Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-26
Navy Department Establishes
Station On Bank of the York
EiaAfMdAR
ON OLD WALLER PLANTATION
Marines Live Like Lords and Enjoy
Outing When Sent to the New Range
For Target Practice-eood Scores
Made.

~ Tho navy department has establish
Ell new rifle range for marines OH
the old Waller plantation, located Oh
the west bank Of. the York river, just
beyond Yorktown and within casy ac.
cess Gf the marines stationed at both
the Norfolk naval station and the ma
rine barracks at the Annapolis naval
academy.
Col. Waller, commander of The ma
rine guard at Norfolk and owner of
the old Waller homestead. personally
superintendent the work of construct
ing the range. which WAS done by a
detachment OF marines from tho Nor
folk navy yard. II Is said by naval
authorities that the new range is one
OF the finest and best equipped now in
use by the United States marine
guard
a miniature camp has also been cs-
tablished near the range on n jet of
land directly overlooking the waters
Of the York river. Near the camp are
the headquarters of Col Waller. An
artcsian VOL has been hured near the
comp and q StcriliZing apparatus
celanSes all of the water the marines
drink while nj the camp. The fond
stuHs fer the men are bought n, a
nearby farm and all supplies arc talk
Ell to the camp by naval tug from
the Norfolk navy yard a small pier
has been built out from the shore and
II is used as n landing place for tugs
and smaller boats
About every two weeks dctach
mcnt of about 80 marines is sent 10
til range from the Norfolk station ana
the men rcmain i'll camp. practicing
ut the range until The have made a
certain score with rifles and machine
guns, after which they are sent back
to Norfolk and another detachment re
liovcs them
The trip up to the range is locked
upon by the marines as an outing, for
they live better in the little camp near
Yorktown than thcv do in the bar
racks at Norfolk. Every thing at the
camp is in perfectly sanitary condi-
ton and the rations fed the marines
are far above the regular navy fare
The rifle range proper is one of the
hest in the United States II is a
thousand yards long, extending over
perfectly smooth ground, on which the
grass is kept cropped. There are two
targets projecting frcm trench ten
feet deep. While The practice is in
progress two men are stationed in the
trench as counters, First the marines
fire mt one target and nj Il signal from
the commander that target is lowered
in the trench. tho score cOuntcd, its
face reprinted and then it is set mp
again to he liroi at While the one
ta"gci is in the trench. the marines
fire Mt the othcr. which in turn is law
cred, counted and repainicd. The
range is equipped with an excellent
telephone system, used in giving dircc-
tons to The counters.
About 80 feet back of The targets is;
backing for balls. The backing is
made of pine logs n foot thick and is 81
2 feet high and 10 feet wide The face
Ct tho backing is covered with s!:cct
steel to stop all bullets which fail to
hit the targets.
The marines shoot AT the target nj
various ranges OF from 900 to 900
yards and IT is said that the dctacll-
mcnts which have been at tho range
have made remarkable scores
1t is probable that larger camp will
be made AT the new range and marines;
sent there from the naval academy as
well as the Norfolk navy yard.