Vol. VI.-No. 17. 
New Seriefi— No. 95. 
Kstahlished A. D. 1871. 
$4.00 a year, lOc. a copy. 
THE nWlE, 
THE IRISH AMERICAN CONTEST. 
[rsoa oun own concEbPONBENT.] 
(CONTINUED.) 
Dublin, June 29. 
The great International match is fought and won, and 
again have the American marksmen stepped to the front 
and snatched victory from their Irish rivals, not the 
“mere nominal victory,” which many were pleased to 
call the aflair at Creedmoor last fall, but a square and 
complete defeat of their antagonists. 39 points vantage 
is a very substantial headway, and the battle may now 
be regarded as a complete and satisfactory settlement of 
the comparative merits of the two teams at the present 
time. VVhether the Americans can maintain their su- 
periority, future competitions can alone decide, but for 
the present they are the champions by long odds. The 
match itself was a perfect success in all its details. 
There were no disputes, no misunderstandings of any 
kind, in any portion of the contest. The Irish are satis- 
fied that iheii defeat is a fair and just one, while the 
Americans can feel proud in the fact that no improper 
advantage was taken in any way of their rivals. All 
the dramatic effect which long-sustained and wide-spread 
interest could throw about the match, had its natural 
result in the scene on the range. Heaven and earth con- 
spired to make the day a memorable one. After weeks 
of rainy weather, to which Dublin had been subjected 
previous to the 29lh, the day came out beautiful and 
sunny; a.Iune day of the first water; not perhaps the 
best sort of an atmosphere, light and wind for a rifle- 
man’s choice, but to make a popular holiday nothing 
better could be desired, and after the inclement days 
jiast, everybod}' was out and all bent in one direction 
and with one intent — to see the rival teams at work on 
the North Bull. Luckily for the arrangement of the 
day, a Dublin crowd is not a very punctual one, and at 
the opening of the match, which had been set down for 
11 o’clock, but which did not open until an half hour 
after, there was but a meagre crowd, and space for 
work was ample. The story of the day, however, had 
better be told in sequence of time, and a fair start would 
be at the rising of the team. All the men ivere up 
promptly, there were no sluggards that morning, all hav- 
ing contrived to receive an early retirement the evening 
previous. All felt in good spirits and were well charged 
with confidence, in themselves, in their guns, and in 
their ammunition, this last a more important point than 
many imagine. Gen. Dakin, from lying in a peculiarly 
awkward position in firing, had received an extra punch- 
ing in the recoil of his weapon during the practice of 
the previous week, and had complained of a soreness of 
the arms, but he announced himself as ready to go on 
with the fray. An early breakfast was taken, and at 
9 ;30 the carriages were at the door of the Shelbourne 
ready to take the mfti off to the grounds. All had 
donned the simple ineonspicuous blue flannel uniform 
of the Amateur Rifle Club. The hubbub and excite- 
ment about the hotel was veiy slight, the main actors 
being apparently the least concerned of any in what was 
going on. The telescopes, the blankets and stools, and 
basket of sandwiches, and the smaller targets, and a 
dozen or more etceteras were gathered together and 
loaded on the vans, and at 10 o’clock the men drove oil 
to victory or defeat, via Dollymount. All the Ameri- 
can party were there, notone had any prior engagement, 
but followed in jaunting cars, the team carriages. The 
drive to the ground, along the shore road leading to the 
range, was delightful. Flags fluttered from many a pole, 
while fair dames waved handkerchiefs, men cheered and 
shouted good luck to the visitors, and all along the 
route, the pas'sage of the team was anxiously watched 
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 187S. 
and honored. At one point a rope of green foliage had 
been extended across the roadway, with flags and bunt- 
ing about it. One inscription bade them “ Welcome to 
Clontarf Plains.” The stream of pedestrians and car 
passengers had not yet set in toward the central point, 
and passage was comparatively easy. The tide was out 
and in place of footing it across the bridge leading from 
the main land to the long, low sand-bank on which the 
shooting-ground was fixed, the team-men drove across 
the channel on the closely packed wet sand, though the 
water rose to the wheel-hubs and gave them the chance 
of a ducking. On the range extensive preparations had 
been made. Tents here *and there had been erected, 
large marquees for restaurant purposes, open shade tents, 
small private ones for members of the Ph'ess, and each 
team had also been accommodated with a small en- 
campment of their own. A barrier had been stretched 
along the range parallel with the line of fire, for a con- 
siderable distance, and settees were liberally provided. 
The arrangements were none too e.xtensive for the erowds 
of the day, though at the opening they looked absurdly 
liberal. The Americans lost no time in fixing for busi- 
ness. On the road down they had met the members of 
the Irish team on jaunting-cars, and all the active work- 
ers of the day were now ready for action. The teles 
copes were set, blankets spread, cartridge cases opened. 
Capt. Gildersleeve soon made his assignment of forces. 
Major Arthur, Major Holland, H. D. Kerr and W. B. 
Coughtr}' went down to the butts to see that each shot 
was correctly signalled as striking. A. V. Canfield and 
L. C. Bruce sat at the telescopes and spotted every shot 
made by the American marksmen, while L. M. Ballard 
and J. E. Whitley were sta'ibned at the two Irish tar- 
gets keeping check-scores of the work done there. In 
the choice for target the toss was won by the Irish, who 
took Nos. 4 and 5, to the light on the slightly rising 
ground. The range embraced 6 targets, the two outer 
ones not being put in use. On target No. 2, Gilder- 
sleeve, Fulton and Bodine shot. Target No. 3 was oc- 
cupied by Yale, Dakin and Coleman; of the two Irish 
targets, Wilson, Johnson and McKenna filled No. 4, 
Hamilton, Pollock and Milner using the extreme right. 
No. 5. 
The system employed on the American side of the 
field was supreme. The.e was no talking or chaffing. 
It had been arranged that Gildersleeve should lead off 
on his target, and Yale on the other, as shooting the 
most reliable weapons, least liable to make default. 
As each man shot he stepped up to an easel board, and, 
with a piece of pencil hanging there, recorded the 
windage and elevation, while the spotter pricked out the 
exact spot of the shot with a pin on the imitation target 
by his side. For the first shot a red pin was used; for 
the second man a while pin; and the third man’s 
hitting point was shown by a blue pin. Thus, after 
each round, the record of the target for the previous 
round was plain in sight, and at a glance any marks- 
man could tell in which way the shots were drifting, if 
any, and make allowance accordingly. It w'as this dis- 
cipline and mutual assistance which contributed so 
largely to give the American team the advantage they 
gained. It was the pull together as much as the indi- 
vidual skill that inclined the victory to the American 
unit, as against the disconnected Irish marksmen, who, 
on their own targets, kept up a constant stream of talk, 
criticizing the last shot, cracking jokes, and indulging 
in repartee with friends sitting near. At the first range 
this was not so conspicuous, but at the 900 and 1,000 
yard stages it was verj' prevalent. By 11 ;2.5 everything 
had been got ready, and the bugle sounded the make- 
ready from the firing point to the men in the mantelets. 
Dr. Hamilton was the first to fire, his rifle crack being 
answered at once by one from Col. Gildersleeve’s 
weapon. A centre came up for each, and then the 
battle became general, and for an hour or more all was 
lively along the line. Yale gained an outer on his lead- 
ing-off shot, but the American lead-off was in advance 
of the Irish start by six points, two of the latter team 
scoring misses. Had they adopted the American plan 
of co-operation this should not have occurred, especially 
as the whole team shoot guns of precisely the .same 
make in every respect. The atmospheric conditions at 
this time were superb. A dull, leaden sky, with a wind 
blowing steadily from the 12 o’clock point, and the fine 
scores made on both sides gave some promise of what 
might have been expected had the conditions held; but 
before the close of this section of the match the wind 
had begun to flicker, and the lighting up of the sky in- 
dicated the coming on of sunshine. The shooters 
watched these coming changes anxiously, while the 
crowd thought it lucky that such a fine day was coming 
on for the contestants, and several of the journals spoke 
of the improvement in the day. Several times the 
shooting was stopped, white the markers came from 
their covers to more narrowly inspect the targets, in cases 
of close shots on the lines, but all went on smoothly; 
and while all attention was directed to what the men 
were doing on the ground, but little time was left to 
strike a balance and see how the struggle was tending. 
The Irish had two misses, but otherwise were making 
magnificent scores. The Americans had one miss made, 
t(M (who would have dreamt it), by “Old Reliable” 
hnnself; but when the stage was over it was found that 
the Irish were one point ahead. It was a study, then, 
to see how this announcement was taken by the differ- 
ent parties present. The crowd cheered of course, but 
whether from joy at their country’s temporary triumph, 
or to encourage the stranger-team, it would be difficult 
to say. The Irish shooters were jubilant, but not over 
so, yet they were immensely encouraged hy this advan- 
tage gained at the first range. They were still of the 
opinion that the American’s stronghold-was the lesser 
range. In the first international match, with nine 
points lead at 800 yards, the Americans were victors at 
the end with but three points; and at that date it 
was a truth that the American team were weaker by de- 
grees as they went back, but now in 1875 matters had 
changed. Study and practice had wrought a change, 
and the Irish were mistaken in thinking that the game 
lay in their power now that they had defeated their 
opponents at the 800-yard score. The move-back was 
quickly made, the crowd at this time not having in- 
creased to very considerable proportions, and being 
easily managed. The American team went back in- 
spirited by the little lead of the Irish. Victory was so 
near that it was worth the grasping for, and the turn of 
battle had by no means come. There was not a trace of 
despondency on any face, none more so than at the be- 
ginning of the match, but there was a determination to 
do and win, and, with the same preliminary care of 
fixing sights and windages, the ball opened again; 
while four of the American side opened with bull’s-eyes, 
but one Irishman succeeded in hitting the mark the first 
shot. Mr. Milner scored a miss, but Coleman did the 
same through a neglect to take the cue from his fellow- 
marksmen. Milner made a second miss, and Coleman 
followed suit. Both wings began to be alarmed, and 
when McKenna made a miss, too, on his second shot, 
the Irish squad showed signs of demoralization. They 
were losing ground fast, too, and with no organization 
to fall back upon, groped about listlessly for aid. 
John Rigb}' whispered advice, examined the rifles of 
Milner and iIcKenna carefully, fixed their sight, and 
both went on well for a time. Milner, however, had 
lost the hold on his confidence in himself, and when 
more misses came he fired off his weapon several times 
into the ground to get it back into working condition, 
but all to no purpose; every shot follov.-ed wild, until 
