The morning call., 1893-04-18
THERE is A LOW.
High Winds From a Hot
Scandal.
WITH DEPRESSED BAROMETER
The Storm Wave Seems to Have Struck
Several Weather Bureau Off
ciaIs Pretty Hard.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

WASHINGTON. April 17.-Secretary Nor
ton this afternoon received the report of
Assistant Attorney General Colby, who
has conducted the investigation into the
charges of Illegal and fraudulent disposal
OF public property in the Weather Bureau.
The Secre tarv announced that he would
take the matter under advisement.
The recommendations are as follows: The
immediate discharge of the officials and
employees guilty OF theft. embezzlement of or
unauthorized sale of Government property,
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 department for private pur-
poses under any circumstances whatever,
and that no property be taken for official
use except upon requisiti0n duly signed and
approved and for which receipt is given !;
that the property carried on the rolls of the
bureau be sold only at public auction after
due advertisement; that the practice of
loaning money now prevailing In the
Weather Bureau between employees and
officers, especially by those of in
ferlor rank to their superiors In
official position. be absolutely pro-
hihiied; the entire reorganization OF the
executive man nagement and control of the
bureau, and the official separation as much
as practicable so far as proper responsible
lty is concerned of the executive from that
which Is purely scientific or educational;
the establishment of such regulations as
shall require strict accountability from
each employe charged with the possession
or control Of Government property, and the
centering in one official of the control of
and responsibility for the whole property of
the bureau; that general inventory be
taken of the Government property In the
bureau.
Among the principal findings of fact by
the Assistant Attorney General were these:
That in February, 1898. a number Of brass
and iron holdings. exceeding $50 in value,
were sold by X. +. Brannon. captain of the
watch, without legal authority, and no re-
turn was made therefor; that number of
yards of carpet and other articles, belonging
10 the Government, were disposed of by
said BrannOn and no returns made; that
John j. Ryan, an employe of the bureau,
had in the cellar Of his residence, in Febru-
airy, 1898. quantity of new Government
property; that large new pieces of linoleum,
procured for use in the bureau, were during
the year 1892 taken therefrom and disposed
of by employees of the Government without
authority and no returns were made; that
many articles of property, belonging to the
Government, such as type, stationery,
Office supplies, furniture, bound rec
ord books, chemical materials and
over SEQ thermometers, were taken there
from in the months of July and August.
1882, disposed Of without legal authority and
no return made therefor; that five carpets.
complete for rooms of undetermined dimen-
sions, and seventy eight yards of measured
carpet have entirely disappeared from the
Weather Bureau and none of the officers or
emp'oves thereof could or would furnish
any information in regard TO such property
or account for its absence.
SiXty-seTen yards of unmeasure1 carpet,
however, was proved to have been In the
residence of BTanDon for the past six
months. The evidence shows that property
Of the Government has been removed from
the bureau from time to time at the pleas
ure of the employees or officers for use at
their private residences without receipts be-
ing given, requisiLions made or any record
kept Of such disposition in the bureau.
1t further appears that Captain of the
Watch Brannon practiced loaning money at
high rates of interest to officers and em-
pioyes of the bureau. both to those above
and below him in rank, thus placing his
superior officers under financial obligation
to him.