The New York herald., 1879-03-06
UNCLE SANS WARDS.
PAYING THE GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS THEIR
USUAL QUARTERLY ALLowANcEs-A VETERAN

PAYING THE GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS THEIR
USUAL QUARTERLY ALLowANCEs-A VETERAN
SAILORS SINGULAR STORY.
just now . motley crowd is daily gathered in the
basement of the Custom House, at the southeast
angle Of the structure facing Hanover square, The
occasion is the quarterly payment of the govern
nfnts pension to disabled soldiers and the widows of
pensioners. The payments. which made to about
fourteen thousand recipients, vary in amount accord
ing to the class under which they assigned About
one-hAf are paid by mail by Colonel Coster, the
pension agent, and the remainder present their
papers In person and are paid by warrant upon the
Sub-Treasury. About thousand persons paid
daily. the disbursements beginning at seven A. M.
and continuing until half past four p NJ. The pay
ments for tho present quarter began on Tuesday
morning, and Will continue daily for the next two
weeks. The WORK enists the services of about
dozen clerks. third of whom are females.
PEN SKETCH OF PENSIONERS.
Tho crowd gathered yesterday curious
II reminded forcibly of the attendant
upon the payment of bountes and the disbursement
of the relief fund for soldiers families during the
civil war. The applicants came in all forms OF shah
bincss and shades OF color. aud OF both sexes.
Many-it might be said large proportion
leaned upon canes crutchcs. The women.
rule, were comfortably and some few well dressed
and of respectable dcmeanor. Each COM
PEELED to be vouched for by two persons. The appli
cants, who formed in line long before the doors on
Hanover street were opened at seven o'clock yester-
day morning, were admitted in squads, and when
the room comfortably filed no more were al
lowed to enter until the inside throng thinned
out.
SYSTEM Oh PAYMENTS.
Those entitled to payments were indiscriminately
from The long desk behind which the male and
female clerks were at work. dozen so at time
were admitted within the confines OF the railing.
Here their papers taken. and thence the system
employed progressed with tue regularity OF clock
work. The name OF u pensioner is called aloud. A
second clerk compares the papers with the records
corresponding to the given. Meanwhile o
bookkeepcr Is filling out blank warrant and as soon
the paper is recorded as correct Colonel Cosier
afxes his signature and stamp to the warrant and
the recipient hurries of to the SubTreasury for the
money.
The oldest character of all appeared in the person
OF Lucas Learned who looked as II he must have been
an athlete in his youth. He leaned heavily on cane
and with each step taken groancd with the pain OF
the exertion. His remarkable story he told TO q
HERALD reporter thus ~ am scventy-one years of
age, and was years In the American and four
years in the English navy ON the 4th OF June,
1886. 800 seamen, OF whom one. drafted
from the steam frigate Hudson that was the recev-
ing ship then at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We were
under Lieutenant Manning. and were ordered to
and Roxbury the train wrecked. A
lot of us were all smashed up. had both
feet crushed, both knee pans broken and
one thigh fractured Six ribs and my left hand
also crushed My head smashed and both arms
broken. When got well land IL seemed rs f was
unconscious until Septembsr enlisted in the North
Carolina under the name of Joseph Austin. Two
years and half later was sent ashore invalid.
and this is the way that happened:-One day In
Hampton Roads was ordered TO let 20 the anchor.
/ did so, and IL took to the bottom. When
came up was as black your hat After rccov-
cred from these injuries was stationed in the MAIN
top. Then when worked the pressure Of the ribs
on the vitals caused hemorrhage. one day had
ht up there and / fell to the deck, a distance
OF 1s0 feet. After this occurrence the officers
put to work ia the carpenters While there
the purscr's steward took umbrage at fanciful
injury, and threw spear at me- II penetrated the
side of my left knee, and from this injury was
crippled for eighteen months. left the North Car
olina at Valparaiso in 1889, remained the coast
nine years, and in iSt5 l came home in q whaler.
Now get $54 q year PENSION and 1 am anxious to
get my money to send II 10 my wife to- keep her
from being turned out of doors. Where do live
you ask. am at the Now York Hospital. gentle
found me 1T the Searncn's Home and was kind
enough to send me up there"
PAID.
The crowd thronged the entrance door In un.
diminished numbers up to the hour of closing, and
undoubtedly many who failed to get in will be
found in line before dawn to-day. The widows of
soldiers and sailors receive quarterly allowance OF
$24 each, and the survivors equal amount. In
of total disability, or whore person is blind
needs the services Of another person. the amount
allotted each payment is s52 the allowance having