Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-25
SHELLS FLYING FAST
BattIeship Squadron Busy at
Target Practice.
MAGDALENA BAY LIVELY
All After the Record Now Held by
the Albany.
SHOOTING AT 1000 YARDS
Department Is Going. to Thoroughly
Try Out the New Torpedo
Tubes-Relief Sails.

| SAN DIEGO. Cal. March 25.-Wireless
reports from Magdalena bay tell Of rapid
progress being made by the sixteen battle
ships of Rear Admiral Evans command
toward the completion of their record
| target practice. All of the firing SO far
| has been at range of 1000 yards or
| just short of one mile. The firing also
has been confined to stationary targets
and it is now believed that there will be
a change, either of range or chara cter of
| target, during the remainder of the prac-
| tice. AT first it was thought that the
Ma daena bay work of the fleet would
| include variety of ranges, extending
| even up to 1900 yards the maximum for
battle practice, with the primary twelve
and thirteen inch turret guns and NOV
| ing targets attached to the end of long
tow line. but late advices say the gun
merry practice will be strictly limited to
| record work at LOCO yards and at an
chCred targets twelve by tWenty-one feet
| in size.
more than ten days and the firing has
| been constant. Sundays being included in
| the rush to finish as early as possible.
| Another ten days. il is believed, will sec
the conclusion of the range work. and
| then will follow a period OF coalng and
! cleaning up for the fetes that await the
ships along the hosptable shores of Cali
| fornia.
When They Go North.
According to present plans. an
nounced by Admiral Evans. the fleet will
| leave Magda lena bay at daylight on the
morning of April L.. just one month to a
day from the time of arrival wit hin this
most favored of Pacific naval bases. The
stea ming speed will he raised to eleven
| knots on the run to San Diego to bring
the fleet to anchor off Coronado Beach at
2:30 pm. April a. The run from Mag
daiena bay to San Diego is about 60
miles and has been made in forty-seven
| hours by many of the cruisers. Admiral
Evans will allow "A fraction over tifty-siX
hours for the trip, however. as he does
not desire to ire out the engineer force
| No official announcement of the rec.
ords made by the ships will come from
Magdalena bay. Admiral Evans having
decided to send all of this class of IN.
formation in confidential mail communi
cations to the Navy Department at Wash
| ington. 1t will take some time for the
fleet ordnance officer, Lieut.. Commander
| Ridley NJ. MCLEAN. OF Rear Admira
| Evans personal staff, to prepare the i'll
dividual and average records and it ma,
| be that the reports will not go east unit
after the arrival of the feet off this port
Splendid records are looked for. however
as the short-range and the fixed target:
ca Ill for "a high percentage of hits under
the efficiency attained in recent years by
the gun crews of the navy.
Much Powder Burned.
Record practice. which is always car
ried on at the 1.60O-yard range is reall,
a training in speed and facility of firins
rather than true test of accuracy, which
principally comes in the battle practice
over ranges which vary from 1000 t
9HoO yards. 1t is the naval theory tina
men who can fire straight and rapidly a
LOGO yards be depended upon Il
fire just as rapidly and with almost th'
same precision at the greater ranges
where familiarity with the guns mean
everything.
Some idea of the amount of work don,
at Magdalena bay can be cleaned from
the official statement of ammunition eX
, pended by the cruiser Tennessee. recent
, iy returned from the practice grounds
; At her preliminary practice the Tennes
: see used 1913 pounds of powder ant
: 242 pounds Of shell. the cost bein,
s1S.909.20. At record practice the Ten
nessee used 1892 pounds of powder an,
| 81 9e6 pounds of she'll. at a cost of $50.
1880 The Tennessee's largest guns ar
of 1O-inch caliber, as against the II all,
IL inch pieces of the battleships.
, The ships of the Connecticut type O
which there are five in the feet, will us
up at least> one-half more ammunition
J than the Tennessee. and the older ship
and the Kentucky and Illinois types Will
use third more. The fact that tn