Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-13

Where special medical treatment is re
auired for officers OF the army. servinr
without troops, which cannot otherwls,
be had than by the employment OF a spe.
cialist. payment may he made for suci
services, although the approval OF the sur,
geon general is obtained subsequent to tn,
treatment. Where the treatment is neces
sary because Of chronic complaint Tn,
authority must be secured from the sur
seon general before a specialist can b,
employed.
The chief signal officer of the army will
renew his recommendation for an appro.
priation by congress for military balloon.
Ing, with a request that authority be giver
for the expenditure OF the appropriation
In the development of mechanical flight as
related to the operations OF the army. Last
year, the estimate submitted by the secre-
tary of war amounted to 10000 and Gen.
eral Allen expects to submit an estimate
Of at least that amount. to the end that
this country may keep pace with the prog
ress made abroad in the art and develop
the dirisible and the seroplane.
General Allen. the chief signal officer Of
the army, has taken up the question OF the
design Of the two gold medals for which
congress appropriated $500 as a mark OF
distinction for the Wright brothers on ac-
count of their development of the aero
plane. The fund at the disposal OF the
War department is not sufficient to do
much more than furnish the two medals
which may bear nothing more than a sim
pie inscription showing the object OF the
emblems. 1t is considered that. under
the circumstances, this will serve the pur-
pose quite as well as any design descrip-
tive of the work Of the inventors.
Some Of the members Of the permanent
personnel Of the army signal corps who
will form the next class at the army signal
school at Fort Leavenworth are Captains
c. B. Hepburn, on duty at Fort Wood;
Q. A. Nesmith, on duty at Fort Omaha:
W L. Clarke, on duty In the Philippines;
II. w. Stamford, on duty with the ca able
ship Burnside. and c. s. Wallace. the dis
bursting officer of the army signal office.
Later similar assignments will be given to
Captain George c. Burnell and Captain
c. F. Hartmann of the army signal corps.
both on duty at Fort Leavenworth: in
addition to whom will be detailed for in
struction at the school a number of Of
Ulcers of the line, making a class OF fifteen
or sixteen. The class at the school of 1910
viii embrace the remaining officers of the
army signal corps below the grade Of
major who have not had an opportunity
to attend the school.
The prospective retirement upon his own
application OF Brigadier General John B.
Kerr has awakened the keenest interest
In the appointment of an army officer to
the grade of brigadier general. This will
be the first vacancy in the list of general
Officers OF the army to be filled by Presi-
dent Taft and the event has a significance
In the possibility that 1t may serve as an
Indication of Mr.. Taft's policy in the
matter Of such appointments. The agree
able and hopeful guess is made that Mr..
Taft will recognize seniority instead of any
such demoralizing irregularity as the Sc
lection OF juniors which prevailed under
Mt. Roosevelt. IL is also assumed that the
vacancy created by the retirement of Gen
eral Kerr will mean the selection of a sue
cessor from the cavalry arm. in which
event, naturally, the expectation is In favor
of the appointment Of Colonel ]. A. Augur
- NS ANhth cavalry lHt senior OFFICER OF
his grade, who would have until August.
1919 to serve before statutory retirement.
Other officers who have been mentioned
as eligible are Colonels J. n. Dorst.
Third cavalry; F. X. Ward, Seventh cav
airy, and Alexander Rodgers, Sixth cavalry.
Arrangements are being made by the
army signal corps for the coming sum
mer's work in military balIooning. This
work will be done at Fort Myer under
the general direction of Lieutenant Frank
B. Lahm, who will nave associated with
him Lieutenants r.. s.. Bamberger, B. d.
Foulois and John G. Winter. and prob
ably other officers to be designated here
after, together with a detachment of sig
nal corps men of special training in mill
tary ballooning. One of the provisions in
the contracts with the Wright brothers
and that of Herring is that instruction in
the operation of their respective flying ma
chimes shall be impaired to one or two
army officers. Some doubt is entertained
whether anything will be presented by
Herring. although. under his contract. he
would be able to submit a Wright aero
plane and receive the contract price. 1t is
doubtful, however, IL the Wrights would
SN' bANh aNni " SUCH n purpose.
Until the Wrights and Herring deliver
their machines in June the work of the
army balloonists will be confined to opera
lions with the dirigible. Nc work is des-
tined to be done in military ballooning at
Omaha during the coming summer.
Most gratifying results have attended
the determined efforts Of the military
authorities to apprehend deserters from the
army. Some months ago General Aims
worth the adjutant general of the army,
adopted the method by which deserters
should be reported to military and civil
authorities in the United States and the
Philippines. When a desertion is reported
to the War department the adjutant gem
erals office prepare a circular contain
ing two photographers-one in profile and
other Of full face-of the deserter, together
with a detailed description taken from the