Show THE U S WAR department the bureau ia lilter of recent origin in the war of rebellion a system was introduced 10 make communications at dianco by means of flag in day and by lights at night the signal bureau in its present condition lerom not only the army but is a benefit to the whole country espee lally to the agriculturists through ditc itc neather reports although not all the weather prognostications of thi bureau are verified it cannot be denied that the reports on the weather of tho past day in all parts of the country are correct and possessed of a certain usefulness blout eighty or ninety per cent ot the predictions are verified th founder of the signal corps and prea pal chief of the bureau is the well known general meyer who origin ally entered the army as a burgeon cur geon ile a deal of his time and mt enion to and rendered excellent serice with il in the last war he administrative ot this bureau atre considerable ind congress has already heard express iona of doubt the results of the establishment and operation of he signal bureau in of peace justified the expenditure three yeara ago 1877 milar of telegraph lines have been laid by order iha signal bureau in texas new mexico and arizona in 1878 nearly miles were laid in dakota wyoming and montana tome lines ate the useful aim to connect military pot and stations so that they are able to inform one another of the danger of impending indian attacks the deual alo operates cooperates co with ahe lifesaving life saving demce under the art department materially as ahting the of fie latter the length of telegraph linea along the CH coast is about 00 milea all stations on the sea cowl are direct telegraphic corn nuni calion with the head office in Yashin gion the american nn signal geni e us a weather bureau has le camean object of interest and study the european governments and only recently the german minister at washington haa been ordered by hia government to make d inquiries on the running of the signal servi the bureau or de as is ly called is under the direction of he quartermaster general of the rny lib receives all accounts and reports of ane numerous and their assistants scattered all over the union he examines their accounts and receipts for army how transports etc all the cra for the expenditures ol 01 subaltern officers are examined in thia bureau and thence gent to third auditor of the gury as the law the examination ol 01 accounts is distributed in several division according to the kind ol 01 g all e property by the army in the last war A number of officers are con through the different sections of the country by commission of the quartermasters de in order to test the cor of the claims of the latter kind the subsistence bureau has dutle similar to those of the last men lined branch in the last war it bid assumed enormous dimension chich lieve since been somewhat diminished by congress but are yet transcending the requirements of i be present by far the office of the surgeon general on pennsylvania avenue opposite he treasury building i likewise a branch of the department it enjoys a calr famo among the medical men of the country on nc count of its achievement on the rid of science it has collected a irne amount of medical experience from tho last war and deposited them in a work of which four vol aires he been published BO far and which has found creat appreciation from the scientific progressive not only of this country aut also of europe another useful awk of thia bureau i the collection of A valuable library of medical a subject catalogue of which IM been made and ordered printed ay the last congress expert have declare il one of the greatest grea libraries of ili kind in the ht employees of this bureau were I few in number before the last war new they number by hundreds most of them are engaged in hunting up reports of diF caes and deaths in lie tibt war every application for a pension which la to be sent to the penison olace must be transmitted by the latterly latt erlo the bureau of the surgeon general for report it is eay to conceive what basl amount of work and fling burdens the officers ot this department tatt office is gaid to bo a full year in arre irs with its work and for who have only batly ad to the benmon penmon brent will have to wait in fora final decision on their request the engineering bureau is one of the most important branches of this department it dilecta the con and repair of fortification river and harbor regulations surveys roads the tea coast and thea foutter defenses the duties of the bureau are buived into three branches the firt for fortification the second for river and harbor refu abo third for tho accountability kimya and explorations for a number of year past the public buildings and blawn of the capital irith exception except in of the capitol and the institute and their have been placed under the care of the corpin the officer charged at prea ant arith lle control over blew a well gwim the direction of tho of taft new department building is col cabey of at Irest dent llave in the white house also the of the cuy of washington atre under the ion of the beai office ot of engineers the ot ho ex lorina under lacut MW hepler have received the of official the circle and even the lay ici the bureau for artillery called department attend to the furn lhing of arar for tho abaiy hn the ion over tho and numerous of ficera and empl yei in and filing til tho cpr te porta ficco unta etc concerning thi branch of the public brinca bu inca A isit to the war depart jaent is apt to convince every on that tho american afriay is ie that it condit co ngit of many and few cn |