The Washington times., 1905-08-28
SHOOTERS PROTEST
AGAINST THE DELAY
Want National Individual
Match Closed.
DISTRICT CHANCES IMPROVE
Lieutenant Colonel Re:chelderfer Press
ing Leaders Closely-Strong in
Rapid-fire Work.
DISTRICT CHANCES IMPROVE


SEA GIRT, N. J., Aug. 2s.-The
picked rifeman from the Army and
Navy. Marine Corps. West Point. and
twenty-nine States. who are competing
in the national matches. went to the
butts at $3.50 o'clock this morning under
unfavorabie light conditions, haze
hanging over the targets.
The contestants who had not finished
the 50o-yard rapid fire stage of the Ma
tional Individual match, went at that,
while those who had concluded that
continued the skirmishing begun Sat
urday.
Want Early Finish.
To close the individual match UP at
the earliest possible hour that the
National Team match may start, the
team captains have agreed to bar
from the second skirmish run all but
the ninety-six highest. For the na-
tiona1 match to start there is loud
call in camp 1t will take four days
at least.
Next Saturday comes the Dryden
match, in which most Of the teams
wish to compete. while the Hall match
is scheduled for Wednesday, The In
terstate Regimental and the Leech Cup
contests on Thursday. and the VIM
biedon on Friday, ard all these i'm
portant squadded matches are already
in the air, and not a few contestants
entered in them say they must leave
at the end OF the week.
The Districts chances of winning. or
getting a leading place in, the national
individual match improve as the con-
test progresses. With the rapid-fire
work Lieut--Col. L. H Riechelderfer
that stage. with only the skirmishes re-
manning. he is only nine points behind
the leader, Capt. G; II Corwin OF the
New York championship at the recent
Creedmoor shoot
Rapid-6re Chance.
At the end of the slow-fire stage
Colonel Reichelderfer ranked twelfth in
the list of Csc. and Private R. l.. Pile.
nineteenth. their respective scores be-
ing 17e and 10. while Captain Corwin
made 1Sz. But at rapid fire. and especial
ly on the 500-yard range. where the Dis
trict is always strong. Colonel Reichel
derfer jumped to fourth place. his As at
200 yards being beaten only by the IS of
Sergeant Smith of New York. In the sec
ond stage. Private Pile leaped from
nineteenth to eighth place. his total
score being 252. while Private Jackson
Morris came in sixteenth with go and
Sergt- w. NJ Farrow. jr-, nineteenth
In short in the first twenty at the
start of the skirmish and inal stage the
in the first twenty Considering the
fact that, without a range where they
can get hrst-rate practice, the District
less preparation than did the New
Workers or the army team. this result
Is highly satisfactory; And the fight
Bell, as the contestants were discuss
ing the contest yesterday. Wait and
see the District slirmish scores"
To Last All Week.
That the national team match will
not be finished before the end CT the
week, there Is little doubt Under this
long-drawn-out individual match a good
many of the State delegations. which
are here chiefly. of course. for that bat
tie royal, are getting restive-grumble-
some, in fact,
The experience of the committee of
the national board for the promotion
of rifle practice and the army officers
it has here running the national compe-
titfon, has apparently demonstrated one
thing-the need of a national rifle range
large enough to accommodate a tourna-
ment with teams competing from every
service, and conveniently located and
fully equipped as no range in the coun-
try now is. Just this need has been
referred to often here this year. not
to wait long for their turn to fire, but
by civilian and military visitors.
Fort Riley Too Small.
The Fort Riley range is the only one
in the country that comes near being
large enough to accommodate such an
army of contestants as marched into
the Sea Girt camp last week. but there
are disadvantages at Fort Riley, central
though its location is. For one thing,
the Government targets do not work
with the facility OF those targets the
National and the New Jersey Rifle AS
sociation have constructed here Fur
thermore, the camp comforts at Fort
Riley are not equal to those here, where
the grounds are conceded the finest IN
the country.
The District of Columbia representa-
favor of Washington or vicinity. and
with them side many representative
riefimen whose local prejudice might b'
expected to warp their judgment.
DIR. George Z. Cook, of Ostkdale, Md.
for a number of years a mainstay OF tbs
District team, and winner of all the
most important individual matches here
at one time or another, is in camp this
year as a guardsman again, but with
? the Marylanders and with the rank OF
captain. Captain Cook is coaching thI
Marylanders for the national match He
will also go after the honors again II
several of the individual matches.
Inc 0auOnal pistol fnatcn, WnlcH
set for l o'clock today, is open to mem
bers of the army, navy. Marine Corps
the organized militia. and the National
Rife Association and clubs affiliated
with II. which. by the way, have in
creased from forty to about seventy
five in the last year. The contest is q
slow, timed, and rapid fire. AT sloN
fire, the contestant has ten shots Given
~ seconds to a shot at seventy-fiy'
yards; at timed fire, ten shots Gwent.
seconds TO shot at fifty yards. an'
at rapid fire, ten shots teight seconds
TO each score of five shots) at fftee:
and twenty-five yards. At each rang
the shots are in scores of five. NJ
sighting shots are allowed. Two nun
d.ea and thirty dollars is offered 4
prizes. the first being SO and a gol
medal. For the highest aggregate scol
at each stage there are gold medals an'
cash prizes.
History of Match.
The winner of the National Pisto
match ar Fort Riley in 1904 was SerSi
H. Carey, of Troop L. Fifteenth Cav
airy His score was 236 out OF Il PCS
l-n A-..sF