The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-14

Gt0Ss0eo0coOoo60oc0cosrot000.
Soaring aloft from the mouth of the
mortar, which with a snap, followed by
a hoarse cough emitted the flying shell,
twenty-five times yesterday morning
did projectiles weighing something like
twenty pounds EACH have a try at
floating target moored 1000 yards off
shore, Tt was the usual practice firing
of the two artillery companies station
ed at Camp Mckinley, and the use of
the SO inch field mortars brought into
play the best craftsmanship that has
been reached by the men and officers.
Tt was the second days shooting,
though only eight of the thirty shots
to which the command is entitled were
fired during Monday afternoon, and the
practice was fine, the solid shot and
the shrapne1 alike being sent in the
majority of cases where damage would
have been done to any fair sized OBJ
ject placed in the stead of the small
finely, the elevation secured and the
time of flight adjusted, so that there
was substantial damage being done to
the target when the end of the shooting
came with the finishing of the allow
ance, and the officers were compelled
to close their very interesting expert
ments just as they and the men alike
were being warmed up to their work.
The practice shoot was carried
through on the Beach road about 500
yards Waikiki of the pumping station,
the mortars being placed on the sea
beach edge of the road. Before the
working of the small guns was COM
menced the range was secured A base
line of 700 yards was laid out and con-
nected with a telephone line. Transits
were placed at either end and their
angles gave the location of the target, |
establishing the distance. The target
was a carefully prepared article as we'll
There was hoated on four barrels
pyramid of tilnbers covered by canvas,
the base line being ten feet and the
height being nine feet. This was an
chored so that it had a free swing of
forty feet of line, and the result was
a constant rolling about which made 1t |
impossible to squarely strike the tar
get though on more than one occasion
schrapnel shots riddled the canvas COW
ering once tearing an entire side away.
When the firing commenced the tran
sits were used for the purpose of locat- |
ing the shots, which in turn were plat
ted on a large sheet. The stations being
located arbitrarily the angle of obser-
vations of the officers stationed at eth
er end being set down, and the lines
continued, the crossing of the lines
showed the exact dropping point of the
shell and the result being communi- |
Gated to the officer in charge of the
practice, indicated just how far it would
be necessary to go to one side or FUR |
Their or closer, so as to ensure better
strike. The officer in charge yesterday
was Capt. Douglass, recently attached
to Camp Mckinley. Lieut. Newton ana
Lieut.. Behr were the observers, Lieut.. |
Robinson was in charge of the plating
of the shots, and Lieut.. Jones had I'M
der his control the squads Of the 67tf
Company, while Lieut.. Corrupt was Il
command of the Seth Company men.
Lieut.. Davis, the camps staff officer,
was on hand as well.
1t was not long after daybreal when |
the little squad which was left in con-
troll of the guns over night got about
and cleared up everything in readiness
for the days work. Eight o'clock found |
them expectant, for that was the hour
set for the commands to move from
Camp Mckinley and soon after Lieut. |
Behr appeared, followed in a few min
utes by the others of the officers, the |
men being marched down in a fewi
minutes. under command of the ser
geants. There was deal of time lost |
owing to the telephone being put out i
of commission so as to be in companyI
with other similar systems of the city.