Evening star., 1898-12-03
be allowed for the apprehension of a. de-
The Memorial Bridge.

In regard to a memorial bridge the Sec
retary says:
"Attention is invited to the report sub
mitted to Congress in March last upon the
proposed memorial bridge across the Poto-
mac river from the old naval observatory
grounds to the Arlington reservation. The
recommendations heretofore made for the
construction of this bridge are renewed
In a short chapter about statues Secre-
tary Alger refers to the statue of General
Logan, as follows:
The polished granite base for the pedes
tai of the statue was erected in September,
1897, in Iowa Circle, upon the foundation
constructed and the bronze pedestal has
been received and placed in position upon
the base, in readiness to receive the statue
when completed. The contract required the
statue to be completed in its entirety by
December, 1888, but owing to certain
changes in the pedestal and the enlarge
ment of the historical figures thereon it
was found impossible to complete the
statue within the time specified, and upon
the recommendation of the chief of engi-
neers an extension of one years time has
been granted to the contractor.
1t is recommended that an annual appro-
priation of $50 be made for the purpose CT
cleaning and preserving the public nond-
ments in the District of Columbia under the
control of this department..
Hall of Records Needed.
The report contains the following re-
marks in regard to the construction of a
hall of records:
Section of the act to pyvide for tenn
porarily increasing the military establish
ment of the United States in time of war,
and for other purposes, approved April -,
1888, provides:
THAT all returns and muster rolls of or
ganiZatiOns of the volunteer army and of
militia organizations while in the service
of the United States shall be rendered to
the adjutant general of the army, and upon
the disbaudment of such organizations the
records pertaining to them shall be trans
ferred to and filed in the record and pen
sion office of the War Department. And
regimental and all other medical officers
serving with volunteer troops in tie field
or elsewhere shall keep daily record of al
soldiers reported sick or wounded, as shown
by the morning calls or reports, and shall
deposit such reports with other reports pro-
vided for in this section with the record
and pension office as provided nereln Tor
other reports, returns and muster rolls.
AS indicated in the above quoted law,
there will soon be large increase in the
records and files of this department, and
the need for additional office room Is very
urgent Immediate provision to meet the
needs of the department is necessary, and
in this connection the statement on this
subject contained in my last annual re-
port is repeated:
THE departments are crowded with files
of official papers to the detriment of the
working force and the serious inconven-
ience of the public business. Costly public
buildings erected for office purposes should
not be used for storage. The files not in
current use should be stored elsewhere. A
han of records becomes more and more
necessary each year
The superintendent Of the State, War
and Navy Department building, in his re-
port for 1896, submitted the following re-
marks on this subject:
The accumulation of records in this
building not only displaces space needed
by clerks, but adds considerable weight
upon the floors. Some of these records
are rarely referred to, while others may
be frequently called for. All are too valu-
able to be destroyed. The corridors of the
state Department are stacked with rec
ords, not only in a comparatively exposed
log books and other records of the Navy
Department, most of which have only a
historic value, have already filled the space
allotted and are still accommodating. The
records of the War Department are quite
as ouiky as those above mentioned. From
the report of the quartermaster general
FOR 1880 l quote the following:
The papers relating to the claims filed
in this office very bulky and are valu-
able, They contain the evidence for and
against claims reported above amount
ing, on 1st Of July last. TO 12.77S miscella-
neous claims and accounts, $69i7, GOO, and
1855 claims under act of 4th of July 1864
s., 800. 17255
A freproof sterehouse of simple and
cheap construction could be built on some
place convenient to the executive offices for
about 100000, which would afford perfectly
safe and convenient storage for such of
these papers as have been finally disposed