The evening times., 1898-11-21
PENSION CHAINS
OF THE, SPANISH War
The Number'olf ( f Applications
Grows Larger Each Day.
ESTIMATE OF CASUALTIES
Statisticians Calculate That 22, 900
Gases Will Be Filed.
The First Certificate Was Issued
Last Week to Jesse T. Gates
nm ArtiIIerymaB.

There are many pension claims being
filed in the Pension Bureau growing out
of the war against Spain. The first pen
sion was allowed last week to Jesse t.
Gates. late private in Battery A, Second
Artillery, United States army.
Private Gates was with the Fifth Ar
my Corps, under Gen. Shafter in Eastern
Cuba, and on July 2, while fighting be-
fore Santiago, was hit by a projectile
from a machine gun. The shot disfig-
ed the victim for life. His upper lip was
torn away, his right upper jaw was
fractured and six teeth were shot out
After his discharge from the hospital at
Siboney, Gates came to Washington and
called on the Secretary of War and the
President He told them that his wife
was living in one of the Northwestern
States, and was dependent upon him for
support He did not care to go home
without pension and he urged that his
claim be allowed as soon as possible. The
President. it is said, was directly convinc-
ed of the merits of the case and pointed
out to Gates the rules he should follow
| in making application for pension. The
| President directed the Commissioner OF
| Pensions TO push the claim to conciu-
! sion as expeditiously as possible "lthin
! twenty-four hours after filing his claim.
| the applicant was ordered before board
! of medical examiners and yesterday the
| pension was allowed Gates was grant
| ed the sum of ST q month. Under the
| laws no greater amount could be allotted
| to the wounded man, and ii is likely that
! a bill for his relief will be introduced at
! the coming session of Congress. Because
! of his wound, Gates speaks and eats with
| difficulty.
| The number OF pension claims pending
on account of the last war is i,941 and the
! list of claimants grows longer each day.
The first claim flied In connection with
| the war was that by Ida NJ. Hook, widow
| of William H. Hook who enlisted on May
! Il as a private in Company +, Second Wis
! consin Volunteers. He died of fever on
May Il. or two days after his enlist
ment 1t is alleged in the petition OF the
widow that the fatal fever was contracted
in the service. The application for the
pension was filed on May Il, or three days
! after the death Of the soldier. During
June seventeen applications for pensions
were filed; fifty-seven in July and 16S in
August
The statlsticians of the Pension Bureau
! make the calculation that 90. 900 claims for
| pension will be filed for deaths and disa-
bilities incurred r the war with Spain.
. Ii is estimated that 1000 of these Will be
for wounds and deaths from wounds and
20O00 for disabilities and deaths due 10
disease contracted mainly in the camps.
1t is not determined that new division
will be created in the Pension Bureau for
the adjudication of these cases. 1t is
thought that as the claims for pensions
on account OF the war with Spain increase
the number of those on account of the civ
il war will decrease. Neither is il thought
likely that the clerical force of the bu-
reau will be increased, as the force is al
ready perhaps a little larger than is need
ed 10 handle the claims growing out OF the
civil war
Practically all the claims so far are fol
wounds or have been filed by widows
This condition will maintain for year o!
So This deduction is drawn from the ex
perience of the pension officials in deal
ing with other wars.
Camp hardships viii be the basis for
vast majority of the claims. Widows ant
dependents will ask pensions on accoun
of deaths from typhoid malaria starva
ton and lack of medical attendance. Dis
charged soldiers will claim that their con
sttutions were permanently broken b!
sufferlngs in camp. All this will keep th
camp scandals in view before the public
eye for many years to come.
All claims in connection with the Span
ish war go through the same process a
those of the civil war. They go first L
the record division, where the record o
the dead or disabled soldier is investigat
ed. The claims are then passed on to tn
old army and navy division of the Pen
sion Office.
The late claims will be given distinc
tive jacket. The color of the jacket o
army claims will probably be pink, AM
that of the navy claims will probably b
yellow. The war, on account of which
claim is made is indicated to the peopI
in the Pension Office by some particula
color or marking on the jacket.
force of about fifteen clerks with
drawn from other work, has been set I
the task Of adjusting the Spanish wa
claims.