692 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
The invention of the Maynard rifle dates back to the 
tine when Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War, and his 
early appreciation of its value was shown by its introduc¬ 
tion at that time into the cavalry service' and later by 
circumstances iu the history of tbs weapon which bear 
strong internal evidence of having emanated from him. 
For a considerable time before the actual commence¬ 
ment of hostilities, Southern agents in the North were 
buying every Maynard rifle that could be had, and no 
sooner was war declared than the factory was burned. 
We learned to our cost what became of those arms 
when our men wore so fearfully cut to pieces while cross¬ 
ing the river at Ball's Bluff. The work was done by two 
of the Confederate regiments armed with Maynard rifles. 
In all the essential features on which its accuracy and 
force were dependent, the Maynard of that day was the 
same as is now manufactured : but breech-loaders of all 
kinds were then regarded with doubt and suspicion, and 
the small size and insignificant appearance of the May¬ 
nard afforded little evidence of its power. 
Tire factory was speedily rebuilt, and the manufacture 
of the arms resumed with various improvements in the de¬ 
tails of construction. I wnstheuliving in a country town 
in Massachusetts, and. was carryinghn a carefully conduc¬ 
ted series of experiments with all the new patterns of rifles 
that appeared. I very soon satisfied myself of the superior¬ 
ity of the Maynard'and urged its adoption by the club of 
which I wan a member. My proposition was at first received 
wit h ominous shakes of the head and suppressed sneers ; 
but time and repeated trials proved the truth of my as¬ 
sertions in regard to its. powers, and fin less than six 
months every member of the Club except two, had pro¬ 
vided himself with a Maynard rifle. Forty rods was then 
the standard range for every club, and constant practice 
soon developed the powers of men and weapons, and in¬ 
spired the feeling of confidence which can ouly come from 
famfliav use. 
In the next adjoining town, about six miles distant, 
was another rifle club comprising some twenty members, 
who adherred to the old muzzle-loading target rifle and 
affected to look with scorn upon our association, which 
they designated as the ‘-pop-gun club." They never 
omitted an opportunity for good natured banter, aud on 
two or three occasions, different members of our club 
were seriously remonstrated with upon the folly of using 
such playthings at a. time when it was really a matter of 
public moment to encom-age a love for the use of arms 
which could be turned to account. It was idle to attempt 
to convince them that they did not know what they were 
talking about, and our men were getting rather sore un¬ 
der the continued slurs, and longing for an opportunity 
to prove their motal. At last it came in the most accept¬ 
able form. A letter was received from the president of 
the rival club, informing us that they proposed to have 
a friendly match between individual members of their 
own club and as many of ours as were inclined to take 
part, for a silver cup of the value of $35. He hoped the 
proposition would be agreeable to us and that our club 
would be well represented, and “ le6t you should think 
that we ha ve the advantage of you in using- muzzle-load¬ 
ers, we offer you the privilege of arranging all the terms 
Of the match.* 1 
We replied through our President that we cheerfully 
acceded to the proposition, and would make our appear¬ 
ance in due tune. But we wished for no favors, if our 
guns were not equal to any that could he produced we 
were anxious to find it out, that we might provide our¬ 
selves with the best. We begged them, therefore, to 
arrange the match to suit themselves, and let us know 
when they were ready. In a few days came the reply 
that the terms had been arranged as follows; Distance 
820 yards (40 rods). The competitors to he seated and fire 
from a fixed muzzle and elbow rest. Any rifle might be 
used, but no telescope sights, and no telescope to be 
allowed on the field, and no signalling of shots, so that 
no man could correct his errors by learning where his 
previous shots had struck. Each man was to have his own 
target (designated by a number), the target being a sheet 
of book board 18 x 80 inches, with a bull’s eye 8 inches in 
diameter. Each man to fire five shots. 
Nothing was known in those days of the rules now in 
vogue, and it will be obvious that the above programme 
was intended to test the accuracy of the guns rather than 
the skill of the shooters. The day fixed upon was Oct, 
22d. It proved as poor a day for shooting as could well 
he imagined. Very raw, cold and dank, with a fitful 
wind blowing in fierce gusts directly across the line of 
fire. Twenty competitors a.nd a goodly number of spec¬ 
tators assembled on the ground, where our friends had 
provided a hospitable reception for us, and gave us a 
cordial welcome. 11; was so obviously out of the question 
to do any good shooting in such weather that many were 
anxious to postpone the match, but the difficulty of com¬ 
ing together again, and the fact that it was “ as fair for 
one as for the other," determined us to go ahead. 
Our opponenets had rifles made by different men, 
whose names were then familiar to the ears of sportsmen. 
Some of them were target rifles, weighing twenty pounds. 
Others the common sporting rifles of those days, but 
none of them of large calibre, and all of them using aflat 
ended picket, winch was inserted with a “starter” 
through the false muzzle, and then pushed gently down 
till it rested on the powder. 
Our guns were all forty calibre Maynards, using a 
cylindrical bullet of much greater weight than any of 
those of our opponents, and this, of course, in such a 
wind was a point in our favor. 
The judges—three in number—were posted where 
they mold see the targets, but none else was allowed to 
go near them. , . , . , .. , 
Hie names of competitors were called in alphabetical 
order, and each man in turn seated himself beside the 
solid oaken table, rested the muzzle of his gun in the 
notch prepared for it, his side and right elbow resting on 
the table, and delivered his shot. The roaring of the 
wind made it impossible to hear the bullet strike the 
targets, and there was no end to the guesses, speculations 
and bets that were made in regard to shots by different 
men who were well known for their skill. At the con¬ 
clusion the targets were taken possession of by the 
judges, aud carried to a tent which had been pitched for 
them, to which no one else was admitted till they were 
Ur f,-. (innminffi tliftir flrtrisirm Thp. flnxif-ttv or those 
tamed. The first announcement made was, that out of 
the whole number of twenty targets, only six bad five 
bullet holes in each. Fourteen of the shooters, therefore, 
had missed the targets with one or more of their shots. 
Of the six who had put all their shots in the targetB only 
one had used a muzzle loader, all the rest being members 
of our club and using Maynard rifles. Only three of the 
competitors had hit the bull's eye. One of these used a 
Maynard and had one hull's eye; one uBed a muzzle 
loader and made two bull's eyes, and the president of our 
club with his Maynard had put all his five shots into the 
bull’s eye, and was declared the winner of the cup. It 
is needless to add that the satisfaction of our men could 
hardly be concealed, and it became uproarious when the 
president of the rival club told ns at the conclusion of a 
little speech that there yet remained a ceremony to be 
performed, which had not been announced in the pro¬ 
grammes, and which had beenarranged as a joke upon us, 
but as it had turned upon themselves he. thought the least 
they could do was to accept it in all humility. Where¬ 
upon he drew from under the table, and amid roars of 
laughter, presented to one of his own men, who hod made 
the poorest shots of the day, a vessel, of a kind not 
usually appropriated to such uses, but which the recipi¬ 
ent good naturedly declared would be far more service¬ 
able than a silver cup. 
Penetration op Rifle Bauls.— Roncevertc, W. Va., 
Sc jjI. 1 6th. — Iu your last issue is a letter from Mr. Cleve¬ 
land, of Chicago, speaking of a shot from a 40-calibre 
Maynard splitting a bear’s head. 
T'saw Capt. Clay, of Wilcox, Pa., make a snap shot at 
a bear’s head, as the brute looked over some briars, on 
the canal feeder between Drummond’s Lake and the canal 
in the Dismal Swamp, while I was paddling him in a 
canoe. He fired with a Sharps cavalry carbine paper 
cartridge, such as were used during the war. He hit the 
bear between the eyes, but simply cut off a strip of skin 
as long and wide as one’s finger. The hear got away in 
the canebrake. The bear’s head was level, or nearly so. 
The angle has much to do with it. I had a Winchester, 
model 1876, only 27 grains powder, but shot a bear in the 
right side, about half way down, and out through the left 
fore shoulder. Again. I have shot a deer running toward 
me in the breast, and the ball came out beside the back 
hone, just in front of the tiiiL Against this I may say I 
once shot an old buck who was raking the dogs with his 
horns in a thick laurel patch, with this same Winchester, 
at about twenty feet range, before he would come down. 
When an old buck is mad, hardly anything will knock 
him down. C. Clay. 
New Jersey— Newark, Sept. XGth.—' The Frelinghuyson 
Rifle Association scored a second victory over tho Ster¬ 
ling Rifle Association on Tuesday evening, Sept. 9th, ou 
Bayers' range. It was a fine contest, the former winning 
by an exceedingly close score, that speaks well for both 
these admirable teams. The following is the score :— 
really to announce their decision. The anxiety of those 
who were waiting was not long protracted. The deci¬ 
sions were made according to the numbers on the targets 
_the judges not knowing to whom tho numbers per- 
FBELiNnmjYs; 
,T, K. Walsh.. 
George Zimmer. 
George Lytle. 
Caleb Sodon . 
H. Wyman. 
E. a Ward . 
It. Bench . 
G. I). Weigman. 
F. H. Soden . 
A. C. Noumnnn. 
STERLINGS. 
. 45 I C. Moisei.43 
. 40 I CR-orgo Kipley.40 
. 4ft J. Dnoner.41 
. 12 11. Vui) Dorn.41 
45 William Egbert .40 
. 40 U. Van Bunin.41 
. 37 W. F. Betcbiek.41 
. 47 S.'.T. Simmuuds.48 
■II C. H. Townsend . 42 
44 G. M. Townsend.41 
Total.. 
. 421 
Washington, D. C.—On the return of its members 
from the fall meeting at Creeduioor, the Columbia Rifle 
Association resumed its weekly shoots for the Harkness 
gold badge ou last Saturday, the 26th ult. Absenteeism 
brought down the number of contestants to three— 
“ Wimbledon Cup Laird." Dr. Scot, and a young brother 
of the latter. So far as the light went the day was perfect, 
but a fish-tail breeze from six o’clock straightened out 
pennants along the range. Laird seemed in good trim, 
but carelessly dropped two points through hastily 
changed elevations during the 800 yards’ stage, retiring 
with 73. The doctor was most unfortunate, three 
“ mags" and ti puffed-off “outer" dropping nine points 
on his tally. Walter Scott, misjudging the gusts, opened 
with a provoking Blackbird, but retrieved his hard luck 
by pounding the bull for fourteen shots, to the end. At 
HU0 yards all were unfortunate, the Doctor least so, with 
71, including two flamingoes and a magpie. Laird’s 69, with 
the red disc showing up only once on the second round, 
might just as well have been a 74, but a genuine “ unac¬ 
countable" of the first water on his tenth shot, due per¬ 
haps to a defectively patched bullet, brought him to 
grief. At the 1.00U yards’ distance, in the changing light 
and temperature of sunset, Laird and the Doctor made 
73 apiece, rolling up twenty-seven bull’s eyes between 
them. Mr. Laird’s total of 215 comprised thirty-nine 
bull’s eyes, five centres and a miss. The scores in detail 
are as follows :— 
(SflO, ...5 5 5 5 4 5 5 6 8 5 5 5 4 5 5—73) 
C. H. Laird.■! UDU. -. 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 5 5 5 5 5—69 J-215 
1,000 .5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 5—.3) 
i sin).5 3 3 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 8 5 5 5 5—66 I 
Dr. S. t. Scott.. , - HUM .65 5 45555554653 5-71 4210 
UKX). .555 5 5 5 55553555 5 —73 J 
i yOO,. _ 2 5 5 5 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 5—72 / 
walter Soott .] folio::::; i 1 11 i g It I! UI i r 1 
A, A. ACEH, 
The Rare and Safe Offer made by a responsible 
party, in another column, is worthy the attention of in¬ 
vestors. 
Covered with “ Spirals.’’—Li our notice of the Bal¬ 
loon Fish last week, for “ spirals" read “ spines." 
jluchfinq and j panting. 
HIGH WATER FOR THE WEEK. 
Date. I 
Boston. 
New York. 
Charleston.. 
Oct. 2. 
Oct. 3-.. 
Oct 4- - 
Oct. 5. 
Oct. 0.1 
Oct. 7.-. I 
Oct 8_J 
h* m, 
(i 33 
1 7 
J 1'i 
3 15 
4 4 
4 59 | 
h, m. 
9 19 
9 53 
ri 15 
eve 1 
0 50 
1 45 
b. m. 
8 89 
9 ti 
0 45 
10 28 
11 14 
eve 3 
0 58 
COMING FIXTURE. 
Oct 15—Seaivunhukti Y C Ocean Match, Center Cup. 
Steamship City of Alexandria.— Though iron shi 
building in this country dates back many years, it ca. 
hardly be said to have developed into a national industfj 
until Mr. John Roach put his shoulder to the wheel, an 
through tireless energy and consummate business ski 
brought his great yard at Chester to its present con| 
mantling position, second to none in the world in its el 
pacity for turning out complete work, from the small® 
to the largest vessels that commerce or war may demanj 
The latest evidence of the handsome work, superior i 
many respects to anything yet been built on the Olyfli 
which the Chester yard can accomplish, is the recent ad 
dition to the Alexandre line of Mexican mail steamen 
The steamship City of Alexandria, launched July 9, 187 
and just put on the line for active service between Nei 
York, Havanna and Mexican ports, is no less than 3,0' 
tons, and presents many features of a new and improvt 
kind over the usual Atlantic mail steamers of the Englii 
type. She is 333 feet long, 38 feet 6 inches beam, and 
feet hold proper, or 83 feet deep from hurricane deck; hi 
a “ half-brig ” rig, with a fair spread of canvas in case 
—The Louisville Medical News claims that a decoction 
made from the mosses wltich grew on oak and hickory- 
trees, is a cure for rattlesnake bite. 
—Josh Billings has noticed that the man who rides on 
the cars every day is satisfied with one seat, but he who 
rides once a year wants four. 
—“Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelled of, not 
swallowed,” 
accident to her machinery, and a full complement of li 
boats, life rafts, and life preservers. As our laws a 
much more strict than the English, the Alexandre stean 
ships are far more completely fitted with safety appl 
ances than trans-Atlantic vessels. The engines are cor 
pound; cylinders 78 and 424 inches by 54 inches strok 
Steam is supplied by four boilers 10 feet long, 14 feet 
inches diameter. The propeller is 16 feet 3 inches diaiq 
ter, and has 25 feet pitch. The engines are a marvel t 
simple, compact ana sound construction, the reversir 
and pumping gear being about the simplest and mo 
effective we have ever seen on so large a vessel. Steai 
japstan and windlass, cargo hoists and fire pumps a: 
mpplied in a liberal manner to render the handling at 
tire safety of the vessel as perfect as possible, The engii 
hatch is enclosed by a high iron bulkhead, rising aboui 
feet clear of the hurricane deck, and rendering the floo 
ing of engine or boiler room below an impossibility 
The vessel has also the usual number of water-tight cor 
partments below the main deck. In model and wor 
manship throughout, this steamship has few equals qt. 
certainly no superiors. As a seagoing ship she will 1 
much more comfortable and economical than the Atlant 
steamers of British origin. The bows are fine, but w£ 
enough body to rise to a sea, and the run is clear, allol 
ing a solid body of water to reach the propeller ; t) 
counter is of that peculiar and graceful shape eharacte 
istic of all the recent vessels built at Chester. But it 
in her cabin fittings that she excels most from the stan 
point likely to interest intending passengers. Built- f 
tropical waters, all the staterooms and saloons ha 
been built on the Bpar deck, being protected by hi{ 
iron bulworks and a wooden waist with large ports abo: 
tills, reaching up to the hurricane deck, after the pb 
adopted in the Pacific mail steamers. This affords lig 
aud ventilation to a degree not obtainable in cabii 
under deck, while the high sides of the steamer and h 
model as well, preclude the possibility of being board* 
or washed fore and aft by a sea. The joiner work is ) 
William Rowland, and is exquisite in taste and perfs 
in execution. Such joiner work has never yet been p 
into anything afloat. The grand stairway, leading fro 
tlie saloon on the hurricane deck to the cabins on sp 
deck, throws the work on the Bristol and Provide 
even into the shade, and must be seen to he appreciate 
All the staterooms are upholstered and furnished in 
manner equal to a Fifth avenue residence, while fl 
conveniences in the way of wash basins, hot and cc 
water, electric bells, hath rooms, smoking rooms, et 
cannot be surpassed either in arrangement or in thi 
furnishing. Smoking rooms, bridal chambers, ladii 
rooms, are all exceedingly large, light and airy, a 
therefore especially adapted to the trade the vessel w 
designed for. Second-class passengers are accommodM 
forward, and have neat staterooms, and no cause 1 
complaint as to want of light and air, as their quarto 
equal those of the lirst-cass in these respecos. The (?. 
of Alexandria will he commanded by Captain Jo, 
Weaken, the Commodore of the line, and long and favi 
ably known in the trade. Too much credit cannot" 
given to the Messrs Alexandre for their enterprise 
making so fine an addition to the iron steamship fi 
of America, and all who desire to see the rapid restd 
tion of our flag at sea will find another proof in t 
Alexandria of our ability to build on the Delaware stea 
ships which surpass in sound construction and luxury) 
appointments those built abroad. For this we rm 
thank the energy and foresight of just such men as 1 
Messrs. Alexandre, of New York, and John Roach 8 
Son, of Chester. The City of Alexandria is now lyi 
at Pier 3, N. R., and will sail next Saturday on her fi 
trip to Havanna, thence to Progreso, thence to Cfr 
peachy, Frontera and Vera Cruz. 
To American Yachtsmen. — For complete records! 
all yacht races in England, as well as for a great varii 
of other matter of interest, such as cruises and yacht! 
tales, read Hunt's Yachting Magazine, esta-hlislied 18| 
Can be had of booksellers generally, or direct from Hr 
Sc Co., 119 Church Street, Edgware road, London, E, 
England. Published monthly, one s h i l l in g sterling 
number. — [Adv. 
