act Of Congress. The distances
are 200. &c., 600. 800, 900 and 1000 yards.
ten shots by each competitor at each range.
Service Rifles Used.
The United States service rifles and car
bines and the service cartridges manufac-
tured and issued by the ordnance depart
| ment, U. s. army are being used. The fir
ing today is over the 200, 600 and 6OO-yard
ranges. while tomorrow the 500. 800 and
1.O0O-yard ranges will be covered. The con-
ditions for the match were framed by the
practice appointed by the Secretary OF
| War. Officers Of the army and national
| guardsmen Of prominence are among the
unprecedentedly large throng of spectators
closely following the progress of the COM
| petition. All other target work has been
| suspended and more interest in the match
Is manifested than on any previous occa-
sion In the history of the Sea Girt range.
Day Opened Cloudy.
Although the day opened cloudy and damp
the conditions for firing are entirely salts
factory and high scores are anticipated.
Firing at the 2OO-yard stage began promptly
| at $50 o'clock.
The ammunition which Is being used today
| will demonstrate the accuracy of the new
smooth-bore bullet. which was recently or
dered for the national match, especially at
| the long ranges. The range officers in
charge of the range today issued the am
| munition direct to each competitor at the
| opening of the match In order that there
| would be no protest from an unfair source.
! A general complaint seems to exist on
the grounds concerning the manner in
| which the range is conducted. Economy on
| the part Of the executive officers in charge
Of the range appear to be the cause of the
| dissension which exists and which has
In past years money was appropriated for
| the purchase of stickers to paste over the
| bullet holes in the targets.
| Stickers Lose Time.
This year instead of using the stickers
| manufactured for this purpose, the boys in
| the pits have been supplied with strips of
| black and white paper and paste the stick
| ers on between shots. In this manner, it
| is claimed. considerable time is lost and
| the riflemen are delayed In the practice at
| tho targets much to their detriment.
| The demand for targets this year has
| been greater than ever. and those who pur-
chased tickets for matches on the opening
| day of the meet still have them in their
possession, being unable to obtain a target
| at which to shoot. The inability of indi-
| vtduals and visiting teams to get chance
| at practice has greatly hindered them, and
| captains have put their own men in the
pits in order to enable the men to get the
necessary practice.
To give an Illustration Of the interest
taken by the visiting riflemen from the
other states. Maj. David s. Chew of Penn
| sylvania has telegraphed for 5000 pastors
from Philadelphia for the national match
| in order that the targets may be pasted in
| the proper manner after the bullet has
| pierced It, as has been the custom Of the
association since Its organization. MAJ.
| Chew was highly complimented for his
act by his associates in camp.
Our First Victory.
The District boys scored their first VIC
tory yesterday by winning the skirmish
match. The match was interrupted by a
heavy shower Saturday about noon, leav-
ing several teams to finish the match yes
| terday morning before announcing the win
ming team.
The match was one Of the most exciting
ever known in skirmishing on the Sea
Girt range, and the fact that the District
boys from the I'd Regiment won the match
with big margin, demonstrates the Skin
mishing abilities of the members from that
command. The total score Of the six men
representing the I'd was 351, their near
est competitor being the team from the LIST
Regiment. District National Guard with a
score of 80.
| In winning this event the Hazard trophy,
valued at $3.50, becomes the property of
| wins the second prize of S25 cash. The
match was won in 1901 by the I'd Regiment
boys and again last year. this being the
| third successive victory Of the boys from
the District.
Weather Was Perfect.
The weather conditions were much bet
ter than Saturday, when the match was in
terrupted. and the fact that the weather
was threatening and a heavy mist hanging
| work Of the men all the more praiseworthy.
Both teams from the District finished be-
fore the heavy downpour Saturday. The
weather when the match was being finish
ed yesterday was perfect a bright sun
shining and comparatively no wind to pre-
| vent the other teams from landing good
scores on the targets.
The finish Of the other teams in the skir-
mish run are as follows: United States
Marine Corps. second team. BOG; United
States Marine Corps. first team, 200; LIST
New Jersey, 256; list Vermont, 221; 4th
New Jersey. 2O1; Pennsylvania Squadron.
100, and 9th Maryland, ITO.
A peculiar fact in connection with the
finish of the two teams from the District
Of Columbia Is that both teams were penal
lied ten points for firing before the sound
scores given above are with the ten points
deducted, and had the penalty not been
inflicted the lead over the other Compel
ing teams would have been even greater
Bugle Sounded Too Soon.
At the same time the District was in
curing the penalties the team from the
Marine Corps known as the second team,
filed protest Saturday with the executive
officer to the effect that the bugle was
sounded five seconds too soon on Its run.
In spite of the fact that the marines fired
every cartridge In their magazines the
protest was allowed. They ran again yes
terday and greatly improved their score
1t did not benefit them. however, as there
were only two prizes in this match. Had
their score in any way interfered with the
District score 1t Is quite probable a counter
protest would have been made against
them. or had there been more than two
prizes 1t is possible that one Of the other
teams would have entered protest against
the score of the second run. Two teams
from the state of New Jersey and one
from New Yorw, which did not run in the
skirmish on Saturday, withdrew from the
match yesterday.
Winning Roster and Scores.
The roster Of the winning team with their
Individual scores are az follows:
Lieut.. W. N. Farrow. Observation-Disclosures. 1is
| SaP1. SneriQan ferreo OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. n
| Ssva'a r. =. cue, "