The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-08-09
NATIONAL RIFLE
TOURNEY OPENS

| camp TeTry, aFOrt clinton, Ohio, Aug.
9.-The greatest national rifle tourna-
ment in the history Of the country, emf
bracing a series Of separate contests
for practically all classes Of sharp
shooters opened this morning on the
1 famous range facing the battle ground
| where Commodore Perry shot up the
British in 1912, and for nearly one
month thousands Of rifle experts. in
| teams or individually. will compete in
a bloodless battle for supremacy. Sew
eral thousand of the contestants in the
various events have already arrived
here and are comfortably encamped In
the tents provided by the state Of
Ohio.
| The tournament which opened this
| morning and which will include sixty
matches, is the first annual tournament
Of the newly organized Department of
the Lakes Rifle association, including
Ohio Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Mich
igan and Wisconsin, and Of the Ohio
State Rifle association. Five Of the
events are matches open only to MEM
bers of the Ohio National guard. The
other events Of the Department Of the
Lakes Rifle association are open to
members of the association as we'll as
to members Of the Ohio National
guard. The matches Of the Ohio State
Rifle association are open to all Corners
They will number %. During these con-
tests more than 1900 riflemen. all
crack shots, will be on the firing line.
These events will be followed by the
seventh annual national matches, Aug.
ust 90 to 26. inclusive, under the direc-
ton of the National Board for the Pro-
motion of Rifle Practice. the team
match for the national trophy author |
lied by congress and heavy cash prizes |
and the national individual and national
pistol matches The tournament will
conclude with the twenty seventh an
nual shoot of the National Rifle asso- |
citation. in which nearly every marks |
man of prominence in the country will |
participate.
This years tournament is arousing |
unusual attention because OF the new |
classification of the teams contesting in |
the national match-the division OF the |
contestants into three classes. A, and |
G. whereby weaker state teams, which |
have heretofore had no show OF winning |
any prize, now arc encouraged by the |
change Of landing something. Instead |
of the six best teams getting all the
prizes, under the new arrangement the |
first fifteen teams in the 1908 match
Glass A-will compete for the national |
trophy and four prizes amounting to
$3.50; the second fifteen-class b
for the $4,000 Hilton trophy and sl.025 |
in four PRICES: and the remainder of the
field-class C-will have n chance at the |
bronze soldier OF Marathon and four
prizes aggregating sS45. Thus twelve.
instead of six teams. will this year get |
prizes and the cash prizes amount TO a
total OF S3.22e instead Of 1915.
The national match fight this year
will be double-line conflict between
the regulars and the national guards
men and between the east and the west.
The regulars have bagged the national
trophy three years In succession-the |
infantry in 1906 and 1908 and the navy |
in 1907-foilowing New ork's triple vic
tory in 1903, 1904 and 1905, with Massa-
chusetts third in 1906 and second in
1907, and Ohio third in 1905 and 1907. Il
Last year the four service teams-the
navy, cavalry and marine
grabbed the first
four prizes. This state Of affairs led
a year ago, to a pretty general demand
change of classification that would put
the regulars into class by themselves
But that revolution was not effected
and the regulars and guardsmen made
the most careful preparation for this
years great contest.
The rivalry between the east and
west at the annual tournament is of
great Significance. The New England
and the middle Atlantic Sharpshooters n
must look sharp to their laurels or lose
them. The long-range shots from the
plains and mountains Of the west have
arrived" and will. undoubt-
eddy, give good account Of them
selves. The western shorpshooters have
made great gains during the past few
years and the west now occupies five
places in class A and the east four and
the western marksmen will make de-
termined effort this year to increase
their gain.
Secretary of War Dickinson is greatly
interested in rifle practice and it is ex-
pected that he as well as his young son
will visit Camp Perry during the tour
Assistant Secretary OF War
Robert Shaw Oliver will probably re-
main here during the entire meeting and
many members OF congress and high Of
fcers of the army acd navy are ex-
pected to drop in at some time during
The progress Of the shoot.