The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-29
RANGE NEEDED
FOR RIFLE SHOOT
NATIONAL MEET IN SAVANNAH.
AYR. II. f. WILSON TALKS OF INCL
DENTS AT TT. RILEY SHOOT.

Georgia Team Did as Well rs Ex-
pected. Being without Practice
and with some of Best shots Alb
sent-Dr. +. &. Wilson Secured
Prize for Individual Marksman-
ship-NcAt shoot Would Come to
This City Provided Range Were
Notwithstanding Teams Had
Much Practice.
First TO run from the rife shoot at
FIT Riley among the Savannah men
was Mr. II. Z. Wilson. whose brother,
DR.. F. {. Wilson. won one of the in
dividual prizes the latter part of the
week.
Other members of the team expected
to stop at st. Louis to visit the Worlds
Fair but as there was delay of
several hours at that city on the way
to Fit Riley, Mr. Wilson spent that
time at the exposition, and was thus
enabled to come directly home. He left
before the close of the shoot at FIT.
Riley.
There We're twelve men in the
Georgia team who took part in the
shoot" said Mr.. Wilson yesterday in
discussing the trip. lowing to the
large number Of teams that wanted to
use the range we had very little OPP
portunity to sight our guns at the diff
ferem ranges.
The New York team, which stood
first, had been using the Creedmore
range all the year. The army, navy
and marine corps teams had been
praoticing on the army ranges, and at
Creedmore for two months. The Dis
trict Of Columbia team, which was
next to those named in the list of win
ners. also had practice on the Creed
more range
Georgia without Range.
so far as the Georgia team was
concerned. the Savannah men have
been without a range of any kind and
hence could have no practice. The
team did as well as we expected and
made nearly as good a record as last
year. Some of the best shots did not
go. partly l suppose because they could
not make arrangements in the time
given.
The shoot itself was conducted in
a most satisfactory way. An album
dance of officers were on hand to score
for every target. In addition to the
range officers, there were many Unit
ed States officers to decide all con-
tested points. The scoring was done
by n-commissioned officers at every
target. There was an officer to every
two targets in the pits.
New Jersey Protested.
THE New Jersey team. under Capt.
E4.s 1.s.I FaWnfa IN inc
by reason of the slow marking. re-
sulting from the wind at one of the
contests. and the eighty-three addi-
tional points made after the time was
up were deducted from the total. This
caused the only protest during the
shoot.
THE shooting began each morning
promptly at o'clock. There were
nineteen teams in the contest, with
twenty-eight targets at all the ranges
up to 1000 yards Some of our teams
only got five shots at a sportion Of
the targets for preliminary practice.
An innovation was introduced in the
rapid fire and skirmish fire. The rapid
fire was at 200 yards, standing, and
500 yards lying down. The slow fire
was at 200. 500 800 and 1000 yards. For
each distance in slow and rapid fire.
there were ten shots, and twenty shots
at skirmish fire.
THE skirmish fire differed from the
old style, the fire being at known dis
tances. and a certain number of shots
at each halt. There were six halts
going down and none back. For the
first two halts there were two shots
each, and for the next two there were
three shots each, and five shots at
each of the two last halts. Thirty sec
onds were allowed at each halt, except
the last, when twenty seconds were al
lowed.
Get shoot 10 Savannah.
1T is my opinion that with a range
I'm Savannah we can easily get the
shoot here next year. Fort Riley was
too far West. The majority of the
teams interested are from the Atlantic
states, and it would be much more con-
venient to come South. Many inquir-
les were made of the Georgia team
about range facilities at Savannah.
IF Savannah is fortunate enough to
get the shoot, it would mean the pres
ence of more than a thousand visitors,
including perhaps 500 officers of the
United States army. Spending a week
to ten days here, it is easy to figure the
advantages to be derived.
The old range at Savannah has been
. bandoned, AZ the Krags, which arc
used exclusively, carry too far. The
Savannah men are thus without a
place to practice and unless they get
a new range canuot. of course, get,
the shoot. There is no such range i'm
Georgia.
THE old range was in echelon, or
Ger. and had a common firing point.
The proposed range would have about
thirty targets at 1000 yards. and could
also be arranged in echelon order.
when desired, though the national shoot
would require the targets in line.
THE shoot at Fort Riley was a most
pleasant event and will, / believe, still
further encourage the rifle practice I'm
different states. With the next shoot
at Savannah. ] am sure that more
states would participate and an in
creasingly large crowd would be pres
emit
Savannah needs new range. and
even for the first year would get "a
big reward for its establishment. not to
mention future events OF the kind"
ElPCT CuIp nE NEW IME