The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-06
The STATES WARDS
Annual Report of the
Soldiers Home at
Kearny.
NEW JERSEYS PROUD DISTINCTION
She Has Continually Provided for
Her Veterans Since the War
Interesting Statistics.
JERSEYS PROUD DISTINCTION
Special 10 the .rerseu Cftu Nsars

vi ~ tftt 9SfccH wi sStt
TRENTON. Feb. 6. 1S96.-The annual
eepert of the New Jersey Home for Dis
abled Soldiers, at Kearny. shows that
the institution is in excellent condition
and that 4T veterans were being cared
for there at the end of the fiscal year.
At the beginning of the year there were
$40 beneficiaries. ard during the year S33
were admitted. During the same period
2Sl were discharged; % were summarily
discharged; three were dishonorably dis
charged; 80 were dropped from the rolls;
and 81 died, The average age of those
who died was about g. years.
Each succeeding yeaH makes more APP
parent the wisdom of the patriotic phil
anthropy which conceived and caused the.
establishment of the home. During a
period of nearly thirty years it has aided,
by its benefactions. many thousands of
the nations defenders, who, by reason
Of physical incapacity, were rendered
unable to make proper provision for their
care and maintenance.
To our State belongs the proud dis
tinction of having continuously providsd
since the close of the conflict shelter AID
care for such of its citizens who bore
arms in defense of the nation. Other
States. recognizing the propriety. as well
- NAS > AotO ilhlN ~
homes for the care of the disabled vol
unteer soldier and sailor living Within
their borderss until now, all the States
of the Union but one. whose sons aided
in the preservation of the Union, are
engaged in the good work of ministering
TO the welfare of those who suffer from
disease and the infirmities of age.
A gradual change in the character of
the work attaching to soldiers homes is
manifest to those who are identified with
their management. The percentage of
those needing the attention of the physi-
clan or the care of a nurse is constantly
increasing. The average age of the 497
benehciaries remaining OCTOBER 81, 1895,
was 63.67 years-Virtually a colony of, old
men. whose weaknesses are intensified
by sufferings of a character beyond per-
manent relief. In the past many of the
minor duties have been performed by the
bene6ciaries. but each succeeding year
: makes it manifest that such help cannot
be utilized much longer. but that in the
near future OUNCE and more efficient
labor must be employed.
The managers of the home are Edward
Fl. Wright. Marcus l.. Ward, Amri
Dodd. L. Burd Grubb. Richard A. Dom
nelly and James E. Fleming. The SUI
per%intendent is Major Peter p. Rogers.
The adjutant is Bishop w. Mains, of this
city. The institution is in Hudson
County. opposite Newark, and is beauti-
fully located. The managers are DESTROYS
Of adding to the grounds, and for this
purpose a bill was introduced last Tues
day by Assemblyman Hopkins, to autho-
rize the Governor to purchase for the
State a desirable tract of land adjoining
70 81 d TIE soldiers wGier '1 car eGm foF + d pn5aa. the
year AZ served in New Jersey regiments,
res served hsat the United mi q states taf asc coiored
troops, IS in the United States army and
q in the United States navy. Twenty
five of the veterans are less than SO years
old, and one is more than a hundred. The
home at the end of the year was more
than So years. OF those cared for during
States and 1896 in foreignfeoun1ries. ire
land Is represented. by 1872 beneficiaries,
Germna ary By 11s a I'd ENGLAND By s. Tbs 59ss
laborers and nearly all the professions
and trades, were represented. There were
single men in the home during the year.
The home was established thirty years
asgo, and during that ting Las veterans
DR.. Archibald Mercer. the institution
surgeon, In his report says that the pub
all applicants admitted are supposed to
be at least one-half disabled from one
cause or another-often from a combina-
ton of causes-and that many are adj
mitted in the last stage Of, disease. and
less For the future this condition Of
During the year 40 patients nave been
admitted or transferred to the hospital
for treatment. OF this number AZ have
died and % are now remaining under
larger during the year than usual. Of
those who died one passed his one hun-
dredth birthday, one was between 80 and
aoo. four were between 80 and 90. sixteen
co and 70 years of age. Seven died from
senile debility and seven from. consumpz
d~iseases The rest died from chronic dis
kidneys or from cancer. Twelve of the
number had been inmates Of the home
lees than six months, and two died with
In a week of their admission.
The report of Marcus L. Ward. treas
nrer of the. home. shows that s~2e.85s.57
lYas received during the year from the
State. $40, 9554z 3 from the United States
Government, and $s.040.5S from other
sources. The bill for maintenance aggre-
gated So, 6sS.5 So, and the balance in the
treasury at the end of the year was
10. 40(- 40. N zHH1