Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-26
ARMY GOSSIP IN WASHINGTON.
Matters of Interest Cleaned from th'
Army and Navy Renister.

Matters OF Interest cleaned from the
Army and Navy Reaister.
Brigadier General 7. J. Whit, u. 3. A.,
/ who has been IN command OF the army or
Cuban paclacation. has asked to be re-
leved from that duty on account OF III
health. His request has been approved, to-
gether with authority for an extended
leave OF absence, covering probably
period OF three months. General Whit VIII
be sue ,eeded in command at Havana by
Brlgadier General Thomas II. Barry as
sistant to the chief OF stan Of tho army
General Barry will leave Washington for
Havana as soon as possible.
There will be distributed shortly TO the
principal army posts. and wherever else
there may be target ranges, some 100 new
thermometers. This Is new instrument
and has advantages over the old system
Of Indicating the velocity Of the wind on
the target range. The old type was criti-
cised as being bulky and as coming apart
too easily. The new type Is just being de.
| livered under contract to the army signal
! office for distribution.
The largest riding hall in the army Will
be located at Fort Leavenworth Kan, the
contract for the construction OF which has
Just been awarded by the quartermaster
general to Fred larry, in the sum OF s1S.-
$50 This riding hall will be constructed
according to the type plans adopted by
General Humphrey. and which contemplate
a building in adj respects of modern CON
venience and creditable appearance The
'hall at Leavenworth will be 800 feet long
by 100 feet wide.
The chief of artillery of the army is In
receipt of numerous applications from lieu
tenants of cavalry and infantry, including
some first lieutenants of those arms, for
the privilege of taking the competitive ex-
animation. with view to the appointment
to the forty-three vacancies in the grade
Of first lieutenant in the artillery branch.
Fifteen of those vacancies will be IN the
field artillery and twenty-eight in the
coast artillery. The examination for the
former will take place at Fort Riley and
that for the latter at Fort Monroe 1t Is
gratifying to the authorities to observe the
desire of the infantry and cavalry lieuten-
ants to avail; themselves OF this oppor-
tunity of transfer to the artillery arm.
The abandonment of some Of the smaller
army posts has rendered it necessary to
NAdilslFs " liit ldIBtI pOSls certain sum
noncommissloned officers. with the result
that at some Of these larger posts there
are several noncommissoncd staff officers
of the same staff branch. This makes 1t
difficult to comply with the demand for
quarters, especially where the noncom-
mssiCned officers happen to be married.
at most places the quarters provided will
accommodate only one staff noncommis-
stoned officer and his family. Others of
the same branch who are married will
have to put up with one room, that being
the allowance, and the family will have
to find a residence outside the military
post. This condition, of course, will adj
just itself in time by the decrease in the
number of staff noncommissioned officers.
accomplished by not filling vacancies when
they exist
An army officer recently received at the
pay table the money which was due an
enlisted man of his command and so in
formed the soldier to whom the money
was due and who had authorized the Off
Ger to receive 1t for him. The soldier was
informed that part of the money would
be paid to the post exchange to liquidate
the Indebtedness there of the enlisted man,
and the remainder would be turned over
to him. Before this act was accomplished
the soldier incurred further debt at the
post exchange and deserted without calling
for the money which had been drawn In
his name. The question submitted to the
War department by the officer who re-
tanned the money was whether il would
be possible to pay the second debt incurred
at the post exchange by the soldier just
before his desertion, and, further, what
disposition should be made of the re-
mainder Of the money. 1t was held by the
War department that the officer who had
the soldiers pay in his possession should
turn it over to the paymaster, by whom
it would be carried on his accounts as un-
drawn forfeited pay. The debt at the
post exchange could not be settled out of
this sum of money