Evening star., 1926-08-12
D. c. MEN PROVE
SK|LLFUL IN FIRING
26Oth Coast Artillery at Fort
Monroe, Va, Starts
Target Practice.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
FORT MONROE, Va, August 12-
Subcaliber firing was begun today on
Battery Parrot by the 260h Coast
Artillery, the District National Guard
organization now in training here.
Battery Parrott is 12-inch disap
pearing gun battery named in honor
OF Capt. Robert p. Parrot, ordnance
department, United States Army, in.
ventor of the Parrot gun and pro.
Jectile which was used extensively in
the Civil War.
Despite the fact that the guardsmen
had only two days training previous
to firing, both the gun and range sec
tions were functioning perfectly, and
the shots were falling all around the
target, which was only 10 feet square
and several thousand yards distant.
Several shots hit within a few feet in
front or on either side of the target.
Subcaliber firing will continue until
Saturday, and then the guardsmen
will put in one more days training
before firing their record shots on
Monday.
Maj. Walter w. Burns. commanding
the 260th, was host to the officers of
his staff at Buckroe Beach last night.
returning to camp with the call of
taps.
The officers of the District outfit
were instructed this afternoon in the
use of gases and chemical warfare in
general. The instructions were con-
Quoted by an officer of the Chemical
Warfare Service of Fort Monroe.
Lieut.. lie Roy s. Mann is the only
officer of the local artillery organiza-
tion who has specialized in chemical
warfare, and it is the desire of the
Comman ling officer that all Of the
officers and enlisted men in his com
mand become Nersed in this modern
method Of warfare The enlisted men
will receive thir instructions after the
conclusion of target practice on the
12-inch guns.
First Sergts. Robert r. DAILY and
Herman T. Trum of Batteries a and
r. respectively, have been compliment
ed highly by the senior instructor,
Maj. Louis c. Brinton, and Maj. Burns,
and also by CaptS. Louis NJ. Gosorn
and James ID. Eggleston, commanding
officers of Batteries A and B, on the
highly efficient manner in which their
duties have been performed. Besides
keeping the battery headquarters
work up to schedule, both Sergts.
DAILY and Trum have been with the
troops at every formation and are as
siSting a great deal in the instruction
OL llle men.
large number of the men will
be excused from duty Friday evening
to attend the hand concert of the
18th United States Coast Artillery
Band at Langley Aviation Field, Va.
While they are there they also will be
given an opportunity to see the cream
of Americans air fighters. Langley
Field is equipped with the most mod
ern airplanes and blimps in the Army.
The District guardsmen are conduct
Ing their firing today under an aSsim-
Hated aerial gas attack. Several air
planes from Langley Field will drop
gas bombs during the practice. in an
attempt to shut out the artillerymen' S
target from their view. The Artillery
will continue to fire by data from their
range stations as long as their target
rs in sight. and if it disappears they
will continue to fire, through azimuth
instruments placed in the most advan-
tageouS places possible.
Maj. Burns has ordered two non
commissioned officers from each bat
terry TO be detailed to a chemical war
fare school, which will be conducted by
Sergt. Cox of the Chemical Warfare
Service of the Army