Waiting at the firing line at the 1905 Sea Girt matches.
With plenty of notice, the Second Annual Matches were scheduled to be shot at Fort Riley, Kansas. It must have been obvious that while Fort Riley was a geographically central location, it was prohibitively distant from the population centers on the coasts to draw an abundance of competing teams. Attendance at the Fort Riley meet was as disappointing as it was predictable. Only 14 teams posted at Riley.
When the matches were moved to the range at Sea Girt for the August 1905 events, the number of competitors overtaxed the range facilities by three times; 650 shooters stood in line to fire the 200-yard National Individual Match alone. In 1904, there were 36 contenders for the National Invitational Match; 657 entries in 1905.
John Barlow, representing his Ideal Manufacturing Company in New Haven, Connecticut, was at the Fort Riley meet as an observer, a student and merchandiser. He was well aware of his status as an industry personality, and as a generous, likeable man with an innate flair for making friends. The affable Barlow was respectfully known within the trade as “The Ideal Man.”
John Barlow displays his wares at Sea Girt in 1905. Behind him and to his right, is standout Captain C.B. Winder of the Ohio National Guard, Leech Cup winner in 1903 and 1908 Olympic Rifle team member.
This story is from the Summer 2020 edition of The Black Powder Cartridge News.
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This story is from the Summer 2020 edition of The Black Powder Cartridge News.
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