The evening world., 1889-06-17
WHERE PENSIONS ARE PAID.
SCENES AND VISITORS AT THE BIG CANAL,
STREET BUILDING.
Col. LoVelRBd, the New Pcnsion-MRster,
Has Organized New Working Hours
One Veteran Draws u Pension because
tie Has Bunions-Anothe Wants One
Because lie Received n Had Fright.

One Veteran Draws u Pension Because
tie Has Bunions-Anothcr Wants One
Because lie Received a Had Fright.
The Pension Bureau, 800 Canal street, is not
as beautiful MS the Temple of Diana of the
Ephesians. but there are ever so many more
people who go to the one to-day than TO the
other.
A four-storied stru~cture-white marble
above, a little the worse for wear. and iron
below, covered with dark green paint that
is the United States Pension Bureau, where,
four times II year, hardy veterans of the Mexi-
can and Civil wars go to draw from Uncle
Sam q practical recognition of the beautiful
' fact TINT they have fought, blcd nnd-live for
the + country.
The bronzed, tough old boys who cnce
wore the blue and now bear IN their frames u
claim to the bounty of n grateful country, no
longer go to the Pension Bureau " to fight
mld Sigel." Gen. Franz has Withdrawn.
He sent i'll his resignation the middle OF
last April, but he still has n private drawer
IN n desk in the sanctum of the Bureau. and
CCl. Loveland, the present incumbent. makes
the old veteran as Welcome as possible.
Col. Frank X. Lovelnnd, the present Pen
sion Master, liz n tall man, with a full black
beard nd dark complexion. He has made
one innovation since this first quarterly pay
ment began, which has caused n little un-
necessary and quite foolish talk, since 1t was
II change made for the best.
Instead OF opening the Bureau at 4 O'Clock in
the morning and keeping IL open until 5 M,
and then having the clerks hustling around
Strengthening things up till 8 or . O'Clock, he
opened the Bureau this quarterly payment at
7 o'clock 4. NJ. and closes ut 4 o'clock.
The law says . o'clock A. NJ. to 4 O'Clock
P. NJ, and as there isn't a Pension Bureau in
the country that opens at 4 o'clock, the Col
onel didn't see why 7 o'clock wasn't early
enough.
II asked Gen. sigel why he opened so
early" said Col. Loveland, " and he told me
that he did II because his predecessor, Col.
Coster. did ii, and that the result was that on
the second and third day the clerks were 30
broken up that they were really fit for q hos
pital.
When l was in Washington / spoke TO
Commissioners Tanner about the matter. md
he said Why, open it at some hour that
And 50 l have" said Col. Lovelnnd,
=" and as n result the papers have jumped ON
me and n few sore heads have %Crowled.
II had to give bonds to the extent of
$3.50, 600. for the proper accomplishment of
this work, and / think II only fitting to keep
my clerks in n condition that will enable them
to accomplish it without breaking down.
SO | have opened at 7 o'clock AN, in
stead of an hour when you would have to
look around for pensioners with a %lnntern.
They paid on the first day under the old style
about n thousand pensioners. We did nearly
that yesterday and to-day there have been the
$50 Ni'1S VI ~ WV ~ ~
The clerks, AZ it Is, will have TO stay until
8 or 0 O'Clock fixing up the papers, but that
Is considerable Improvement on their being
here till / or 2 o'clock in the morning. /
have fifteen clerks, some of them women.
and for this quarterly payment / have gotten
fifteen more. i expect to retain two or three
of them permanently.
II do not ask them whether they are
Democrats or Republicans, Catholics or
Proiestants, but simply look to see how they
acqult themselves of their duty"
III quarterly payments of pensions take
March, June, September and December.
There are about thirty thousand pensioners.
Most of the pensioners are pnid by mail,
and 1t would be Il saving OF time and Trouble
if they would alt arrange to have the PEN
sion RENTED in this way. But rather than
pay the 25 or so cents a Notary Public wonld
demand 20 make out their vouchers, they
come in person when they live in New
York, BROOKLYN or Newark.
The pensions vary from 81 to 800 a month.
Some physical disability or ailment received
from service in the war is the claim which
entities n soldier to a pension. His widow
receives il when he dies until she remarrieS,
and a pensioners orphan children are the
recipients of 1t until they are sixteen,
The worst physical inability is regarded as
the loss of both hands. Some very amusing
claims are made and sometimes admitted.
One pensiOner draws pay for bunions.
One of the most amusing, however, was
the petition preferred at the Pension Bureau
III Washington by a soldier who denInn led
payment on the ground that ut the battle
of Murfreesboro he was so frightened by the
sudden inroads of bushwackers that he has
been subjected to epileptic fits since.
One Of the largest claims paid by the
Bureau WAS Sl5. $50 to Philip Flood. Company
4. Borty-second Regiment of Ohio artieid's
old regiment. His claim has been pending
since 1868. and was only lately allowed, so he
received all the back pension. Another
soldier, Gilchrist, drew Sl2, 600 pension.
The big pension room is filled with old
timers who are wa ting fer their names to be
called. They wait for hours. and frequently
the capacity of the room. which is not more
than three hundred. is overtaxed and n file of
pensioners overtiows on to the sidewalk.
One old fellow with a fleming face shows
mp as regularly rs the clock and draws his
$l2 and then goes and gets royalty full and
fights his battles over again.
Another pathetic case is of the sister of an
old soldier. who shows up regularly for two
or three hours every morning, She has lost
her mind.
The poor witless creature, in a red calico
gown and II chip hat, never attempts to enter
the building, but waits on the sidewalk in
the vain hope that she may hear her brothers
name called. She never does, and goes away
wear, eddy after her hours of waiting. dlsap-
pc nted but accomplishing.
This is Col. LovelAnd's first payment. He
entered into office only n month ngo. He has
taken things vigorously in hand, and the old
Pension Bureau will probably be run with a
good deal of vigor.