Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/123

 Saving Steps at Target Practice

��AN electrical target that signals the exact accuracy of the marksman to an indicator on the firing line has been installed on the shooting range of the United States marines .at San Francis- co, Calif. The method of signaling the accuracy of shots which is now employed on nearly all government ranges is not at all satisfactory, as it is difficult to con- vey to the man on the firing line the explicit information of the closeness of his shot to the bull's eye.

An elaborate system of flag and disc signalling is usually employed. This re- quires, at least on the long distance ranges, the use of field glasses. When the marksman fires a shot at a -target, the "spotter" in the distant pit lowers the target and raises a signal to denote the numerical accuracy. A white disc denotes a bull's eye; a red flag, a miss, with other emblems to denote whether the bullet pierced ring No. 4, 3 or 2.

This procedure requires a large corps of men both in the pits as spotters, and on the range behind the individual marksman, as scorers. ]\Ioreover, it is confusing, and there is no satisfactory way of signalling whether the bullet which missed the bull's eye went too far to the left or right ; too high, or too low.

The electrical target, as it is called, corrects a great many of these faults, although its installation cost is consider- ably higher. In appearance, it resembles a number of large ventilating fans su- perimposed one upon the other, each one smaller than the one beneath it. The bull's eye is a thick metal disc, painted black, which extends in front, of the blades. • Steel plate is used in the con- struction. Behind the plates are elec- tric contacts.

On the firing line is an electric indi- cator, which, in design, is a replica of the target. Each leaf of the target is represented by a miniature electric lamp on the indicator. When a bullet strikes one of the blades of the target, the con- tact made closes an electrical circuit con-

��sisting of batteries, a cable to the in- dicator and one of the lights on the in- dicator. The action is immediate, the marksman knowing instantly not only his score but the exact place on the tar- get where the bullet struck, so that he can adjust his rifle sights to conform with wind and temperature conditions. The target and indicator are marked to resemble a clock face, following a long established practice on rifle ranges.

����A

��The enormous electric flat-iron float has

taken its place as an important feature of

all civic parades

An Electric Flat Iron Float.

AFLOAT that was conceded to be among the best of the one himdred and seventeen in a recent parade held by the business men of Liberty, N. Y., was a representation of a popular electric iron. It was mounted on a small run- about.

Following the business men's parade, the Firemen of Liberty held a parade and the "Iron" float was selected for ])articipation as one of the best decorated in the previous e\ent.

Realizing the advertising advantage, the company which made the float has had it mounted on the roof of the power house where it can be seen from all ])arts of the city.

��The February Popular Science Monthly will be on sale Saturday, January fifteenth (West of Denver on Thursday, January twentieth).

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