Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, August 10, 1902, Page 19

Upcle Sam's Soldisrs Win Modals kanliflolnp. s e TEACHING SOLDIERS HOW TO SHOOT How the Competitions Are Arranged and Carrted Out, with Some Stories of Ml\tl Obtained in Former Years. The infantry rifie eompetition just - eluded at Fort Leavenworth, h’:‘ :‘t o be held under the present of the army by which the Department of the Missouri were located st Omaba, but it is not by any means the OFSt in which the troops stationed at or ugrmflynnuhun.-uu-m uarters there is the liveliest interest among officers and men as to the result of this contest. ~-The competitions were first anthorized leng before the civil war, but they did not Teach their present state of pertection until afterwards, when the oficers in charge found that the men required someth than - Tho present regulations are somewhat dif- ferent frem thoss in foree during the greater part of the time the contests have been held, for the reason that the introduc- tion of the magazine gun made the rules which applied to the operation of the the Missouri, than whom no man has taken @ greater Interest in the markmanship of the’enlisted men. As colonel of the Second Téglment Genmeral Bates not onmly ‘ook great fiferest in the target practice, but also gave his men every opportunity to perfect themselves in rapid and sudden firing at moving objects. It Is related of Lim on good authority that whem commanding a Montana, just befors the beginning of the Spanish war, he not only permitted but insisted upon his men taking part in the huntthg which wis carried on to a great extent in that part of the country, sald an officer who was at the post at that time: “The general never retused the application of & man to go upon a hunting expedition, ugless he had gone on one since other mem. bars of his company. The result was not only that the post was supplied with more than emough deer and antelope to rum it, but the men- had learned to see the object of thelr pursult before the pursued saw them and that Is about all that is meces- #ary to make a man a good scout'fn time % Confidence tn Humters. 5 Another 1llustration ~howing “the bigh ~ confidence that General Bates placed in men ~ having experience as hunters is shown by & conversation between him and Captain Wassels of the, Twenty-second, now at the - rifle competition at Fort Leavenworth. The Twenty-secgnd was part of the command o the 1 in the Phillppines, and it was Iy erippled tor videts or The general met the captain and asked ‘him It he had no scouts in his company. ‘No," replied the captain, “my men are largely recruits brought in since the be- ginning of the war.' “Have you apy men who have been huat- 87" he was nsked. “1'belleve I have & few who have done tome hunting,” he replied. “Well, I want you to give them permis- #lon to go in advance of your company, to wcout around your camp and bring in any ‘The captain scted upon the advice and since his return to the United States he told the general that the action of those bunters surprised him. They would range for & mile to & mile snd a half ahead of ‘nemy, where it s every man for himself, the likely to become separated, and when alone defending themselves it is of the utmost importance that the soldier may mot only be able to shoot straight, but that he should know that he can. This was foreibly illustrated by the experience of & Kentuckian who was in ome of the regiments in my command in the Philip- pines. The man was separated from his Squad and cut off by a band of im rgen He was out thres days Hptore was resciied by a party sent to find him, and in that time he killed forty Filipinos, ac- cording to his own statement, and the Filipinos of the party admitted when cap- tured that they bad buried eighteen of the men at whom he had shot. The man #ald that when he found himself alone With the insurgent band between him and his fellows he fired three shots which did Dot take effect. Then he became aroused to his situstion and from that time on, he Sald, he 4id not once. At the time the rescue party sppeared he belleved that the shooting meant a remewal of the rush upon the hole in which he had con- Cenled himself, and resolving to sell his life dearly he braced himself against a tree and shot at the nearvst of the enemy. At that moment the Americans broke through the lines the Kentuckian tainted in the arms of his comrades.” Result of Experience. Not only the gemeral, but other officers of the army, say that such deeds could only be performed by who had had ex- perience mot only in the ordinary duty of soldier life, but at the targets, where they learn exactly what they ean do with the gune which they carry. With this high idea of the bemefits to be derived from individual practice and com- petition, which creates Interest in the practice, #t is not strange that when called upon'to sit om & board to prepare rules for the competition the general 4 great at- tention to the work, and was one of the men who arranged the present regulations, Which are considered the best which %ave ever been prepared. The ruies not only were changed to aliow for the difference in guns, but an important innovation was made in separat- ing the officers and men in the competi- tons. Speaking of this innovation a for- mer enlisted man who has taken part n several competitions said: “On the part of the enlisted men there was a feeling that the officers had a lttle the better of it when it came to the com- petitions. To Illustrate what 'I mean I will relate an Incident which took place at Fort Wingate, Aris., In the '80's. A captain, who is now a colonel, wanted to represent the company at a departmental shoot at the Bellevue rifie range. He was already ‘distinguished marksman’ and so was I. A rule had been promulgated that dui ng the competition of the regiment no one would be permitted to practice except at the times specified in the rules. At that time we shot the morning only. The struggle was at -he skirmish firing, as I was weak in that particular. This captain, after the day's contest was over, would load the skirmish targets on a wagon and with a number of men, including & bugler detalled from his company, would go out on the prairie a mile or more from the post and practice all Afterncon. The soldiers could not d permitted to." Tended to Weaken Discipline. Not only, did the superior advantages fl‘th officers. appeal to the board chang- the rules, but.some of the members of the board belleved that the competition between officers and men on equal terms tended to weaken discipline, In this con- mection & story is told by one of the old guard. Shortly after tae war, when competitions were resumed, Generals She; idan apd Sherman were present at a range where ‘a captain and & private were shoot- ing side by side at a target. Little Phil turngd to the hero who had marched to the sea and sald: 2o “What would the generals of the old Army have sald had they seen such a mix- ing of ranks?” * “It ‘Old Bull' Sumper had seen it,” re- plied General rman, “he would have had us all arrested for permitting it.” It was the co-operation of both of these thoughts which caused the board to provide separate competitions for the officers and men. As it is of more importancs that the men be good marksmen with the rifie than that the officers be Zush, the opportunity for the men is gives the widest scope. In posts the men are emcouriged to practice #s often as possible with ‘he riffie and the annual competitions the captains are not solely governed by the ability of the men as marksmen, the rezulations . requiring them to take into consideration the man’ ‘With this proviston the men who take part in the contests are not only good marksmen, but they are the best specimens of the America_ soldier. Bo small part In keeping the record of the soldiers clean. After the men have been selected for the contest thelr narhes are gent to the adju- ‘tant general or Inspector <! small arms .mll:- of the department and they are hiw, elght range officers are selected, the latter being gen- erally Meutenants, while the other ofcers $1EEEFEY g H !i 2R % | £ i ¢ i i Fl 1115 ! i | : . i ] iz ;l i L : ! : g8 THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 1902 You Are Invited.... We have delermined to dispose of every sample piece of furniture that has been on our floor beyond a certain time—$6,000 worth, including Dining Room, Parlor, Bed Room and Library Furniture. Not ome piece but what will be much less than cost and many at half cost. Allgo on saly Monday, Aug. 11th at 8 o’clock. This is positively the greatest price inducement we have made customers on furniture. A partial list herewith— X Unds these clrcumstances it is only the beginners who waste ehots at the standing figures, and only in extreme cases and at the longest distance does the expert shoot but the recumbent figure. Elaborate schemes have been prepared for deciding tles In the competition. If the total for two men Is the same, the score is analysed and the man making the best record at the longer distances or at skirmish firing is given the preference, or as a last resort, after ex- bausting a dozen methods of analy: men are permitted to shoot off the ti “G " Davideon, At army headquarters and among the retired soldiers as well, as at the different posts, stories are told of the remarkable scores made by men when the Springfleld rifle was the gun of the army, and from glants in those days. Omaha the men are seldom speaking of the record and style of R. N. Davidson, who because of his pecullar method of handling his gun at skirmish firlng was given the name of “‘Gun-Sling Dave.” This method of handling the gun Was by some means to place the leg of the soldier between the gun and the leather strap, by which 1t could be slung on & saddle in such a manner that when prone to gun by a movement of the leg and have both hands to manipulate the lock of the gum, breach and the cartridges. It was gen- erally understood that “Gun-Sling Dave’ was the originator of this method, and hence his name, but according to A. W. Stay of this city, a man who was among the “distinguished marksmen” of his day in the army, the inventor of this method of bandling gun in skirmish firlng was Sergeant Weeks of the Sixth infantry. The sergeant came to Omaha one time to contest for a place on the department ceam which was to go to Fort Snelling to take part in the division competition. He had tried every method to improve his record, but falled to make & place on the team. At that time he was experl- menting with the leg and gun-sling method, and when he returned to his post in the morthwest he practiced for a year with (the result that the next yi Omaba he carried off every prize he at by resson of his efficlency at skirmish firing. Rapld Fire Resnlts, ‘The method “caught on” among the men who desired to make high scores at skir- mish firing and by Sergeant Davidson of the Sixteenth Infantry was probably de- veloped to a higher degree of efficlency than by any of the other men. It was said by men familiar with the army that a year after the introduction of the maga- zine gun, “Gun-Sling Dave” could load and fire twenty shots from his Springfield rifie as rapidly and as accurately as the average soldier could shoot twenty whots from the magaszine rifie. So far as known the actual test was mever made, but timed. Sergeant Davidson has fired ten shots in consider- ably less than twenty seconds and struck the target often emough to establish his reputation as one of the crack ehots of the department. Local Record for Army. The first competition of the Depasimeni of the Platte was held at Omaha In 1881 If the government offered any prizes that year they were not sufficient to satisfy the demands of the officers or men, and the late General Guy V. Henry, who wi officer 'n charge, went among the business men of the city and secured prizes in mer- chandise and cash which were added to the government prizes. The result of that competition was that a team was selected to, represent the Department of the Platte at the division cont This team was made up in deflance of the regulations, having seven men from the Ninth infantry, including A, W. Stay, then nt of Company F. By a rullng of of the army it was permitted to enter the competition of the division, and made a good record for the department. The de- partment - competition that year was held &t old Fort Omata, where they continued to be held until 1885, when the rifle range at Bellevue was established. This was comtinued until 1884, when the range at Fort Orook was opened. General Bates was the first officer to attempt to use the range at Fort Crook. He decl after looking the matter over that the range was unsafe, as with the magazine guns the live stock of the farmers would be endangered, and he took his regiment upon the Omaha Indian reservation for prac- tice. Other post commanders have fol- lowed this course, and it 1s sald that not without the expenditure of considerable ‘money, probably more than would be war- ranted under the circumstances, can the Fort Crook range ever be utilized. Medal with a History. Mr. Stay has several medals won in de- partmental and division contests, and has one with an Interesting local history. Im 1883 he attended a competition at Fort Omaia, at which the bar of the city had offered & gold medal for the first prize- winmer. Several officers d men strug- gled for the prize and Mr. Stay won. Laying an Ocean Cable | The laylng of the first Pacific cable under American auspices is expected (o begin at the Golden Gate before the year closes. The first land station will be Honolulu, fhence to Guam and Manila. The total sea distance to be covered by the cable approximates 7,000 milss, and the greater portion of two years will be required to lay it It 1s not probable the death of John W. Macksy, the orlginal projector of the en- terprise, will delay the work materially. Mr. Mackay's associates will undoubtedly push the enterprise along the plans de- voloped before his death. Contracts for the cable were let over a year ago and much of it hes been manufactured. The cuble-laying ship Is being made ready at San Francisco and the last lnk of globe- encircling telegraph will in all probability be laid before the year 1904 rolls around. The laylng of an oceanic cable is a work of stupendous magnitude and cost. In the first place the cable must be constructed th & view to the strain it will have to in, and in order that this may be done it-is necessary to have correct sound- ings of the ocean’s bed along the entire route. An instrument for the taking of soundings has been Jevised that meets all possible contingencies. It is yery simple, cousisting only of a cannon ball' plerced with an iron rod and held in place by slings. As the ball goed down swiftly it drives the rod imto the bottom like the point of & spear, when ac opening at the end catches the oose in its irom lips. The same instant the slings loosen the ball drops off and the naked rod with its “bits" 1s drawn up to the surface, The cable must be constructed with care mot only as regards strength, but as to continulty of consection and perfect insula- tion. No molsture must reach the metal, else corrosion would speedily destroy it. It conmsists, in the first place, of & core which comprises the conductor, made of a strand of copper wires, and the insulating $300.00 Solid Mahogany I’Art Nouveau Bed BED ROOM SUITES Room Suite, consisting of, dresser, and only $160.00 Brass Bed, handsome design, sale dressing table—sale price, PRIOW o i v i GRS LIRS 150% DINING chiffonier ROOM SUITES $225.00 and $117.50 $395.00 Dining Suite, solid mahogany—the new art design, handsomely hand carved, side- 80 board, dining table, 5 regular and 1 arm chair, sale price .,.. 225% | $140.00 8-piece Bed Suite, solid mahogany dresser, chiffonier and dressing table, (R R PR P YUY l ! 1 ) $45.00 Vernis Martin Desk......... $32.00 Vernis Martin Musio Cabinet. $48.00 Mahogany Desk $100.00 3-plece Parlor Suite... $42.00 Bird’s-Bye Dressing Tabl: $22.00 Maple Dressing Table . $12.00 Maple Dressing Table . $17.00 Baby Carriage $11.50 $20.00 $90.00 $48.00 $32.00 $18.00 $40.00 work ... heas $34.75 3-plece Den Suite ... $5.00 Oak Stand . $3.00 Folding Table $23.00 Buffet . ,$37.00 Buffet ', Folding Tables .. Baby Carriage . Library Table Library Table . Library Table Library~Table rch - —_—= 1© money to purchase the medal had been placed in the hands of a prominent law- yer, since deceased, who, when he learned that an enlisted man Lad won the medal over . an officer who was his personal friend, became eo disgusted that he pro- ceeded to spend the money, drowning his displeasure. The prize was offered in the preliminary contest, and the next year when Mr, Stay was asked to take part In the preliminaries for a prize, he related his former experience to an officer who was taking part in the competition. The off became interested and remarked: 1l have that medal for you if that man has any sense of honor.” Just what the officer did may mever be known, but at the close of the competition | of 1884 the medal won in 1858 was pinned | upon the breast of the winner by ome of the belles of Omaha at & pyblic gathering for the awarding. of prizes heid at Fort Omal The incident is commemorated on the medal by an attempt made to substi- tute the final diget “4” for that of “3.” Year of Big Scores. But it was in 1891 and 1892 that the De- partment of the Platte was most interested tn the work of. its rifie team. The forme year at the Bellevue range “Gun-Sling Dave’ had won the first place in the contest. His method was novel and caused much com- ment and his work at skirmish firing was certalnly remarkable. The combined reec- ord of the department marksmen was ahead of hat of any department, and when the army cempetition was many persons mever before interested awaited the news from the range. That year was the third that Sergeant Davidson won a medal and lald over the gutta percha to protect it from the sheathing of steel wires over which come again jute yarn and a bitumi- nous compound. The sheathing varies in type with the depth of the water in which it is laid. The doep-sea type has & sheath- ing of many small steel wires; thea through several intermediate types the sheathing wires become gradually larger until finally &t the shore end the deep-sea sheathed cable is again sheathed with strands, each made up of three steel wires set triangu- larly. It will he noticed, however, that the core is the same th-:ighout. The copper wires iur the comductor are twisted up together or stranded. They are then passed through the covering machine, by which the gutta percha s squeesed around the condustor in a continuous en- velope touching it throughout. The coll is then served with jute yarns, which are laid spirally around it, forming an elastic soft bedding for the sheathing wires. These Vikiog Table and Chair,burnt $78.00 3-plece Bed Sulte . $7.00 Rush Seat Chair . ll!.fio Mahogany Chalr . $11.00 Parlor Chair . $0.50 Parlor Chalr . $39.00 Mahogany Dresser $16.00 Mahogany Stand ... $26.00 Gold Wood Stand $24.00 Mahogany Stand $19.00 Mahogany Stand $15.00 Mahogany Stand $i6.00 Flemish Chair $36.00 Cheval Glass $34.00 Chiffonier . $62.00 Bookease $20.00 Iron Bed .. $17.00 Iron Bed .. $7.50 Wood Bed . ..90% $185.00 Dining Suite, English oak, BRle PHCO ol ke i uteti nve $45.00 Flemish Sideboard .... $24.00 Oouch .ovviivirevncee $42.00 Turkish $45.00 Morris Ohair ... $37.00 Mahogany Chair .. $365.00 Flemish Hall Settee Chalr . $11.50 Rattan Chair .. .75 $6.75 $3.00 Rattan Chalr ..... $18.00 Mahogany Cabinet $16.00 Mahogany Chair . $25.00 Jéwel Cabinet . $27.00 Mahogany Parlor Cabinet Maple Stand .. Bhoe Box ..... . X $1.76 Shoe Box . $21.00 Dining Table . $24.00 Folding Bed $18.50 Folding Bed $22.00 Mahogany Bed $12.00 Mahogany Bed $9.00 Imt. Mahogany Bed 1515-16#18:20 DOUGLAS STREET. he went on the “distinguished marksmar list. He stood third on the list of winners, being preceded by V. H. Swelnhart of the Third infantry andT. O'Rourke of the Fif- | maki teenth, both of whom were from another de- partment. That year the team of the De- partment of the Platte made the best team record, the aggregate points being 5,710, nearly 400 more than that made by any other department. The last army competition was held in 1896 and the last departmental contest in 1897. The next year the war with Spain began and since that time the soldiers have been so busy that they have not been able to meet in competitions. For this reason the competition at Fort Leavenworth at this tme is In the nature of a revival and officers are watching it with considerable interest. Speaking of this an officer of the depart- ‘ment sald: ‘While our system of training the men in individual marksmanship has been ahead of that of any of the other nations, England has adopted a mew system which promises to beat ours. The new system is a result of the Boer war. In addition to the rectangular and rmish targets in use with us they have introduced moving tar- gets which come upon the soldier at unex- pected places, a squad will be marching over a fleld when at an unknown range & target shaped as the upper half of a man's body will spring into view and sink to the 1 Work of Stupendous Magni- tude and Cost. welght, made up of the fellowing compound parts: Copper wire, 406 tons; gutta percha, 315 tems; jute yarn, 576 toms; steel wire, 8,000 tons and compound and tar, 1,076 tons. Over three times as much material will be required for the Facific cable. ‘The cable ship itself is a vessel of strange interior arrangement, especially designed for the purpose. It is not only a huge storage department, but a big floating workshep as well, In the hold there are three immense iron tanks, similar to the land tanks at the manufactory, thirty-four feet in diameter, for the storage of the cable, each having a latter, as well as the outer serving and b compound, are put on in one machine. The served coil passes through a hollow shaft of a circular skeleton framework of from om which are mounted bobbins filled with steel wire or Jute yarn, as the case may be. This framework can be rotated and the pound pplied by the cable being passed under & spout from which the melted com- pound runs. ‘The finished cable 18 them cofled in large circular iron tanks, in which it is kept under water. H g!igfrzx different places d’ run In various angles. As I under- stand the.system, if carried out, it will marksmen who will be unexcelled. “The United States s not considering the Introduction of ‘these moving targets at this time. The War department is anxious to establish the present system of competition In all departments and to awaken in the officers and men a keen interest in the work, after which the targets will doubtless be improved and made to conform in a closer ‘e to the targets offered in actual war. —— PRATTLE OF THE YOUNGSTERS, “T never went to a circus when I was a lttle boy,” sald the rather aus parent. “Was that because your father wouldn’t let you go unless you would be good?” asked the youngster, in entire innocence. He was having & good time at Leke Geneva, where the Swiss watches come from, but he did not forget to say his prayers. “‘Ob, Lord,” he said, as he knelt at his bedside one evening, “make me a good lttle boy. I asked you the other day to do it, but you didn't.” Teacher—And what is that part of 'the face called that extends from the bridge of the nose to the roots of the hair? Tommy—I-er-why, it's er-I1 dunno. Teacher—Brow, lsn't 1t? Tommy—W'at if de roots o' yer hair is at de back o' yer neck, like my Uncle Bill's? Annie was late, and, like & sensible child, she recognized the faot and stopped run- aing, relates the New York Sun. Not so, Johnnle. He belonged to the class that mever knows when it has emough of either oy or trouble, so he kept up his laborious trot until school door was reached. There he leaned dejectedly and breathed heavily. Annle eyed him with & scorn that grew as she looked. Later on they stood In the office looking llke & set of fllustrations for & new version of the “Lives of the Humted,” and Johnnie was talking. “T couldn’t mean it,” he sobbed. It wuz me big sister Katle's fault. She made me eat three eggs, an' me mudder ses I can't hold that much till I'm 9 years old, and—" He would have Labbled in- definitely, the tears rolling off his ts* fool- ish little face, but the principal handed him h's admission slip and turned to Annle. ‘That young lady had a passion for ao- quisition, so without further ado she ao- quired Johanie's excuse. “1 ate tho many eggs, too, and it made me late,” she . “Indeed,” sald the principal, “and how many did you eat? Annie's lips curled soornfully &s she remembered Johunie and his miserable three eggs. “I ate seventy-four,” she replied blandly, L $iTceat £ i Monday morning at 8 o’clock be on hand promptly. The above is simply a partial list of the hundreds of pieces in this sale. ard & Wilhelm Carpet Co.l —_— e HAY FFVER—THE NEW INVENT THE WILSON HAY FEVER DISK - Affords the first and only lrfltm-n% in olnludln’ from the nose DUST and POLLEN, the CAUSES of hay fever, DR. McGREW . SPECIALIST. _ :1_:::—' Experience. 16 Years im m &m". loss .':t '".“: m‘fll .‘:ul‘ll weaknesses of w eascn, Kydroels, cured permanently. CHARGES LOW. CONSULTATION FREN 766,