Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-25
Evans Rushing
Target Practice.


renorts from MagdaIena bay tell of
ranid progress being made by the 16
ha.,Ieshps of Rear Admiral Evans
command, toward the completion OF
their record target practice. All Of the
firing so far has been at range OF
1900 Yards and at stationary targets
and II is not believed that there will
he change either of range or char
acter of target during the remainder
of the practice. The practice will be
strictly limited to record work at 1900
yards.
The practice has been under way for
more than III days. Sundays being in
Guided I'm the rush to finish as early
IA possible. Another 10 days it is be-
ljeyed will see the conclusion of the
range work and then will follow pc
Rod Of coaling and cleaning up for the
fetes along the hospitable shores OF
California.
According to present plans as an
nornced by Admiral Evans, the fleet
will leave Magdalena at daylight on
the morning of April II, just one month
to a day from the time of arrival there
and anchor off Coronado beach at 20
p. NJ, April A. The distance from
Magdalena bay to San Diego is about
GO miles and has been made In 4.
hours by many Of the cruisers. Admit
m, Evans will allow a fraction over
Sc hours for the trip, however. as he
does not desire to tire out the engineer
force. No official announcement Of
records made by the ships will come
from MaSdalena bay.
u-I,i al, &
ried on at the 1GOo-yard range. is really a
training in speed and facility of firing
rather than n true test of accuracy,
which comes in the battle practice over
ranges that vary from 100 to $3.50 yards.
It is the naval theory that mon who
can fire straight and rapidly at lG0 yards
can be depended upon to fire just as rap
idly and with almost the Same precision
Mt the greater ranges, where familiarity
with the guns means everything. Some
idea of the amount of work being done
at Magdalena bay can be CLEANED from
the official statement Of ammunition eN-
pended by the cruiser Tennessee, recent
" returned from the practice grounds
At her preliminary practice the Tennes-
see used 1919 pounds of powder and &c.
"A. pounds of shells the cost being $l8.-
1890. At record practice the Tenn sscc
used 1892 pounds of powder and 1856
pounds of shells at II cost of J.Ii2Jh
The Tcnncssec's largest guns are of IL
inch calibrc as aga inst the T. and l.;-inch
pieces Of the battleshipS. The ships of
the Connecticut type. of which there are
five in the fleet, will M at least ono
half more ammunition than the 'Tcnncs-
sec. and the older ships and the Kentucky
and Illinois types will use a third more.
The fact that the latter ships are 10 years
old does not detraCt from the efficiency
of their fire. No better illustration of
this can be had than the fact that the
Illinois carries the record trophy for bat
tleships having won it last year from
the Wisconsin.
rho standard of accuracy at target
practice has been set this year by the
cruiser Albany. which made a total score
of l!S hits out of 100 shots at rate OF fire
never before attained in the navy. The
Albany. however. mas no turret guns of
large calibre to bring down the average
for rapidity and no battlcship can hope
to accomplish what this little cruiser
which flies the championship peunant Of
red from her peak did at the targets.
Thu stories of the target practice
work at Magdalena bay are filled with
interest. The little targets are placed
at the apex of n carefully measured
triongle. across the base Of which the
ship steams at the rate of 10 knots an
hoar. AS the ship approaches; tn" range
the gun pointers and loading crews
are stripped to their waists. Gums are
kept trained on the target some time
before the signal tn begin firing is
sounded through the ship and scarce
ly have the first notes of the we'll
known bugle call eco on been sound
Strangely enough, il is declared that
to the novice the sharp. quick report
Of the small rifle is more trying on
the nerves than the deep-throated roar
of the Finch guns. Below decks the
crews. far down in the handling rooms.
empty charges of smokeless powder
from the copper tanks in which they
are stored. and send them flying
through the wiring on the hoists. AS
each tank is opened the smell of nitro
is almost over-powering. despite the
fact that the powder still is protect
cd by an airtight bag of heavy silk.
The firing lasts but five minutes
Then the ship steams back in the op-
posite direction. giving first the port
their turns ut the targets Officers and
mon are especially trained for the work
vt following the fire of the guns.