Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-09-08
DIN BULL A SAM COMPETE

SE# ont Sept.
 o''""T, 1,ncle Sam and John Bull' 'n-
 len .a,ss O. tae best rife shots of Canada, 4 |3fl u'in7 rneland and the United
 usIi sates. assembled today at .ne ,,aase no' in MM q .a'es, ,nse, near Ottawa to engage Ill fe rane Sa+ional match for the Palma < Fophy. Teams of eight men the eaer agsre-
 '.osDnt opDyt the four countries the assle. x resen' constituting what is probably { \ sa a,'Jm most expert company Of % rlhlem9n :a : e .,er assembled. The Palma tropny lS
 yer ,n %s the hands of England's marks Q" u, ,''+ if appears probable that
 |bey will have to break all pfe''o''
 ecords to retain It.
 Tho Rockliffe range is one Of the
 .+ in the world for such a competl-
 The fire is delivered northeast
 s sftv targets set in one line. Be-
 ind the pit is high stop butt, paint
 sd black, which minimizes the enect
 pf the early morning light. Against
 his backstop the targets show up Svith great distinctness, insurlng Ngreat degree of accuracy. The firing Sno;nts lie one behind the other, the R1onger ranges being slightly elevated. eon the left is the Ottawa river' run ,inq at the foot of high bluff, while on the right the range is bordered with forests. Street cars run to the c1uh house on the grounds, making tbe range easy of access to the rifle men.
 The conditions of the Palma match nrovide for teams of eight men each, shooting with the service rifle of their country, fifteen shots at 800. 900 and GOO wards. Any ammunition suitable to the rifle is allowed.
 The contests for the Palma trophy have always aroused great deal of interest on both sides of the Atlantic. It was won by the British team in 1902. at Ottawa. In the following year the United States marksmen ob- tained possession of the trophy at Bisley, scoring 1,570 points against Great Britain's 1,555. Later the tro- phy was returned to the British team by the United States Association Of Ri1emen, owing to the fact that the American team had used a rifle bar rel with a special growing and not the service weapon of the United States army. Believing that they had committed a breach of the conditions Of the contest, the American marks men voluntarily returned the trophy for another contest
 The team from the United States, headed by Lieutenant Colonel N. B. Thurston, of New York, as captain is one of the finest bodies of marksmen ever selected for such a contest, and unprejudiced military au- thorities believe it has a good chance of winning the trophy Lieutenant Colonel Thurston has been captain of the rifle team of the New York state militia for many years, and has been successful in a number of interstate contests.
 The Canadian team is composed of the best riflemen in the Dominion, and they face their expert competitors from other lands with a confidence that is shared by many who have wit messed the men in practice.
 The British team has been selected from the best marksmen in the royal army, navy and volunteers and in- cludes the pick of English rifemen. 1t is under command of Colonel Hop ton, one of the greatest living match rifle shots. He has shot for England in the Elcho Shield competition twen- ty-two times, has won the gold jewel or the English VIII eight times and the Albert trophy three times. Major #. W. Richardson of the Northumber- ldhd Fuslleers is the shooting cap taln Immediately after the Palma competition the British team will jour- ney across the continent and on Sep- 1ember 13 will sail from Vancouver TOT Australia, where they will take part in friendly competitions at syd- ney before returning home. The Eng ilsnmen will be accompanied on the tourney by their Australian competi tors for the Palma cup.
 The Australian team is now home- ward bound on trip that will have extended completely around the world. The men left Sydney on May l4 and have since taken part in num- erous matches, their total winnings so uaf aegregating nearly $7,000. The re- cords of the team show it to be a dan sefous competitor for the Palma tro- pny' and there would be little sur- prise II the marksmen from the anti poaes won the prize. The team failed