Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-26
FLEETS RAPID WORK
At TARGET PRACTICE
Task Of Hitting The Marx al Meg.
da|eng Bay Proceeding with
Utmost Satisfaction.
NO LEI UP FOR hen on SUNDAYS
Records viii be Withheld Until Com.
piled by the Ordnance officer and
Mailed to the Navy Department
win Sail for California Seaport
Town on April IL.
my Associated pressl

(Dy Associated Press.l
SAN DIEGO. CAL, March 20
Wireless reports from Magdalcna bay
tell of rapid progress being made by
the sixteen battlcships of Rear Ad-
miral Evans command toward the
completion of target practice. All
OF the firing 90 FAR has been ut range
OF l600 yards, or just snort of one
mile. The firing has also been con
iinch To stationary targets, and IL is
now believed that there will he a
change either of range or character
OF target during the remainder of tho
practice. AT first II was thought that
the Magdalcna bay work of the neot
would include Il variety of ranges. OK.
| tending even up TO nine thousand
yards. the maximum for battlcship
practice. with the primary i2 and AZ
men t'irret guns and moving large, !
atlached 10 the end of long tow line.
but late ndvices say the gunnors pra.
cuce VIII be strictly limited to record
WORK at l'6Oo Yards and at anchor tar.
e'N'S > - w = itci III Size.
The practice has hoen under way for
more Than ten days, ana the firing
has been constant. Sunday being I'm.
cludcd in the rush to finish as carl,
MS possible. Another ten DAYS. II *
believed. will see the end of the range
work. and then will follow perio,i
Of coaling and cleaning up for the
ietes that await the ships along the
shores OF California.
According to present plans. as an.
nounced by Admiral Evans. the feet
viii leave Magdalena bay ut daylight
on the morning of April -. JUST on;.
month from the time of it's arrival
me stcaminS speed will be raised to
knots on the run to San Diego. TO
Dring the fleet TO anchor off Coronado
beach nj 2:30 p. m. on April "A. The
run from Magdalena bny TO San DIEGO
Is about GO miles, and has been made
III forty-scvon hours by cruisers. Adj
miral Evans will allow fraction
over httysix hours for the trim. how
! ever. as he does not desire. TO tire oul
The engine room forces.
| Records to be Withheld.
NO Official announcement OF the rec.
ords made by the ships will come fror,
Mngdalena bay. Admiral Evans having
/ decidcd to send all of this class of In
formation in confidential mail com
| hiunlcations to the navy department;
at washington. II Will take Some
| ,ime Tor Lie ltenant Commander Rid
ley MCLEAN. the feet ordnance OH.
Ger Of Rear Admiral Evans personal
stan, TO prepare the individual aud
| average records. and ii may be that
the reports will not 20 East mill
after the arrival of the fleet off stbis
port ''
Splendid records are looked for
| however. as the short range and the
hx'd targets call for high percentage
Iof hits under The efficiency attained
III recent years by the gun crews of
the navy. 10 "
record practice. which Is always
carried on ut the i60O-yard range non
really training in speed ana facijtt,l
OF hriilg, rather than true test of
accuracy. which principally comFs In
inc battle practice over ranges which
vary from 1000 to 5000 wards II T.,
me naval theory that men who can
iirc straight and rapidly at 1.buO ward d,
can be depended upon 10 fire ins, as
RAPIDLY and with almost the same nre.
cision at the greater ranges. whnr,.
familiarity with The guns mcnn.
everything.
Some idea Of the amount of work
being done at Magdolcna bay can hc
Cleaned from the Official statement Of
ammunition expended by the cruiser
| tennessee, recently returned from
inc practice grounds At her prelim-
mary practice the Tennessee nsed 10
ta5 pounds of powder and 36.2to
pounds of shell, the cost being s1s
'o'.2o AT record practice the Ten.
hesscc used 1892 pounds of powder
and 5l.966 pounds of shell. at cost
OF S25.7i2.J0. The Tcnessce's largo a
guns arc of l0-inch calibrc. as arrt,s,
me ~ and IL inch pieces of the bal :
ueships. The SHIPS of the Connoc
ucui type. Of which there are five IL
me fleet. will use up at least one-hali
more ammunition than The Tennessee
and the older ships, and the Kentucky