Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-20
MILITARY ATHLETICS
ANNUAL DRILL ON PARADE
GROUND AT FORT MYER.
Six Events Scheduled and Useful
Prizes Offered-Exercises Be-
gin at O'Clock

The troops at Fort Myer will hold their
annual military athletic exercises on the
main parade ground of the post Thursday
afternoon beginning at 9 o'clock. providing
the weather is favorable. The meeting will
include six events. and some useful prizes
will be distributed among the contestants
who will be enlisted men of the cavalry.
artillery and signal corps detachments sta
toned at Fort Myer The arrangements
were made for the meeting to be held last
Saturday. but owing to the heavy rains of
the week previous and during the days just
preceding that set for the meeting, the
ground was in such condition that it could
not be held, and postponement was noted.
as stated in The Star Thursday afternoon.
The troopers and artilerymen have been
training for the meeting since the date
was set for It, The first feature will be a
relay race of 400 yards 300 yards and re-
turn. The men will be fully equipped for
the race. and will endeavor to show service
conditions nearly as possible
TenC pegging will be shown in the second
event. the contestants being mounted. The
object to be attained in the tent pegging
match is to pull out all the pegs set in the
course, which will be ninety yards long.
The pegs will be pulled up with the point
of the saber or on the end of lance. An
exhibition of artillery driving will be given
as the third event. This will be in the
form of race for artillery carriages. and
the drivers will be required to take their
horses between stakes and over various
other obstacles. The distance between the
stakes through which the carriages will
be driven is set at eighty inches.
The Rescue Race.
one of the most interesting features of
the meeting will be the rescue race, which
will be the fourth event on the program
The race will be two hundred yards and
return. In this race dismounted men sta
tion themselves two hundred yards from
the starting point, and after firing a few
rounds are represented to be in a pre-
car1ous condition. Mounted rescuers then
start after the dismounted men from the
starting point, and the winner of the race
Is the rider who first brings in his man
from the field. The prizes for this race
are usually divided between the two men,
The race is very exciting and is somewhat
In the nature of a sham fight, blank cart
ridges being used without stint. creating
noise and smoke enough to please the most
eXacting.
humorous event will be the mounted
potato race. which will be run off as the
fifth number the program. In this
race the men will be mounted bareback and
Will be required to dismOunt and pick up
the potatoes that will be distributed over
the course The contestants are required
to bring in every one of the potatoes thus
picked up, and as the men frequently drop
the vegetables great deal of amusement
IS created by the constant stopping and
diSmounting.
Spectacular Event
The last event will be mounted melee
in which all the men will participate 1t
will be spectacular event and very in
teresting. Special arrangements have been
made SO that cars will be run from the
south end of the Aqueduct bridge every
ten minutes after 30 o'clock The meet
ing Will be managed by the officers of the
cavalry and artillery stationed at Fort
Myer as follows: Referee, Captain l.. NJ.
Brett I'd Cavalry; judges, Captain Clark.
Lieutenant Parker, Lieutenant Pike, I'd
Cavalry; starter, Lieutenant J. w. Moore.
I'd Cavalry; clerk of the course, Lieutenant
Carpenter, 4th Field Battery; marshal Cap
tain Foote, 4th Field Battery; scorer, Lieu
tenant Smith, I'd Cavalry; distributor of
prizes, Lieutenant Martin, ID Cavalry:
committee of arrangements, Captain Trout,
Lieutenant Eby, Lieutenant Taulbee. I'd
Cavalry.