The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-12-11
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
Secretary Lincoln's Annual Report-More
Guns Needed-Comments on General
Hazen's Opinion ON the Grecly Expcdi.
fi0n.


Secretary Lincoln's Annual Report-More
Guns Needed-Comments on General
Hazen's Opinion on the Greely Expcdi-
ton.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-Robert Z. Lin
coin, Secretary of War, makes his annual
report to the President. The total expen-
ditures for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1884, are $42, 1885,, ,S76 81, the appropriations.
$45, SIC, ,551.53. The estimates for the fs-
cal year ending June 80, 1885, are $50, $780,
50O.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
ernment Hospital for the Insane is ~; 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
courtmartial during the year was 1850, 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 1855; total increase of trials by courts
martial of 1850.
The report of the Quartermaster Generals
Department shows that at the beginning of
the last fiscal year there remained in the
Treasury as balances applicable to expenses
of prior years the sum of 81, ,295, ,279.01.
iofo Cor fIe, I,n
sum of $40, 156, ,734. IS, including $500, 900
for military posts and $4,000 for road to
National Cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn.
The balance undrawn on the 30th of June,
1884, was 81, 193, 1862. "a.
Of the $500,O00 appropriated by Con-
gress for persons made destitute by the
floods of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
1926, ,61S.24 was expended on the Ohio and
| its tributaries and $3.50, 1894 on the Mis-
sissippi, leaving unexpended S12, ,94242.
The Paymastsr-Genera in his report, ac
counts for S15, 1SO, 160.S6 He recommends,
with the Secretarys 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-
tion of coast defenses. Steel forts and tur-
rets to resist guns which send projectile
| weighing ton through sixty feet of sand,
L
| 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
| $10,021 ,649.55. The amount appropriated
for 1884 was 81, ,319, ,634.62, and the amount
| drawn from the Treasury was So, 22S, 703. 81,
leaving balance of $3, 112, ,580.63 in the
i fHrar ryrrv.xr Tr1Ix- fhn
i 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
9, 1884, the channel of the South pass OF
the Mississippi River was maintained unin-
terruptedly. During that time 100000
was paid for maintenance of the pass and
/ $4,000 in interest ON the S1,000,000 re-
tanned was paid Mr.. Eads, making the total
expenditure for the improvement to the
latter date of $5,000,000.
/ 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 outlays necessary to enlarge
their plants sufficiently to produce steel
in masses of sufficient size and of suit
able quality for gun construction. The
manufacture: and test of experimental guns
will require four OF five years, and prompt
action by Congress in making this appro
priation and establishing Government gun
factories to secure within a reasonable time
efficient means of coast defense.
Under the head of the Chief Signal Off
GERS report, the Secretary goes into the
Greely expedition and the Proteus matter
1t is given in full: 1.-THE Chief Signal Off
Ger describes with sufficient detail the
events connected with the closing of the
work of exploration in the Arctic regior
and the return of the survivors of the party
under Lieutenant GreeIy. The survivors
were relieved at Cape Sabine on June %
1884, by a naval expedition under the com
mand of Commander w. S. Schley. Tht
zeal and enterprise of the reliev
ing expedition were such as to ell
title all its officers and men to tht
highest commendation: and while il
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 Greely party numbered twenty
five persons-of whom only seven wer,
rescued alive and one died after the rescue
Of the dead all perished from starvation eX
cept an Esquimaux, who was drowned, aTit
Private Henry, who was executed by ordel
of Lieutenant Greedy for repeated thefts O.
food from the insufficient supply of the en-
feebled and distressed company.
The Secretary of War observes with regre
that the Chief Signal Officer has chosen tt
make in his annual report a formal express
ion of opinion that, after the arrival of th
wrecked Proteus party on September 13
1888, at st. Johns, there was still time a
known from previous experience and show
by subsequent facts to send efficient relief
stating that Captain Melville and other
volunteered to go, giving their full plans TO
the relief
A contention as to what would have beel
the probable result of an expedition to tn
Arctic regions started in the autumn, witt
such preparations as could be made afte
the middle of September, is now useless fo
any practical purpose, but few words ma,
properly be given to the subject, as ther,
may be persons whose humane considera
tion for the terrible situation in whicl
Lieutenant Greedy and his party existed fo
months may not be accompanied by
knowledge of the opinion of experiences
persons as to the danger of disaster and tn
little hope of success of any attempt to ap
proach him at that season.
The PrOteus party, after the wreck o
that ship, reached st. Johns September %
1883. Lieutenant Darlington, in charge o
the party, was on that day asked by tele
graph whether anything more could be don
that year. He replied, on September IA
ssBy the time suitable vessels could be pre-
cured, filled, provisioned etc., it would b
too late in the year. Notwithstanding thi
response, ON the same day, by direction o
the Secretaries of War and of the Navy,
: telegram was sent to Lieutenant CARING
ton asking for full replies from himself an
from Commander Wildes, commanding tn
United States steamer Yantic, upon certai
questions propounded, and further askin
whether it was feasible project to charte
a steam sealer to go northward, the Telegram
making also some suggestions as to the ou
fitting of the ship and men. To this Lieu
tenant Darlington replied by telegraph SEP
tember Is, at length, saying, among Othe
things:
The ultimate result of any undertaking t
go North at this time extremely problema
ical: chances against its SUCCESS, owing I