The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-08

|
| but whether this is due to the point
| ed bullet or the explosive, or to
| both, the committee is unable to deter
| mine, and as a low trajectory means
| greater accuracy the committee consid-
| ers that recommendation should be
| forwarded by this council to the proper
authorities urging the desirabllity OF
holding a series of exhaustive tests TO
! discover how the low trajectory is ar
rived at, and if by higher explosive
! to recommend that the American pow
! der be adopted or that an additional
number of strands of cordite be added
/ to the present cartridge, which the com
mittee understands would not be detri-
| mental to the present rifle.
az Apart from the explosive and the
| pointed bullet used by the Americans,
| the committee desires to point out that
| the bore of the American rifle is 800,
whilst the ammunition used is 1877,
| against the British rife 1908 and bullet
.377.
| go Whilst the committee considers
| that the American rife has little or
no advantage over the British rife, it
is of the opinion that the superiority
of the American team in the rife match
was chiefly due to the excellent ammu-
milton which was used, but as this am
munition was specially prepared for
| match purposes at very high cost the
match did not present an opportunity
| of comparing the relative qualities Of
| the service ammunition of the two coun-
| tries. In practise, however, it is known
| that the American team, when using
the ordinary service cartridge, did not
reach anything like the scores made in
the match, but the practise was con-
/ Quoted with the round -nosed bullet, and
not the pointed one recently adopted.
In conclusion, the committee strongly
| advise that the tests suggested should
be carried out, not with a view to de-
Gliding the best ammunition for match
purposes, but with desire to have the
best possible ammunition available for
active service.
The report was adopted after short
discussion.
Distribution of Atlantic Fleet.
Plans have been completed for the
ships of the Atlantic feet when they
shall have returned to home waters
at the end of February. 1t was origin
ally intended that these vessels should
tanamo, Cuba, but it has now been de-
cided that on arrival at Hampton roads
and following the view by President
Roosevelt and President-elect Taft, the
crews shall have liberty Half of the
enlisted force will be brought to Wash.
| ington to take part in the inaugural
parade. The vessels will then proceed
to their respective navy yards for re-
oil
ton of new appliances, including the
fire control systems and magazine re-
frigeration. This is expected to take
two months, following which the ships
will engage in battle practise under I'M
usual conditions which are being
planned by the naval authorities. The
vessels will then engage in record target
practise off the New England coast
which will probably occur in August
and September. On that occasion the
ships will fire at moving targets, which
are being specially designed for the
purpose. These targets will be built
of heavy timbers, the platforms being
narrow and long, resembling the nauti
cal type known as English cutters. II
has been decided to have only one rec
ord target practise a year and two bat
Tie pIdCIlStS, GHc IdlJtE W tdhc F1dCt
in the spring and fall The reports re
ceived from the target practise of the
ships at Manila, which was held in No
vember, show that naval gunnery ha:
improved by about 100 per cent. ovel
the best previous records, which is most
gratifying to officers interested in the
encouragement of target practise.
Thirteenth Cavalry Next.
The Thirteenth Cavalry will pas
through Honolulu on the March trans
port en- route to Manila. The regimen
may be sent to Fort Mckinley, thu
fashionable post near Manila, although
it is possible it may be sent to Batan
gas. The Thirteenth is to be succeeded
, at Fort Myer, Virginia, by the FIT
: teenth Cavalry, which is returning from
Cuba
The Thirteenth has some crack riders
who perform the monkey drill," anC
who never drill without large audi
/ ence from Washington.
) Routed the Battalion.
Tag Day hit Fort Shafter on Satur
, ! day to the utter rout of the soldiers
,, The invasion of the solid seven younI
> ladies who had bundle of tags to ge
aAu VI vas bHc IOT u general re
treat, which ended in rout. TIL
men had received instructions to kee1
!. their quarters in nice, tidy shape, an
under no circumstances to think o
- changing their clothes until the ladie
had made their rounds. The men say
big automobile make the course O
the parade ground and they though
the visit was over. Changes of uni
forms were in progress in the barracks
when suddenly bevy of girls with tn
red cross on their sleeves and caps al
peared in the doorway.
There was a sudden rush for tn
rear doors and open windows. Me
piled over the balconies and hiked
for the recreation halls. There wa
confusion, and it must be confesse
that those who remained behind spike
their guns and put up the white fas
That done, the conquerors clinched tn
matter by tagging the captured Their
was little sorrow, just broad grins o
the faces of the soldier BOYS.
Up at the headquarters the taggel
caught couple of men on duty, VIII
were trapped. Had they run ava