The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-04-18
WEATHER BIjREAUSCANDAL
Report of the Investigating Com
mittee Filed.
A SENSATIONAL STORY.
Employees Found Guilty entity Of Theft and
ENLIGHTENMENT.
They Stole Furniture, Carpets, Books,
Stationery, Chemicals and Everything
in sight-Their Homes Carpeted
by the Government.

| WASHINGTON. April II. - Secretary
Morton this afternoon received a report
from Assistant Attorney General Colby,
who conducted the investigation into the
charges of illegal and fraudulent disposal
of public property in the weather bureau.
The secretary announces that he will take
the matter under advisement as the rec
concentrations are as follows:
Immediate discharge OF officials and
employees guilty CT theft, enlightenment
or unauthorized sale of government prop
erty and their prosecution criminally and
civilly; the entire reorganization of the
executive management and control of the
bureau; that no government property be
loaned out or taken from the departmenG
for private purposes under any circum-
stances whatever and no property to be
taken for official use except upon requisi
ton duly signed aud approved and for
which receipt is given. That property
carried on rolls of the bureau be sold only
at public auction after due advertisement;
that that practice of loaning money now
prevailing in the weather bureau be-
tween employees and officers aud especi-
ally by those of inferior rank to their
superior in official position be absolutely
prohibited.
The entire reorganization of the execu-
| tive management and control of the bu-
reau and the official separation as much
as practicable, and as far as property re-
| sponsibility is concerned, of the executive
| from that which is purely scisstific or ed
ucational; the establishment of such reg
ulations as shall require strict accounts
bility from each employee charged with
possession or control of government prop
erty, and centering in one official the
control of and responsibility for the whole
property of the bureau; that careful in
ventory be taken of government property
| In the bureau.
Among the principal findings of fact by
the assistant attorney general were these:
That III February, 1893, number of brass
and iron holdings, exceeding $50 in value,
were sold to r. F.. Branuon, captain of
the watch, without legal authority and
no return was made therefor: that a num-
Der of yards of carpet and other articles
belonging to the government were
disposed OF by said Brannon and
no returns made; that John j.
Ryan, an employee of the bureau,
had in the cellar of his residence in Feb
ruary, 1893, quantity of new govern
ment property; that a large new piece OF
linoleum procured for use in the bureau
was during the year 1892 taken therefrom
and disposed of by employees of the gov
eminent without authority and no re-
turn made; that many articles of prop
erty belonging to the government, such
as type, stationery, Office supplies, fur
niture, bound record books, chemical
materials and 500 thermometers were
taken therefrom in the months of July
and August, 1892, and disposed of with
out legal authority and no returns made
} therefor.
That five carpets complete for rooms OF
undetermined dimensions and seventy
eight yards of measured carpet have en-
tirely disappeared from the weather bu-
, reau and none of the officers or employer!
thereof could or would furnish
any information with regard to sucl
property or account for it's absence
Sixty-seven yards of unmeasured carpet
however, proved to have been in the resi-.
dence of Brannon for the past six mon tbs
; The evidence shows that property of the
: government has been removed from The
bureau from time to time at the pleasure
of employees or officers for use at thei,
private residences without receipts being
given, requisition made or any recorC
OF such disposition in the bureau.
} 1t further appears that the captain o
the watch, Brannon, practiced loaning
money at high rates of interest to tn,
officers and employees of the bureau boti
to those above and below him in rank, thu
placing his superior officers under finan
, cial obligations to him.