Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-17
RELICS OF THE WAR.
Hospital Records and their Value to the
Pension Once.

feno10u once.
now crArxs AIa suBsrkxrrArEp IN TEE suR-
asox sExEnALs oFYcE-HuSrrNa THRoUeH
MILLIONS or MISREPRESENTATION rHR sYs-
1Hx-DR. ArSswoRrH's SUCCESSFUL WORK.
worn out volume Of tattered, soiled, rum
pied pages with the pencil writing barely legi-
BILE, with corners gone, names half obhterated,
rapidly going to decay volume that looks
a. though il might be q veritable antique and
might have served as the log Of the voyage of
Columbus on his continent-hunting trip! Such
book lies on q desk in the building
on 10th street near F, known to fame as
the old Ford's theater, where President
Lincoln was assassinated quarter Of n century
ago. 1t Is not an antique nor relic, but it is q
veritable curiosity nevertheless. 1t dates from
just few years before the memorable event
that gave the building it's doleful reputation.
and contains, in almost obliterate inscriptions.
the records Of cases treated in one of the field
hospitals established all over the scene Of strife
and bloodshed in the great conflict of the
states. In short il is q hospital record a little
over twenty-five years old, bearing the names
OF the poor unfortunates who succumbed to the
beneath the singing mimic ball or the bowling
cannon shot.
cEAsELEss HANDLING.
But it has aged terribly, and looks at least a
couple Of centuries old, with it's torn binding,
frayed edges and discolored and tattered leaves
This demolition has been caused by the almost
ceaseless handling il has received ever since
the government began to give pensions to the
wounded survivors of the Union forces in the
rebellion, the ceaseless thumbing it has been
given as Its pages have been searched again
nd do e.. A.Au T.
claimed certain facts which the government
wanted to substantiate by means of the records
kept at the time and on the spot But this is
all over now, and the old book is at rest its
fragile texture in the last stages of disease
that has happily been warded off by prudent
hand. All of its valuable information has been
stolen from it, but with good intent, and now
is contained on thousands of cards scattered
through hundred Of file boxes, and this is how
1t came to be done.
HOW CLAIMS ARE sUBsTANrrATEp.
The United States pension Office has been in
constant communication with the Office Of the
surgeon general OF the army ever since the
nrst pension claim was fled asking for the
records OF men treated in the hospitals during
the war, these facts being requisite in order to
adjudge whether or not a claimant is entitled
to pension under the laws For instance he
claims that he was wounded at the battle of
Chickamauga and thinks that he is entitled to
pension on that account. II the records of
the surgeon generals Office show that such
man was treated In certain hospital on date
soon after that battle for wound as he
describes, there cannot be much doubt that
his claim is valid, other things being proved.
Hence 1t Is that for every allegation by a
claimant the pension Office must have informa-
ton from the hospital records and this ac-
ing has flowed between the Offices for years.
BY HOSPITALS, NOT REGIMENTS.
When ''call" came from the pension Office,
giving the name, regiment and company of a
man, it was formerly an utter impossibility for
the surgeon general to tell anything about him
except in isolated cases, for the hospital
records went not by regiments but by the cases
as they were brought in for treatment II a
man knew where he was treated well and good,
the records Of that particular hospital were
found and a long, tedious search through the
thousands OF entries was made, beginning at
the FIRST until perchance his name was en-
countered. The process had all of the elements
OF hunting for needle in a haystack," and
frequently resulted in failure to find any,
thing. 1t might be that the record could be
found In few minutes, but that was
an exception, and az q rule hours were
taken to discover the slightest information
about man. There is no wonder, then, that
with the vast influx of questions, and the neces-
sarily slow method Of answering the sluice
.
claims became piled up higher and higher, &C
cumulating until the ordinary period that
elapsed between the time the pension Office
made the call and the surgeon generals Office
sent reply was about four months. often run
ming as high as eight, ten or twelve months
but never lower than one in extra-special cases
AS striking contest II ought to be stated
here, little ahead of time, that today a cali
from the pension Office is sent back answered
the next day to its receipt, and often contains
fore.
OF course this handling of the records by men
searching for names and facts soon had its
eject upon the perishable stuff of which the
books were made, and as the years went by and
the press OF claims grew greater, there was i'm
minent danger OF these invaluable books being
utterly destroyed. So that, after much hesita,
ton, Tor there is no record good as an
original, the books were copied as time per-
mitted, and as the copies wore away they too
were transcribed into new volumes.
THE TWO DANGERS.
30 that here we're two evils, one from the great
hindrance to the public business owing to the &C.
emulation Of unanswered calls and the other
from the danger OF the disappearance of the
loss. So unfortunate was the situation that
Secretary Endicott, in his annual report for
1887, called attention to the fact that the work
OF the records and pension division of the Sur
8eOn 6enerale Omce-Wnlch has the above
mentioned work in hand-had 30 far fallen in
arrears that SSH unanswered calls for infor-
nation relative to pension and other claims
had accumulated in the Office ON December L.
1886. Prior to that date a large number OF
cases we're subjected to a delay of two and one
half and three months, and often for longer
period.
''This state of affairs had been brought about
by combination of causes the most import
ant OF which were defective methods of work.
laxity OF discipline, indifference and lack of
interest on the part of some of the clerks
many of whom were inattentive to duty, in
efficient, physically or mentally disabled, or
otherwise incompetent. belief seemed TO
pervade the whole Office that no improvement
in the old system was either desirable or Dos
sible, and that any change made in it must
necessarily be for the worse. To such an ex-
tent was this carried that the two principal
officers responsible for this division were of
opinion that for efficient and constant work IL
was necessary to have from two to ten thousand
cases always on hand.
Repeated efforts by the department. TO &C.
cure greater expedition having failed il was
deemed necessary to relieve the chief of the
division and detail another officer in his place.
which was done early in December: other
changes were also made in the bureau. In less
than three months thereafter the great arrear-
age which existed was entirely reduced The
methods Of work were changed, at once in
creasing its volume without diminishing its ac-
curacy; the discipline of the force was inn
proved; thirty disabled clerks, who, for various
reasons, were entitled to consideration. we're
aseiRned to such duties az thew could efficieptlv