Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-04-13

 tensive target ranges at the navy sta. ton at Guantanamo, Cuba. This year the small arms target practice has been of unusual interest to the en. listed men. both bluejackets and ma rines. They have been firing with the small arms and the pistol, and the competition has been keen. The ships crew making the best showing will receive one of two new cups. large sill. yer emblems, which have just been adopted by the bureau of navigation as annual trophies for superiority on the target range with the small arms. The other cup will 90 to the ship mak- ing the best score in the new Peci1c fleet.
 The target range at Guantanamo has been greatly improved in the last year. A shelter house has been built there Tor the men, and it is proposed to build . similar structure for the use of the officers. Telephones have been in. stalled, together with the telegraph.
 The navy department possesses un. surpassed facilities for conducting tar. get practice for boat guns, small arms, and Gthree-inch field pieces, at the naval station at Guantanamo, regarding !. which establishment navy officers who have visited the place express them. selves with much enthusiasm.
 The ranges extend from the south shore of Granadilla bay to near the army boundary line in the Cuzco hills. The boat gun ranges consist of regu- lation targets on rafts moored on the edge of the mangroves on the south shores of Granadilla and Guantanamo bays, in sufficient. depth of water for a steam launch to go alongside. and lo- 'cated so as not to interfere with one another or with any firing that may be going on at ranges on shore, or with traffic in the bay; huoys, properly marked, are placed at 400 and 500 yards. There are now four such tar gets in place, and this number has been found sufficient for the fleet this year. There is room for as many more as may be desired.
 3 The artillery range has two targets, at 900 and 1.2o0 yards. respectively. located at the foot of the Cuzco hills. and so placed as not to interfere with firing elsewhere on any other range. Trails have been cut for communica. ton from firing points to targets and marked by signboards. Pits for mark CTS will probably be constructed. The landing for this range is placed SO as to be most quickly reached from the ships. The endeavor in laying out the rife and pistol ranges was to take the fullest advantage of the natur. al features of the land to meet the present and future needs of the serv- ice. to make 1t safe to fire at all ranges simultaneously and without interfer. ence. This has been done successfully. the intervening hill between the two ranges making it safe to fire at all distances on one range without danger or interference with the other.
 There are, therefore, two principal ranges. located in two adjacent val leys: the first range of two butts. a eo0-yard. with Is '.B" targets placed at the standard distance of Is feet be- tween centers. and a 1.00o-yard butt, with five "C- targets placed at the standard distance of 22 feet between centers. 1t is believed that these two butts. or these ranges. will accommo- date all the men who will qualify in the service for these higher ranges for years to come and for practicing for team matches. The second range con sists of two butts. with a single firing line. arranged in echelon. one butt with no "A" targets. 300 yards from the firing line. the other 200 yards from the firing line. with 50 "A tar gets. the aring line being interrupted between the two butts by a hummock whose position tas been taken advant- age of to cut a trench from firing line to butts for communication. a matter Of great importance. especially where the markers are inexperienced and have 10 be changed freS1erfly. Both the rIo and so butts were located pr;- marily. as stated. igor firing at 20 and 800 yards. but each of these butts is available for about half its length for ranges up to 1.eee yards by dropping h.rE