Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-03
AMY eOssIr ~ wAsHlNeroN.
Current Event. eIssnea from tn

Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.
II appears there r. more than a mere
chance OF the enactment OF the legislation
which would make major generals OF nine
brigadiers who have served for two years
or more as brigadisrs and who have civil
war service to their credit. Those directly
affected by the legislation would be Brisa-
der Generals +. d. Baldwin. r. j. Whit.
w. 5, McCaskey and Constant williams,
Judge Advocate General @. y. Davis, Quar-
termaster General Humphrey, Psymaster
General Dodge and Brigadier General
Mackenzie. chief OF engineers. This will
make quite change In the active list Of
senior officers OF the army and al present
there is no objection to the proposition.
There u.s. indeed. some evidence of the
favor Of congress I'm the direction indicated
and, unless there are Unforeseen hindrances
introduced at the last moment the amend
ment. for which Senator Alger is respon-
sible, stands a very good chance Of being
added to the army act in the senate and
kept there through the adjustment OF the
conference.
1t does not seem likely, from what in
formation is now obtainable by the quar-
termaster general, that anything will come
Of the experiments which have been con-
Quoted with venetian blinds as a substitute
for window curtains for quarters and bar
racks at army posts. The quartermaster
generals office has had under considera-
ton for some time the ACCESSIBILITY Of
adopting these blinds as an inside covering
Of windows of army buildings, and the
subject has been very carefully gone over
by comparison of material composing
such articles and by obtaining bids for the
manufacture of the blinds proposed for
issue This inquiry has been followed by
a practical experiment with the blinds ct
two army posts, but the reports so far
received are not entirely convincing as TO
the wisdom Of adopting the venetian blind.
They are found to lack strength and to be
less durable ard. of course, more expen-
sive than the ordinary curtain, to say
nothing Of the fact that by the construc-
ton of the venetian blind there is a chance
of gathering dust
The army signal office expects shortly to
receive the sample telescopes which have
been made in accordance with new speci-
fcations and which provide for telescope
combining the qualities of simplicity. eff
SiShCy ana uuraDllty. IL Is believed that
these elements have been obtained In the
new telescope, which in that respect fol-
lows closely the lines in the improved army
type of field glasses. OF course in the case
OF the field glasses and the telescope spe-
cial attention must be given to the hard
usage to which such articles are apt to
be subjected in the service. This condition
prevents the adoption of instruments Of
great delicacy, which under ordinary cir
cumstances might very safely nc adopted
1t is naturally quite a problem to obtain
thoroughly efficient instrument which shall
also survive the shocks and jars encoun-
tered in the uses of the field glass or tele-
scope by those in the military service. In
the tests Of both instruments full consid-
Grafton is given to this feature
Orders have been issued at the War de-
partment retiring Brigadier General Henry
s. Turrill, formerly a lieutenant colonel
of the medical department. At the same
time the commission OF Crosby P. Miller
as brigadier general was sent to the
president for signature. The retirement
of General Turrill promotes Major John
NJ Banister, medical department, on duty
at Fort Riley, Kan. and Captain Alexander
n. Stark, medical department. on duty in
the Philippines, to the next higher grades
respectively.