Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-12-14
Government Reports.
opnNANcE RI1REAu.

ORDNANCE BUREAU.
The Chief of the Ordnance Bureau re-
ports that the expenditures of his office,
since June 30, 1870, including over $34O,-
900 for arms and ammunition for the navy,
and $31, ,610 for the settlement of war
claims, were $1,644, ,050. The only APP
in the Treasury now available
for the purposes of this bureau are the
sum of 1898, 534 for arming and equipping
the militia, leaving unavailable nearly
twenty-five millions of appropriations
previously made. During the fiscal year,
about $40, 000, ,000worth of small arms and
ordnance stores have been sold under the
order of Congress and the proceeds re
turned into the Treasury. The operations
of the arsenals have been confined to the
manufacture of supplies required by the
troops, and the care and protection of
those on hand. The work on the arsenal
at Rock Island, H., which is designed to
be the great arsenal for deposit and con-
struction for the Mississippi Valley, is be-
ing economically and thoroughly done
Two of the great workshops are nearly
completed. The operations of the Spring
field armory have been limited to the con
version of a small number of rif1ed mus
kets into breech-loaders for issue to
troops, States and colleges, and to the
manufacture of $4,000 Remington rifles
for the navy, and three or four styles of ex-
perimental rifles and carbines recommend
ed BY the St. Louis Board for competitive
trial in the field. The armament of the
State troops should be the same as that
of the regular army, and the above num-
Der is not half sufficient to supply the
quotas of the States now due. Breeeh-
loading revolvers have been manufac-
tured and issued to the troops. BeRicia
arsenal should be made capable of per
= forming all the repairs of ordnance stores
Tor the Pacific acoast. st. Louis and
Baton Rouge arsenals have been turned
over to the Quartermaster's Department.
The enlisted force of the Department has
: been reduced to ATS men, the number of
commissioned officers to SO, and number
+ of storekeepers to H. This number is
considered insufficient. Heavy cannon
for sea coast defense are much needed
Cast-iron is not believed suitable for
heavy rihed guns; other materials should
he experimental with. A large sum is
required for the alteration of the ten-inch
and fifteen-inch iron gun carriages in
service, to adapt them to the largely in
creased changes which have been estab-
isped for these heavy guns.
The Paymaster General states that the
total disbursements to the army during the
past year We're S1S,514,G73s, of which
$2,6S3, 172 were paid in the shape of back
pay and bounty to volunteers. There
were also paid for the expenses of recon-
struction to June 30, 1871 $155, $50, and
as Internal revenue tax, So, 100. The army
has been fully paid. The number of pay
masters allowed by law (sixty) has been
reduced to fifty-one by casualty. 8 'fo
FREEDMEN'S BUREAU
The operations of the Freedmen's Bu-
reau for the past year have been confined
to the care of the hospital in the District
of Columbia, the collection and payment
of bounties and other moneys due colored
soldiers, and such superxision.of the edu
cational work as could be given. The
school funds having been all expended
prior to July, 1870, and no appropriations
having been made, there are no statistic;
of educational work to be given The
number OF officers, agents and clerks now
on duty is "a, a reduction of 50 since the
date of the last report. .s7.s
E. SURGEON-GENERAL OF THE ARMY. -
Surgeon-General Barnes reports tina
he has expended during the past yea
$332, 985, of which $65, sos were REQUIRED
prior to July 1, 1870 The balance OF
hand at the end of the year was ST, ,566,
183. The number of persons who hay,
availed themselves of the provision %
the acts of Congress to receive artificia
limbs IN kind or a stated Communication il
money, up to June 80, 1871 was .S,91S
the number furnished with limbs previous
1y. having been 1887. Communication
seems to be very generally preferred tt
the artificial limbs, the proportion bein.
,as follows: =
Comma
In kind. tation
arms .-.-1..~s 104 4,06
= ees, . :
The health of the army has not beer
equal to that of the previous year Tht
total number of deaths reported was 519
or II per 1000 of mean strength.
Fart l. OF the medical and surgical his
tory OF the war is nearly completed, ane
will be laid before Congress the coming
session. The Surgeon General urges an
appropriation by Congress forthe compile
ton OF the remaining parts q
QUARTERMAsTER-GE GENERALS REPORT.
The Quartermaster-G General has drawn
from the Treasury, during the wear end
! ing June 80, 1871, $12, ,45O, ,025, the whole
amount available, of which $467, ,72O has
been remitted to the Military Division OF
the Atlantic, S., ,S3S, ,s37 to that. of the
South, $4,837, 661 to that of Missouri, So.
408,009 to that of the Pacific, and the re-
mainder, distributed among depots of sup.
plies, or paid on authorized settlements.
Six thousand four hundred and one ac-
counts, covering S34, 532, 795, only S612,-
94O OF 1t pertaining to the service OF
l0iO-7l, have been settled during the
year. a.s.a.1-as -
THE SIGNAL SERVICE. -
-. General Myer, chief signal officer OF
thesarn1y, reports that since the first syn
ichronous weather observations, on the
morning of November 1, 1870, 16, ,OO0, 900
copies of the synopsis and probabilities
have been laid before the public, 900
detailed charts prepared and filed in his
Office, and 800 areas of high and low ba-
rometer traced. A new cipher is now
preparing for the transmission of tele-
graphic reports from each of the sixty
stations. Measures are being taken to
furnish the Western cities information OF
the rise and fall of rivers, and to give the
agricultural population greater direct ben
eflt from the service. Stations will be
established at Pembina, Sitka, in the
OdHuWlcn ana west INDIA Islands, and
ship captains will be furnished instru-
zments with whieh-te make observations
from which they will prepare re-
ports. Sixty nine per cent. Of
the published probabilities have
been verified, and the records of the of.
flee already made exceed in value the ap-
propriations. General Myer eo1nrnends
the fidelity and attention to duty of his
subordinates, and recommends the organ
lzation of q permanent corps of observ-
ers, with proper promotion for merito-
rious service, and until this is done the
observer who most distinguishes himself
during each year be rewarded with a com
mission. The chief signal officer also
expresses the opinion that, with the ex
tension of the telegraph system, the
weather reports and observations might
be made available throughout the entire
globe as well as single continent. "a
coMMssARY DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Commissary- General Eaton reports tha
the army has been well fed during til,
past year at an average cost of 49, Sc pc
cent per ration, a decrease of 197 cent
from the cost of the previous year.
BALKY HORSES. Turf, Field ard Fam