The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-03-10
HAMMOND MAY
Be CHAMPION

J. J. Hammond, quiet appearing
young man who arrived by the 5. S.
Moana from the Colonies. the other
day, to remain a few weeks. is one
Of the worlds wizards with the breech-
loader and in line for the worlds blue
rock shooting championship. He is a
Wellington IN. u man and followed
farming till he learned that he could
earn more money with his gun. He
has shot matches in New Zealand.
Australia, London and Monte Carlo.
and two years ago at the latter place
shot into third place for the Casino
prize OF 10000 francs. competing
against the best marksmen OF Europe
He is going from here to Los Angeles
to take part in big shoot and will
be in Monte Carlo in July TO have an
other crack at the big Casino prize.
Hammond visited the traps Of the
Hawaiian Gun Club yesterday and had
a little practise at the clays. He is
new at this kind Of shooting. however.
and this. together with the fact that
time. placed him at disadvantage as
far as good scoring went. He was i'm
pressed with the work done by the
local shooters and said that they shot
to a very high standard OF excellence.
Its all live bird shooting where
come FROM" said Hammond yesterday.
I'VE look on the .clays as pretty low
sport. Blue rock shooting is much
more difficult. At Monte Carlo one
must stop his bird at from IL TO 81 IL
yards from the trap or else a miss is
counted. If your bird drops over the
fence, no matter how dead 1t may be,
You miss just the same. It's next to
impossible TO stop a blue rock under
SO feet.
In New Zealand and other places
where much shooting is done two bar
rels are allowed. Here one barrel is
the rule. I shot two yesterday and
some Of the boys laughed at me. Down
under we shoot at unknown angles
from unknown traps
The record for clays is 400 straight
birds. For live birds the best on rec
ord is I think ninety killed out of a
hundred. A. NJ. Gorrick did this. The
best Australian shot today is D. G.
Macintosh. In New Zealand the
king-pin is Duncan Fraser.
I use Greener gun and take a
pair with me wherever / go. I ex-
pect TO be here a month and would
like a match at live birds, but 1 am
told that that would not be allowed.
The shooting game is good in the
Colonies and there are about fifty gun
clubs over there. | have been shooting
professional for eight years and shot
as far back as thirty-three yards. This
Is virtual scratch with twenty-one
yards back the limit handicap. We
handicap by distance and not by bird"
Hammond is an all round sporting
enthusiast and talked Interestingly OF
many other branches Of sport.
de says that a young rover named
Arnst will probably challenge Webb
Tor the worlds sculling championship
and that he is looked upon as the COM
ing champion. A year ago he won the
Sydney Thousand" a mile race for
cyclists, worth $3.50 to the winner. and
since then has taken UP rowing. de-
ieating every man he has met with
ease.
AS S~SS mat an dtteiHpI j. pelnS
made in the Colonies to abolish live
bird shooting and that the papers are
pleased to refer TO his favorite sport
IS "chicken-butchering" and poultry
Hammond is a total abstainer but an
nveterate smoker. although he quits
he weed cold a month before shoot
ng in a competition.
The baseball game al Aala Park yes
erday afternoon amused him greatly.
Why" said he, they actually turn
d handsprings and they beat anything
have ever seen for barracking.