Evening star., 1893-10-26
to Pensioners Receiving
Free Board and Lodging.
THE COMMISSIONERS ANNUAL REPORT.
Story of the Diseased Cattle
Killed at the Home.
IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE.

District OF Columbia has been submitted
to the Secretary Of War through the presi-
dent OF the board, Gen. Schofield The re-
port shows that there are on the rolls of
the home the names of l,cSO inmates OF
whom l.007 are regular and 73 temporary
Of this number there are present at the
home 10. on outdoor relief 2ss. on furlough
%, in the Government Hospital for the In
sane 1S suspended g.
The daily average number M ,nr.,as
during the year was Isl. last year 745 ana
the preceding year us or the "a deaths
reported IS died at the home, Ia were on
outdoor relief, in the hospital for the
insane. in Washington and one was ac-
cloentally killed while on furlough-
Inc condition of the funds Of the home
ana the receipts and expenditures for the
year are as follows:
baiance In the U. s. treasury October l.
lss2, 2.4ss .s4o.sl: settlements for the current
year. &c. SIG, ,4o2.51; withdrawn on reQu,sa-
tons for current expenses, a57,0oo
Excess OF expenditures over receipts. go
597.4s
Balance October i, 1893 Ssl7s34s2
The treasurer's statement OF funds re-
ceived for the inmate pensioners shows
that he had on hand last report. sss. 4xs Il:
received during the year. $50 AZ: paid TO
pensioners and legal heirs. ss5. SIS Is; leaving
on hand In the treasury, SO sl5s4.
Drawing Two Pays.
This statement shows that all h,,
SSd2.ls Of the fund received was paid nv the
treasurer to the individual pensioners
thereby providing, by the operations of the
existing law, ample means for idle ana in
many cases vicious Indulgence harmful to
themselves and highly detrimental TO the
discipline Of the home. The commissioner
are OF the opinion that Congress never in
TENDED to make double provision, now en-
1oyed by many of the inmate pensioners
VINO are comfortably lodged, clothed and
led at the expense Of the home while they
draw their pensions. in Some cases amount-
ing to $50 per month, and spend IL witho,,t
oeing taxed In the slightest degree for their
support This makes the home a standing
inducement for pensioners to seek admts-
sion thereto. and while II is lust ana proner
that men disabled In the service should be
pensioned according to the degree OF dis
abiity incurred, IL is believed that pension
ers receiving more than IS per month
should be required TO pay, partly at least.
for their support The Commissioner vii
therefore submit to the Secretary of War
al an early date the draft Of a bin proysd-
ing that men who receive SIG and more Der
month shall pay to the home the cost OF
their food and clothing S. and that All re-
ceivtng less than SIC and more than n
snail pay the difference between the
amount received and S. except in the case
OF inmates having wives and children de-
pendent upon them. OF the no fnmates
now present 5S4 are drawing pensions. lgl
are receiving from SIG to SIG per month pa
from slo to SIS and l5s from 81 to u. The
ed bill.
The Home Fall.
The capacity of the home for the accom-
modation OF men entitled to admtss,on a.
about 7os. and no greater number can be
suitably cared for without crowdine the in
mates. This was proved last winter. when
there were at one time over 800 men I'm the
home, and beds had to be placed i'm the
gate houses and other unsuitable places
The commissioners therefore found IL ne
cessary to discharge the retired soldiers
who had availed themselves of the prty1-
for men entitled to admission who had nc
means Of support.
Nerd Examinations.
Through the courtesy Of the Agricultural
Department, the services of Dr. rheobold
smith. chief Of the division of animal path-
ology, were secured in March last. with
those OF DR. kilbourne and Schwedsr Of
that department. and a very scientific and
exhaustive examination was made of the
home dairy herd. under the supervision OF
Lieut. Col w. H. Forwood, the attending
surgeon. The Investigation, which EXTEND
ed over a period of nearly four rtonths.
was made i'm order to determine the fun
character and extent of the disease in The
nero known as tuberculosis, of which some
OF the cattle had died from time to time.
In the inspection made by these Sent,e-
men of the sixty animals in the herd. fiyly-
two were found to be infected with tl,ber-
culosis and had therefore to be killed the
disease being reported as a progressive and
lnrnrahla oil a.,
stages, 4 being restricted to a small region
of the lungs. the flesh In such incipient
cases is free from disease and in every
cattle.
After a very complete Investigation of
the disease. DIR. Smith and the Attending
surgeon recommended, with a view OF fur
ther testing the facts developed and in the
interests OF science. that the remain ;,g cat-
tie be killed and be used at the nome II
found, upon post mortem examination, TO
be mt for food. and this was accordingly
authorized by the Commissioners.
Through this necessary sacrifice OF the
whole dairy herd the home is now compelled
to purchase the milk required for the in
mates. IL having been decided by the Com
missioners to defer the purchase OF a new
herd for the present.
Water supply.
There has been for some years past a
steadily increasing necessity for a large in
crease in the water supply at the home
and as every effort made to obtain a ,arger
supply by boring artesian wells proved un-
successful, the board caused a thorough
examination to be made last winter into
this important matter i'm order that tae
best possible means might be devised ard
adopted for supplying the home with a
sufficient quantity of water for ordinary
use and an adequate supply for the protec-
ton Of the valuable buildings in .rfe OF
fire. After fully considering plans c--efully
prepared for the purpose, the District Ccm-
missioners were applied to. and they readily
granted permission for the home to take
5000 gallons OF water and a great er GUAM
tity in case of fire, by connecting q six-inch
water main with the city main at the juuc-
ton of --.tney avenue and 9TH street tx-
tended, and erecting a 50.0OO gallon water
tower.
Value of Products.
The treasurer's statement OF accounts
with the farm, the dairy and the garden
show that the val-e of the products Of the
farm equaled the expense of the same;
that there is a balance to the credit of the
dairy account of sss9.e5. and that the pro-
ducts of the garden. in which is included
the expense of orramentation, equaled the
outlay.
The sanitary condition of the home has