The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-12-05
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

1
/ tion.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-Robert T. Lin
coin, Secretary of War, makes his annual
report to the President The total expen-
| ditures for the fiscal year ending June so.
1884, are S42, 332, SIG q, the appropriations,
/ $3.50, 551.53. The estimates for the ifs
cal year ending June 80, 1886, are $50. $780,
500.5S, being less than the estimates for
1885. Qualification is expressed that Lieut.
enant-General Sheridan reports that the
army is now, and has been for some time
/ past enjoying almost absolute rest. ex-
| cept that part of it on the frontier of
Canada and Mexico and stations near
the Indian Agency. The number of
cadets at West Point September 1, 1884,
was 314, and their conduct has been excel
lent. The number of patients in the Gov
| eminent Hospital for the Insane is 70; num-
| Der OF prisoners at the military prison. 467.
| 1t is recommended that the officer in charge
/ of this prison be given the rank and pay of
| Colonel. The number of trials by general
| court-martial during the year was $3.50, an
/ increase over last year of 295; number of
/ convictions for desertion, 700; number of
trials by garrison and regimental courts
| MARTIAL 10, 9S3, an increase over last year
| OF 1865; total increase of trials by courts
martial of 1860.
The report OF the Quartern aster- Generals
| Department shows that at tn beginning of
the last fiscal year there remained in the
! Treasury as balances applicable to expenses
| of prior years the sum of 81, 1895, 279.01.
| There was appropriated for the year the
| of gin
| for military posts and $4,000 for road to
National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn.
| The balance undrawn on the Both of June,
1884, was 81, 1875, 962.54.
Of the 100000 appropriated BY Con-
| gress for persons made destitute by the
| floods of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
| 1896, 1924 was expended on the Ohio and
| its tributaries and $3.50, 1884 on the Mis-
| sissippi, leaving unexpended $12, 94242.
| The Paymaster-General, in his report, ac-
counts for $15 1870, 160.S6. He recommends,
| with the Secretary's concurrence, that Off
GERS Of the army be permitted to furnish the
bonds of an approved guaranty company
| The Chief of Engineers shows the urgent
necessity of beginning at once the construc-
| ton OF coast defenses. Steel forts and tur-
| rets to resist guns which send projectile
| weighing ton through sixty feet of sand,
| and which must have like guns, with ma
| chinery to load and manipulate them, can
not be built in the time an enemy would
| give after the cessation OF diplomatic inter-
course.
The balance in the Treasury July 1.
| 1888, for improving harbors and rivers was
$1,000, 649.55. The amount appropriated
for 1884 was 81, 319, 634.62, and the amount
| drawn from the Treasury was So, 228, 700. 81,
leaving balance of So, 112, 58O.63 in the
Treasury July 1, 1884. Of the 147
places enumerated in the River and Har-
Dor act of August 2, 1882, seventy
six were reported as not worthy ofimprove-
ment During the year ending September
| 8, 1884, the channel of the South pass of
the Mississippi River was maintained unin-
terruptedly During that time 800, 1000
was paid for maintenance of the pass and
| $4,000 in interest on the $1,00O,000 re-
tanned was paid Mr.. EEads, making the total
| expenditure for the improvement to the
| latter date of 5,000 600.
| The Secretary urges Congress to make
| liberal and permanent appropriations to the
| Ordnance Department for the purchase of
| gun material. The steel-makers of the coun-
| try require the inducement of being fairly
remunerated for OUTLAWS necessary to enlarge
| their plants sufficiently to produce steel
| in masses of sufficient size and of s4sG-
able quality for gun construction The
manufactureaand test of experimental guns
will require four or five years, and prompt
action by Congress In making this appro-
| priation and establishing Government gun
! factories to secure within reasonable time
| efficient means of coast defense.
| Under the head of the Chief Signal Off
GERS report, the Secretary goes into the
| Greedy expedition and the Proteus matter.
| 1t is given in full: "'The Chief Signal Off
| Ger describes with sufficient detail the
| events connected with the closing of the
| work of exploration in the Arctic region
| and the return of the survivors of the party
under Lieutenant Greedy. The survivors
were relieved at Cape Sabine on June 20,
| 1884, by naval expedition under the COM
mand of Commander w. S. Schley The
zeal and enterprise of the reliev-
| ing expedition were such as to en-
title all its officers and men to the
highest commentator; and while it
reached Cape Sabine at the earliest possible
moment, the final catastrophe to the few
| survivors of Lieutenant Greely's party was,
but for the rescue, only few hours dis
tant The Greedy party numbered twenty
| i've. persons-of whom only seven were
rescued alive and one died after the rescue.
VI OllC NCttO OH PCLIS1lCO HUN GA
| cept an EsquimauX, who was drowned, and
Private Henry, who was executed by order
OF Lieutenant Greedy for repeated theftS of
food from the insufficient supply of the en-
| feebled and distressed company
The Secretary of War observes with regret
| that the Chief Signal Officer has chosen to
make i'll his annual report a formal express
| ion of opinion that, after the arrival of the
wrecked Proteus party on September Is,
| 1888, at St Johns, there was still time, as
known from previous experience and shown
| by subsequent facts, to send efficient relief,
stating that Captain Melville and others
| volunteered to go, giving their full plans for
| the relief.
A contention as to what would have been
| the probable result of an expedition to the
Arctic regions started in the autumn, with
| such preparations as could be made after
| the middle ofSeptember, is now useless for
| any practical purpose, but a few words may
properly be given to the subject, as there
| may be persons whose humane considera-
| ton for the terrible situation in which
Lieutenant Greedy and his party existed for
months may not be accompanied by a
knowledge of the opinion of experienced
persons as to the danger of disaster and the
little hope of success of any attempt to APP
proach him at that season.
The Proteus party, after the wreck of
that ship, reached st. Johns September %,
1883. Lieutenant Darlington, in charge of
| the party, was on that day asked by tele-
graph whether anything more could be done
that year. He replied, on September IA
BY the time suitable vessels could be pro-
| cured, filled, proyisioned, etc. it would be
too late in the year. Notwithstanding this
response, on the same day. by direction of
the Secretaries of War and of the Navy, a
telegram was sent to Lieutenant CARING
ton asking for full replies from himself and
from Commander Wildes, commanding the
United States steamer Yantic, upon certain
questions propounded, and further asking
whether it was feasible project to charter
steam sealer to go northWard the telegram
making also some suggestions as to the out
fitting of the ship and men. To this Lieu
tenant Darlington replied by telegraph Sep
TENDER Is, at length, saying, among other
things:
The ultimate result of any undertaking to
go North at this time extremely problemat-
ical chances against its success owing to
dark nights, now begun in those regions,