MARVELLOUS RIFLE SHOOTING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5441, 23 July 1879, Page 3

MARVELLOUS RIFLE SHOOTING.

(From the Times, March 28.) To what perfection the use of the rifle may be carried was plainly demonstrated by Dr William F. Carver, of California, in the grounds adjoining the Welsh Harp, Hendon, on Tuesday afternoon. The exhibition, to which only representatives of the Press had been invited, was held in "very unfavorable circumstances, a straight wind blowing nearly the whole of the time, accompanied by a rather heavy fall of snow. This state of affairs did not, however, seem to give the "Evil Spirit" — as Dr Carver was named by the Indians, with whom it is said he lived for 16 years — any anxiety. He went through his extraordinary performance in an exceedingly cool and collected stylo, and surprised everyone present with his accuracy of aim. On Wednesday Dr Carver confined himself principally to fancy shots, but two feats accomplished by him gave ample proof of his ability as a marksman. One of these consisted in breaking 80 out of 100 glass balls thrown into the air by hand. In the second he had undertaken to break 50 glass balls in three minutes, and accomplished the task in 1 mm. 57 sec. Among his other shots he succeeded in hitting a ball on the ground when standing with his back towards it, sighting by means of a small j looking-glass. Coins of various descriptions were thrown and rarely missed, many of them being pierced almost directly in the centre, while others were forced some distance from the lake, on the borders of which the shooting was held. Three glass balls were thrown up by Dr. Carver himself, and in each instance met with destruction, as also did two thrown up simultaneously by different individuals, both balls being hit in their descent. He also accomplished the difficult task of breaking glass balls thrown with considerable swiftness directly towards him. In the performance of his feats Dr. Carver used what ia known as the Winchester repeating rifle, This gun has an octagon barrel, 26in. long, having a magazine under the barrel holding 16 cartridges, and carries a charge of 40 grains of powder and 200 grains of lead, the gun weighing, when fully charged, 101 b. It has a recoil of about 481 b., and by the depression of the trigger-guard throws the exploded cartridge shell entirely clear of the rifle. With an ordinary double-barrel shot gun the exhibitor succeeded in breaking two balls thrown up simultaneously from Bogardus traps, this feat being repeated several times. He met with the same amount of success when firing at two balls thrown from traps placed at different distances. Since his arrival in England he has attempted nothing calling forth much physical exertion, but at Deerfoot Park,

Brooklyn, America, he, in July of last year, performed the unparalleled feat of breaking 5500 glass balls in 7h. 35m. 35., having raised the rifle to his shoulder 6212 times. This alone entitles him to the title of Champion Rifle Shot of the World, as no one in the face of it has yet taken up the gaunlet thrown down by Dr Carver.

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