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Show Month's Target Practice at Mag- dalcna Bay Will Be Like . Task in Battle. BARREN HARBOR SHORE BECOMING TENTED CITY Traders and Amusement Managers Man-agers Quick to Take Advantage Advan-tage of Opportunity. SAN DIEGO, Cal., March S. At lOr-'K) o'clock this morning the Point Loma (California) wireless station received a dispatch for the Navy department from Admiral Evans, on board his flagship, tho Connecticut, which, with tho remainder re-mainder of the battleships comprising tho Atlantic squadron, left Cnllno, Peru, for Mafidalonn bay February 21). The Point Loma operator was unablo to determine de-termine tho position of tho Connecticut, us tho signals which doubtless would have indicalod Iho wlioronboutH of tho fleet wore indistinguishable. Mcssago Wan Sui-pri.se. The Point Loma station had expoctetl to gel its lirst communication with tho lloet through the armored -cruiser South Dakota, which loft. San Fraucisco hist Thursday morning to bavo a Hinn with hor turret guns at the Madaleua targets tar-gets boforc the "big sixteen'' in Admiral Ad-miral Ewtns's command got a chanco to blow the checkerboard bit? of canvas out of tho wator. The early communication communi-cation with tho Connecticut, which, so far as known, came direct . from the p.iRsbip, was a distinct surprise, and i3 ono of tho vagaries of the wireless service which are to bo expected from time to time. Tho naval authorities hero do not look for the battleships at Magdalona bay before next Sunday, the lot.h, as the fleet was one day behind its schcdule in leaving Callao, and there is no occasion to crowd the engines on the run through tho torrid zone. Tho crews havo a month of hard work before them tit tho southern drill grounds, and their best onerpios will bis saved for it. From reports that h'nve reached here, tho men of the Meet arc likely to find an unexpected welcome awaiting them at Magdalcna, whore, it is said, tho Mexican traders havo established tout bazars of all descriptions. Amusement managers also have seized the Opportunity Oppor-tunity that the deserted shoro line offers. of-fers. ' When the ships left Hampton I?oad8, Magdaleua was looked forward to as an uninterrupted waste of sand dunes, with an occasional Indian hut far inland as tho only sign of humau habitation. The overnight shops, theaters the-aters and dancing pavilions, therefore, will como as a distinct surprise. There is strong likelihood, however, of keen disappointment over tho taking of some of tho promoters of the tent metropolis, for the plana of tho cruise do not call for any material amount of shore leavo for tho sailors at Magdnlona, and thoy in all probability will not bo changed. Tho play days of tho men on foreign shores practically ended with tho hoisting hoist-ing of anchors at Callao. Place for Strenuous Life. Magdaleua is tho place for work and for spotless hulls, and polished decks will be grimy with the grease and the gaseous refuse' of battle target practice soon after the big ships have reported their arrival at this crack harbor of tho Mexican coast, which has boon leased by tho United States as home ground for its navy in tho western sons. Men who work half naked at the guns in tho roar aud thrill of long days at tho targets will have small inclination ; and smaller opportunity to go ashoro in I tho evening. Target practice is tho most important work the fleet now has before it. and target practice means real work for every man aboard. It is 110 longer a case" of lying at anchor and blazing away in desultory fashion at a fixed mark, but. instead ouch ship must bo moving at a battle speed of ten to twolvc knots an hour, aud must lire at tho "enemy' a white canvas speck twelve by twenty feet, attached to tho long tow line of a tug or tender and being hauled away at varying angles and at a speed equal to that of the ships themselves. The tai'got conies within tho given range unexpectedly sometimes and its slay is brief. Strive for Prizo Money. Tho gun crews of each ship must bo alert and trained to tho minulo, for it is tho ship that lircs the greatest number num-ber of shots with the greatest percent-ago percent-ago of hits that carries away the trophy and rolls in tho wealth 01 the liberal prize money which is distributed after every record practice. " In battle target practice tho fleet commander-in-chief, as avoII as the admirals ad-mirals of the four divisions, bear tho responsibility of the uianeuversand the efficiency of tho work is subject to the closest scrutiny. Ship captains from the forward bridge control the movo-ments movo-ments of tho vessels in consonance with the signals which vari-colorod flags cry out from- flying trucks, and far up in tho fighting tops tho ordnance officers direct the fire of the many caliberod guns by pressure of electric buttons. Close by their sides sharp-eyed ensigns or passed midshipmen call out the ranges of fire, and thus frpm slockhold to masthond the giant ships hum with tho din of mimic war. |