Evening star., 1898-11-03
CLAIMANTS FOR PENSIONS
Applications on Account Of Spanish War
Aggregate Up to Date 1897.
Report Prepared by Col. q. c. KniAn
the Pension Bureau.

Col G. C.Knifin, chief of the record d.
vision of the bureau. has prepared a report
of the number of claims for pension on ac-
count of the war with Spain fled each
month up to and including October 81,
showing the total number of applications to
be .29I. Col. KniffiD and his assistant
Mr.. John IL Wood. have had excellent
work done in recording claims and notify
ing claimants during the last two weeks,
bringing the work. which had been delayed
to obtain regimental rosters of troops from
the War Department. directly up to date.
Col. Kniffin has inaugurated a system
providing that before an original decIara-
ton is jacketed 1t Is examined as to its
service, and the service of the soldier
named In the declaration for pension Is
verlned by the official roster issued by the
War Department. In this way errors in
1acketing are avoided. The Spanish war
claims have been recorded in the old rec
ords, and also in the new records prepared
and specially ordered for them. Each
claimant-invaHd, widow minor child, de-
pendent father or rnother-has been notified
OF the filing, and given the original number
or their declaration, enabling. them to readi-
ly call up the claim in the course Of adjudi-
catlon. All navy claims are recorded and
numbered in, and claimants notified by the
old war and navy division.
The report is as follows:
n, 4,
mothers. 4; act OF June mothers, 1; navy,
6; total. 49,
July-Invalids. II; widows, 1s; general
law mothers 5; act of June mothers, 3:
general law fathers, 4: navy, 20; total 81.
August-Invalids, So; widows 35: minor
children. l; general law mothers. %: act of
June mothers. IL; general law fathers 13:
act or June fathers. 2: navy, 26; total, 1874
September-lnvalids. 127: widows, 81; mi
nor children. Z; general. law mothers, SO;
act of Congress mothers. 81: general law
fathers. IL; act Of June fathers, H. navy,
"a total. 3S7.
octoner-Invalids. 251; widows, 81: minor
children, 4: general law mothers 15S: act
Of June mothers. So: general law fathers.
673. W. 'o4'
Grand totals-Invalids All; widows. $50:
minor children. 12: general law mothers
275; act Of June mothers, 1O1; total, moth
ers, 316: general law fathers IS; act of
June fathers, 81; total fathers, 81; navy.
40: aggregate, 1907.
1t will be seen from the report that appIi-
cations Tor pension are increasing rapidly
with each succeeding month, the work in
the bureau increasing in like proportions
1t Will also be noticed that a total of but
!4o applications are from the navy. due to
ire minimum death rate and general
healthy conditions prevailing in that branch
OF the service during the entire war
When volunteers were being mustered into
the service Of the United States the govern
ment decided upon policy of enlisting as
far as possible young, unmarried men, be-
leving the pension rolls would thus not be
very largely increased by applications from
widows and children. This policy proved
successful in one way, for it will be seen
only 230 widows have filed application, and
the number of minor children claimants is
only II. On the other hand, the number of
dependent fathers and mothers is larger in
proportion. 1t would appear the rule was
as broad as long and the same level has
been struck.