Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-21
PRIZE MONEY.
Some Misapprehension as to
Its Distribution.
Difference Explained Between Bounty
and Prize Money.
The Awards on Account Of the West Indies
Campaign Of 1898.

Washington, ID. c.. Dec. o0-From
one end of the country to the other q
popular misrepresentation prevails con-
Cerning the meaning of the Federal
statutes relating to naval prize money
anG houn:ies. and their specific appli-
cation t. the several officers of the
Santiago fleet. This misapprchensi III
does an injustice to the Navy De-
partment and to the Federal courts
before which cases involving prize
fnuney and bounties are brought =
Not long ago the Treasury Depart
ment made public some statistics
showing that Admiral Sampson had
received S25.191.4i on account Of
seizures and destruction of vessels in
the West Indian campaign. Captain
Chadwick $l3 3.360.54 and Admiral
Schley only $14953. 1t was assumed
! py most persons who read the figures.
although without warrant. that tn"
sum just mentioned represented the
total amounts to be distributed by the
government to the officers in question
for their participation in the West In
dian campaign and perhaps il is gen
c..aily believed that these sums repre-
sented the disbursements due on aC-
count Of the battle of Santiago. such
is not the case. on the authority of
ti,. auditor for the Navy Department
il may he said that Admiral Sampson
is The Only officer who has thus far
| been paid bounty money on account of
| that engagement. his share being
| IS. $50 The remainder of the money
paid him comes on account Of sept
rate engagements. seizures etc. which
H,. m
east seas "f Cuba prior to July b
The difference between bounty and
plize money is doubtless commonly
understood When the ships of Am
enemy ar. sunk hounties are paid
when these ships ar captured prize
mo:iry is paid on III" basis II the an
praised value. Of tn" seizure. ana in
cc.,h case the money is divided among
the officers and crews under 4 law
which has been in effect for great
many years. Th.. awards which thus
far have been made on account If III"
West Indian campaign were ordered
by ;hc court of Claims and by several
~ the Federal courts in tn" Southern
states. ana arr strictly in accord inc,
With tn. Federal statutes ana thc rng-
uIation of the office ~ tie auditor NJ
'
Neither thr Navy Department nor any
OF its officers had anything ~ do. ii
rec.ly or indirectly. with thesr
awards. and in the Very nature IF ~"
case could not have had any.
All Of the money <, far paid. nr {" l'
| paid, On account Of the battle "f
! Santiago. is bounty money, save posi-
/ bly, that 10 come from tn" Mari"
! Teresa. All the Spanish ships wei"
| sunk. and all save the Marir Teresa
are still at the bottom Of tn. ocean.
! That ship was raised by the govern
| mcnt and an effort made To- bring h"r
| 10 this country In a storm sh" again
! went to the bottom. and the claim was
! made that. inasmuch as tn. latter a"-
| Cidtnt happened Will. she was in
| American possession, prize money
should be paid instead Of bounty. The
| supreme Court of the District Of Co.
! lunbia. which heard the argument. dc
| Cidcd that the Marie Teresa was 4
/ priZ". TIL. government. on the ground
! that she had originally been sunk
| and thus been a subject for bounty, in
! sisted that she could not. after It,
| susCitation and overhauling at gov
ernment expense. be accounted Il I,riZ"
and carried th. ease up to the Court uf
Appeals. where il still hangs. If thc
decision of the lower court is reverse |
the claimants will have to 60 before
the Court of Claims and prcscn; their
demand for bounty.
Admiral Schley ana the officers who |
were with him at Santiago, except Ad- |
miral Sampson. have not yet been paid |
the bounties due them for that enEag :
ment. The Sii9.l3 prize money which |
Schley has received was paid for tWn |
small vessels which he captured during |
the Santiago campaign, and has moth |
ing to do with the battle Of Santiago !
Bay. On account of that battl" n" !
viii be paid about $1,000 bounty as
division or squadron commander Tn"
court Of Claims has held that Admiral /
Sampson. having been within signal !
distance. was commander-in-c chief At |
the battle Of Santiago. The Navy DE- .
partment had nothing TO do with this
decision As comma nder-in chief !
Sampson is entitled 10 bounty cuu !
to one-tVentieth Of the total; Schle,
as division or squadron commander. is I
entitled to cne-iiftieth of the total. 4
The remainder will be divided in 1
smaller proportions among the several II
captains of the fleet and the other II
officers and crews. This division can Il
bc made, il is believed. by the audit II
inl officer Of the treasury before the Il
cEd Of the year In cases Of this XIII !,
they have to proceed slowly in ord.r
t. avoid mistakes. The division y
made with such precision as to inVolv"
the use of seven decimalS. II. aft T.
the rolls have been completed and trc
fractions deliberately calculated. the
estimates do not work out as thty
ought. every figure has to bc put
through Il new test from tn" Very
start: for false payment once made
can never be recalled.
Some comparisons have been made
between the cases of the Santiago
officers and Admiral Dewey. On a"-
count of the battle of Manila Bay
Dewey has been paid in hounti :.
s+o1o. which seems very small COM
pared with the sum paid Admiral
sampson. Eut. AS has beer Sh rw.i
Sampson was paid only $685. in boun-
ties on account of the battle Of
Santiago alone. Dewey. 50 far as the