Evening star., 1894-04-02
A BOARD OF SURGEONS
10 Examine the Claims of Ford's Theater
Disaster Sufferers.
Large Number Submitted - How the
Board Will Act-Only Two Mem
bers Yet Appointed.

1t is expected that before the end of the
present weeek the board of surgeons ap-
pointed to examine the applicants for dam
ages from the government on account of the
Fords Theater disaster will be organized
and will start to work. This board is COM
posed OF surgeons of the army, navy and
marine hospital service, designated by the
heads of the War, Navy and Treasury De-
partments at the request of the select COM
mittee OF the Senate on the Ford's Theater
disaster, composed of Senators Harris,
Faulkner, White, Manderson and Mcmillan.
The committee sent letter some time ago
to the President, asking that these medical
officers be appointed for this purpose and
letters were at once sent to the three de-
partments from the White House. Two of
the officers have now been appointed and
the third one will probably be designated
this week. Secretary Herbert has named
Tor this service Surgeon A A. Hoehling and
secretary Lamont has assigned Surgeon
Guy L. Edie. Dr. Hoehlng has had consid-
erable experience in the examination of
candidates for the Naval School a Annapo-
lis, and this experience will stand him in
good stead during the coming medical inves-
tigation.
The Number of Claims
Little difficulty is anticipated by the COM
mittee in the matter of the death claims
from the disaster. There are TWENTY-FIVE
cases of the loss Of life and the only trouble
about these cases will be that of ascertain
ing the proper persons to whom the dam
ages should be paid. No rate for death or
injury has yet been agreed upon by the
committee, as 1t has been thought best to
hrst determine the exact extent and nature
or the governments liability by giving a
list of the persons legally entitled TO com-
pensation. The difficulty of the other class
r q lima hnr
can be readily undergtood when IL Is stated
that there are now on trial 125 applications
of all kinds, including death and disability
while the total of deaths and injuries. as
onnclally recorded, Is but 1O2. Many of the
claimants allege that they have suffered
severely from nervous shock" These cases
VIII, In all probability. be the greatest
stumbling block that the committees will
encounter; but, with the expressed knowi
edge OF the three surgeons, the Senators
hope to reach a just and equitable con-
cluson.
The Mode of Procedure.
The session of the board of surgeons will
probably be held in the War Department
building. or, possibly, If room can be Sc
cured. in the Union building where a ma
jority of the record and pension division
clerks who survived the accident are now
located. The mode of procedure will be
simple. The claimant for damages under
the disability laws will be summoned and
examined in person, and this will be fol-
lowed by consultation with the physi-
clan who attended the claimant at the
time of the accident and during his ill
ness. From these two sources of evidence
the three surgeons are to fix upon an
exact scale of injuries relatively apportion-
ed, leaving to the committee of Senators
all questions as to the rate of compensa-
ton. This question of money will be ad-
tusted to the scale of injuries, so that one
man may not get quite as much as an
other, but will probably get all that his
condition entities him to receive. 1t is not
improbable that many of the cases now
on file with the committee will be abso-
lutely thrown out by the surgeons. Mr..
Milliken, clerk to the select committee,
will assist the surgeons in their labors
which will probably occupy the entire
month of April.