New-York tribune., 1906-12-24
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS.
TFrcm This Tribdns Bureau ]
u~oeLf,-.o ~

Washington. December q.
PERSHING MAY TURN.-AIthough the War De
partment authorities have been fully cognizaut
through the receipt letters OF the charges Of per-
sonal misconduct in the Philippines against the
former captain and present Brigadier General J. J.
pershins. there has never been any official notice
f<-sen of such communications. The War Depart
ment has, during the last year received many let
ters. some Of them from anonymous sources. at
tacking General Pershing The assertions were so
ridiculous that they were ignored and the publica
tion OF the charges IN irresponsible way Is much
regretted by army officers generally. who realize
sLlect upon puolic sentiment toward the army IN
the stories published the OF only officers
What is alleged one IN Of e oce2s s2 nss as
oeen dead for four years and another is the quar-
emphatcally denied the knowledge Of the conditions
Pbi ~ rs unrortunate that some or tienera
stories, and il is possible that there may be.
qIiry into the rnatter Nth View 10 sseertsinine
the authors of the scandal published against him.
ovERCoATs FOR A soNC.-The War Depart
ment will soon have hand something ike forty
thousand old blue overcoats in a serviceable con-
dition. which TO he replaced by the olive drab
garment The overcoats are now being turned in
TO the general quartermasters depOts at philadeI-
phia from all stations in the East, at st
Louis from the Earrisons ir the Middle West. and
a. San FranGisco from the posts on the Pacific
The highest bidder, and the Quartermasters will
CONSloer themselves lucky lf these garments bring
more than g when sold in such way The de-
partment is allowing about So 50 for every blue
credited with that sum in drawing his new over
coat some Of the men are retaining their over
few of the blue overccats Will be dyed brown and
cred that discharged enlisted men ana deserters
have been selling the OveTcOats 10 associates in
the service. and it has been evidently something Of
speculation to buy these goods with the idea that
they could be turned in and an allowance obtained
traffic can be permitted that the soldier get his
part Of his individual issue Of cioshing i D
CHANCE FOR INVENTORS failure of
the English coaling device. tried last week the
Absrenda and the Iowa, will probably make IT
unnecessary to test American method which
has been offered to the Navy Department for COM
petitive trial by a New York concern II is said
for the American system that the defects OBJ
servabe in the English method are avoided. and
that il will really be possible TO coal vessels at
sea: regardless of the opposing motion of the
awaits he Dventor Gbo can anu dis IT % f5ian4
system OF transferring coal from one vessel TO
anotner. eboJn ships being under way and each
took less than FIVE mirutes to show the naval
board that the English system a failure, and
messed the disappearance of about 10000, which it
ment ana installation Of the mechanism on board
tied at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
NEW TARGET PRACTICE RULEs-Much In
'eI0St II taken ny the naval officers In the new
regulations for record target practice In March or
April, when all the ships in commission in the
navy will assemble at various points for competi-
i've fring OF the large guns. The firing on the
Asatc station Will probably take place somewhere
IN the philippines and that of Pacific SQUADRON
on santa barbara The ships Of the Atlantic fleet
VII proceed 10 the southern of Cuba and use
Lne ranges near Guantanamo The new regulations
nave neen prepared by a board detailed for that
purpose. The changes are altogether technical and
II Is expected that better results will be obtained
NO REIMBURSEMENT FOR THEFT-EnIsted
men who are patients at the army general hospital
at Fort Bayard. New Mexico will have TO stand the
loss OF clothing which was stolen from the store
house recently at that institution was hoped that
the War Department would agree that the loss
might be be made good by the government. but it has
oeen Wen settled that authority of law exists for
the reimbursement OF individuals for losses such as
occurred at Fort Bayard- II there had been fire or
been different