New-York tribune., 1901-01-06

- hCue commerce that river and a steamboat
~ Nei cian the Government vessels is seldom seen
80 waters. Even the tramp steamer ventures
ely lar up tnat uncertain stream. The Sec
feOary Of this Commission is a regular engineer
Saplaln' besides which it has a chief clerk There
are twenty-five clerks to this Connn,ission-ona
t sZ.4vo. two at s1,SOO, four at 81 500 three at
%I,-oo' two at S1.0S0, six at $500 and four at
@'<c The civilian Commissioners receiva 50 5no
ana their expenses There are nine civilian en-
slheers-three at $1,000 year, three at 81 son
one at $1,000 and two at $1,000. Besides these
engineers there six draughtsmen-one at
sl'sOO, one at $780, three at 81. 200 and one
at sl,oso year. Aside from the four Armv
onicers connected with the Commission the
foregoing are mainly the high priced officials
though shipmasters and pilots. overseers (of
whom there are four, with ten sub-overseers), a
surveyor. steam engineers etc. draw sill the
way from $1,000 to $2100 year. Besides these
classes. there are a janitor. teams and teamsters
sixteen watchmen but no printers and press
men appear on its payrolls unless they come
under the head of plain '1aborers." 1t is a
curious fact that OF a total of 2S6 employees
under this Missouri River Commission 257 are
appointed from Missouri. Although one of the
Commissioners halls from Nebraska only eight
employees credited to that State and only
four from poor Kansas. This is rather an n
equal distribution of patronage connected with
an enterprise presumptively of equal Importance
to several other States besides Missouri. 1t will
be noted that the number of clerks exceeds that
of the Mississippi River Commission three to
one.
These are surprising details Both these COM
missions have developed gradually into indie
pendent bureaus, each with fleet of steamers
and employing official personnel in their
management more multifarious than most OF
the bureaus at the capital. The Engineer De-
partment at large is the most extensive bureau
OF the United States Government, exceeding the
largest of the great Treasury bureaus. None of
them have so many employees or spend much
money.
THE MEDICAL BUREAU
The Medical Bureau is little understood In all
its ramifcations nor is it's magnitude generally
comprehended. A glance at the Army List and
the War Department Register leaves the i'm
preston that it consists of some 1872 Regular
Army surgeons. ranking from first lieutenant
up TO brigadier-general, and an average de-
partment force OF about $50 clerks. messengers
etc. They form only small part Of the medical
or the Surgeon Generals Office. This is another
bureau with department at large" which,
while not so imposing in numbers either the
engineer or Quartermasters department, is
nevertheless a vast aggregation by itself al
though as yet it is not equipped with fleet OF
It's own. Besides General Sternberg's Regular
army surgeons he employs 395 civilian con-
tract surgeons at $50 a month each or 81 800
year. Then there are 200 hospital stewards
and acting hospital stewards. 90 hospital ma
irons and 23S female nurses. He also has a
hospital corps of 525 privates. In his depart
War Department force. and about one hundred
other miscellaneous hands, such as packers
messengers watchmen, carpenters. laborers and
various other attendants Altogether the Medi-
cal Bureau includes something like 2 100 per-
sons in constant service OF sort another.
Compared with some of the other bureaus. these
numbers are not overwhelming, but they are
far greater than is generally supposed. The
chief surprise is the number OF outside surgeons
in constant employment.
ORDNANCE AND SUBSISTENCE BUREAUS
The Ordnance Department is another of the
bureaus of which the public knows compare
lively little. Yet it is one Of the large wheels
within wheels here at the capital. With only
sigty-one Regular officers and seventy
five clerks its rolls, il appears to be only an
ordinary affair. But, concealed up its depart
ment at large sleeve. the Ordnance Bureau
employs more than 5000 clerks, messengers,
foremen, machinists. engineers, carpenters,
painters, brickmakers. polishers blacksmiths.
toolmakers. laborers ETC.. employed in the DIFF
ferent arsenals and forts Of the country.
The Subsistence Department is a small one
numerically, consisting of a brigadier- general.
two colonels, three lieutenant -colonels, eight
majors and seven captains of the permanent
establishment, about eighty clerks in the War
Department, and five hundred employees of vart-
classes in it's department at large" Off
hand, most people would say that the Subsist-
ence Department employed many people as
the Engineer Bureau, but, as seen. the latter
would swallow up twenty Subsistence Depart
ments
Although the Signal Office also has a "de-
partment at large, II Is comparatively inSig
nificant yet, no more than about fifty per-
sons being carried its payrolls.
None of the other bureaus have departments
at large" hence the War Department Register
discloses their official personnel aside from the
Army officers.