St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-29

sources. Steel forts and turrets 70 resist
guns which can send projectile weighing a
ton through sixty feet Of sand, and which
must themselves have Ike guns, with steam
machinery TO load and manipulate them, can
not be built in the short time which would
be given us by an enemy for preparation
after the cessation Of diplomatic intercourse.
The funds with which the works for the
improvement OF rivers and harbors were
! prosecuted during the past year were derived
I from the appropriations Of the act OF August
2, 1882, together with such few balances as
were on hand from previous appropriations.
The balance in the treasury subject TO requi-
sition July l, 1888, for improving harbOrs
and rivers was SIC, 02l. So. The amount
appropriated during the fiscal year 1884 was
! 81, 319 634 90, and the amount drawn from
/ the treasury during the fiscal year was as
22S, 703.54, leaving az balance Of S3,Il2,-
/ 5SO.63 in the treasury subject to requisiiion
July l, 1884. A full statement of unex-
pended balances June 80, 1884, is appended
to the report, and a detailed account Of the
steps taken 10 carry out the provisions Of
law and Of the progress and condition Of
these works will be found in the report Of the
chief engineers, TO which beg leave to refer.
A report Of the progress made between
/ December l, 1882, and December 81, 1888,
/ 10y the Mississippi River commission in carry
/ ing out the work Entrusted 10 il was trans
mitted TO congress January s, 1854. The
subsequent progress Of that important work
will be made the subject Of a special com
municAtion 10 congress at an early period Of
the ensuing session.
II has been the rule IN cases where con-
gress has not authorized the construction Of
bridge, or has not required the secretary Of
war 10 approve the plan, etc, Of a bridge as a
condition 10 its being built, that he neither
authorizes nor forbids its construction; but,
If satisfied that any intended structure OF that
kind, or any other, will seriously impair the
navigation of the channels OF navigable
waters Of the United States, be endeavors
through the department Of justice to prevent
its erection.
The arrangements which have been in
progress under the direction aud supervis-
ion, as required by law, Of the inventor, Mr..
NJ. j. Adams, for making practical test Of
a hume for increasing the depth OF water OF
the Mississippi. for which the sum Of $20,-
600 was provided by the river and harbor
act Of March 3, 1879, and further sum Of
IS, 600 by act Of August ., 1sS2, have been
suspended by him before completion, for
want Of funds. the unexpended balance be-
ing on June 80, 1884, Sl39.sO.
THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER.
The report Of the chief signal officer shows
the progress Of the usual meteorological work.
During the fiscal year ending June 80,
1884, the entire expenses of the signal ser
vice we're for the first time kept, distinct and
separate from the expenditures for the sup
port OF the army, and the cost Of the service
for that year, including the amounts drawn
from the treasury up 20 October 81, 1884, for
the expenses OF the above named fiscal year,
under the several titles Of appropriation, was
1855, 392.9 5, from which should be deducted
the receipts OF military telegraph lines COW
cred into the treasury during the fiscal year,
Sl7,O74.72, leaving the net expenditure
S94l, 3lS.23. The appropriations for the
fiscal year 1885 aggregate 81 ,O0l, 22s.93, and
the estimates for the fiscal year 1886 amount
to 81 552, 659.S4.
He recommends an increase in the appro-
priations, which / submit; but do not con-
cur in his suggestion that return be made
10 the old methods of incorporating the ap-
preparations for the support OF this service
with those for the support Of the army. Ny
reasons are briefly that, even il in the army
bill the amounts to be expended for the
weather bureau should be made specific aud
definite, as was not the case until recently,
l deem II prejudicial TO the interests Of the
]
should be so largely increased by adding 10
it the cost of the weather bureau service,
with which the army is not concerned. 1t
would seem 10 be as appropriate TO make the
river and harbor appropriation a part of the
army expenses because few army officers
supervise the work. In this connection
renew my recommendation that the
temporary legislation of the last two
years, forbidding the expenditure for this
service Of money not specifically appropIi-
ated therefor, be made permanent legisla-
ton applying 10 all future appropriations TO
be disbursed by the secretary of war.
The chief signal officer describes with suf-
fcient detail the events connected with the
alosing of the work of exploration in the
Arctic regions and the return OF the suryi-
vors OF the party under Lieutenant Greedy
The survivors were relieved at Cape Sabine
on June %, 1884, by a naval expedition IN
der the command of Commander w. s.
| Schley. The zeal and enterprise Of the re-
lieving expedition were such as 10 entitle
all its officers and men to the highest com
mendation; and while il reached Cape Sa-
bine at the earliest possible moment, the
final catastrophe to the few survivors of
Lieutenant Greely's party was, but
for the rescue. only a few hours
distant. The Greedy party numbered
twenty-five persons, of whom only seven
were rescued alive and one died after the
rescue. OF the dead, all persisted from star
walton except an Eskimo, who was drowned,
and Private Henry, who was executed by or
der of Lieutenant Greedy for repeated thefts
of food from the insufficient supply Of the
enfeebled and distressed company.
The secretary of war observes with regret
that the chief signal officer has chosen TO
make, in his annual report, formal express
sion of opinion that, after the arrival of the
wrecked ''Porteus" party on September Is,
1888, at St. Johns, there was still time, ''as
known by 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 reief.n
To some of the criticisms by the chief
signal officer in his report, no reference
seems TO be required beyond saying that the
'PrOteous" court of inquiry, so called, had
had the merit OF basing its conclusions as TO
the officers with whom it dealt upon such in
formation OF facts aud conditions as was at
tainable by the officers themselves at the
time of their action as well as by the court
/ But the expression Of the chief signal officer.
above referred 10, is an intrusion OF an
official opinion as 10 the propriety of the
course of the secretaries Of war aud the navy
in not hazarding more lives in 1883 in a
nearly hopeless venture, upon his telegraphic
requests. This excursion into an official
jurisdiction beyond his own and his dictHsl
upon the exercise Of superior responsibility
which he was not invited 10 share are extra
ordinary in their time and place, and are
hardly excusable even under whatever Of ir-
ritation may have been caused by the find
| ings Of the ''Proteus'' court Of INQUIRY.
Waving, however, that consideration, if
there had at the time been given more weight
to the views OF that branch OF the public SER