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1901, who has been in charge as depot quartermaster and superintendent of transport service since that date.

Considerable reduction has been made in rentals and services of employees during the year, and still further reductions will be effected. In November, 1900, 90 tons of coal, valued at $681.30, were consumed by fire, caused by spontaneous combustion, and on June 1, 1901, two hay sheds and their contents were also destroyed, the estimated value of which was $7,000.

The sewerage system of the city of Honolulu has been completed, which will doubtless improve the sanitary conditions of the place, and the supply of water obtained from the city water plant is ample.

The forage used by the United States has been of good quality. During the year 45 transports en route to and from Manila called at this port, and all were furnished with supplies of coal and water, and many of them had repairs made to machinery and equipment. The average detention was sixty-four and one-half hours.

Two wharves constructed by the Navy Department have been available for the army transport service and answer the requirements at this station.

The cost of supplying transports with water being excessive, arrangements were made with the Navy Department for sinking an artesian well on the naval reservation.

The work was completed April 3, 1901, at a cost of $6,294.40, and the well can supply 1,235,968 gallons of water per day, which rises from 33 to 34 feet above sea level, is of an excellent quality, and contains only 5.217 grains of chlorine to the gallon. It is used on the vessels of the Army and Navy.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

The past fiscal year has been one of great activity for this Department in the Philippines, due to the increased number of posts, the continual movement of troops made necessary by the military operations, the returning of 25,000 volunteers to the United States, and in receiving and replacing the regulars from the United States in the posts occupied by the volunteers.

The depot at Manila was much affected by the increase in the posts and troops to be supplied, and the volume of business increased to such an extent that it became necessary to separate the land transportation office, placing it under an officer to be located at the corral. Later, the army-transport service was also separated. The wisdom of these changes was shown in the improved condition of these branches of the service since their separation. The fact that the disbursements at this depot amounted to $5,337,219.73 during the past fiscal year will give some idea of the extent of the business transacted.

The question of handling the business arriving at Manila Harbor is one of great difficulty, but has been successfully met by the officer in charge, and the expense incident thereto has been considerably reduced by the discharge of many cascoes and lorchas, made possible by a thorough system in their use. The check system has also been perfected so that the losses have been reduced to a minimum. Expenditures for repairs to steam launches have been reduced by the employment of more competent engineers. To meet the necessities at Manila and seacoast posts launches and sailboats were purchased at reasonable

prices at Hongkong. The use of coal hulks in coaling the transports at Manila has resulted in a great saving of time and expense.

The duties devolving upon the land transportation office are handling all receipts, issues, and sales of animals, wagons, fuel, and forage, and running the shops for repairing wagons and for shoeing horses and mules. The corral is well suited for its purposes. The efficiency of this branch of the service has been kept up during the year, and considerable saving has been made by caring for sick animals, so as to make them fit for duty, and in repairing wagons and harness. Native forage has been largely used, so as to save the expense of bringing same from the States.

The experience gained in returning volunteers to the States from the Philippines led to the establishment of a camp at Manila to accommodate two full regiments. The officers' tents were floored and the men were furnished with cots. Arrangements were made to provide everything required for camp use, so that each regiment upon arrival turned over to the Quartermaster's Department all of its property, and the regimental officers were relieved of accountability therefor, and the regiment ready to embark whenever directed to do so.

The officers charged with the affairs of this Department in the Division of the Philippines have satisfactorily performed the duties devolving upon them and the troops serving in that division have been promptly and fully supplied.

CHINA.

With exception of the legation guard at Pekin, all the American troops have been withdrawn from China, and all surplus stores and supplies which had previously been sent from the United States and Manila have been returned to the latter place or San Francisco.

The construction of barracks and quarters for the legation guard has been authorized, at a cost of $60,000.

No report showing the operations of the Quartermaster's Department in China during the year has been received at this office.

DEPOT AT NAGASAKI, JAPAN.

Owing to the war in China, the quartermaster's business at this depot was largely increased during the first six months of the fiscal year. Among other articles purchased were tugs, lighters, handcarts, etc., as well as a six months' supply of wood for use of the troops in China; two steamers were also chartered. The total disbursements during the year amounted to $748,086.10.

The vessels of the transport service calling at Nagasaki were promptly supplied with coal and water and every effort made to avoid their detention at that port from any cause.

The officer on duty at this depot obtained much useful information in regard to the conditions prevailing at Taku, which was furnished to the commanding officer of the Ninth Unites States Infantry, en route to China.

NATIONAL CEMETERIES.

During the past fiscal year there were 2,121 interments in the eightythree national cemeteries, making a grand total of 344 363 interments in these cemeteries to June 30, 1901.

Five thousand three hundred and twenty-eight headstones were provided during the fiscal year to mark the graves of known Union soldiers, sailors, and marines in national, post, city, and village cemeteries.

ROADWAYS.

The sum of $13,156.32 was expended during the fiscal year for repairs to roadways to national cemeteries which have been constructed by special authority of Congress.

The work on the roadway leading from the city of Newbern, N. C., to the national cemetery near that city, authorized by act approved May 14, 1900, and the road from Cache River Bridge, Pulaski County, Ill., to the graveled roadway extending from Mound City, Ill., to the national cemetery near that city, as authorized by act approved June 4, 1900, is in progress.

The necessary repairs and improvements have been made during the past fiscal year at all the national cemeteries, and the grounds, includ ing drives and walks, kept in good order.

OPERATIONS OF THE BURIAL CORPS.

A burial corps was organized at Washington, D. C., and sent to the Philippines, under the superintendence of Mr. D. H. Rhodes, the employee of this Department who rendered such satisfactory and efficient service in this capacity during the previous fiscal year in disinterring and returning to the United States our honored dead.

Mr. Rhodes, with a corps of fifteen assistants, sailed from San Francisco, Cal., October 1, 1900; called at Honolulu, H. I., and disinterred and prepared for shipment to the United States 38 remains; sailed from thence to the island of Guam, where 7 were exhumed; from thence the corps proceeded to Manila, P. I., arriving at that place the latter part of October, 1900.

At Manila the corps provided itself with the necessary maps and sketches showing the location of cemeteries, burial plots, and graves from which disinterment were to be made, and entered upon its duties. There were 1,375 remains disinterred and prepared for shipment to the United States at different points in the islands composing the Philippine group.

Two small burial corps will be permanently established in the Philippines, which it is thought will result in securing the return of remains to the United States with the least possible delay after burial, when death occurs at places where it is impracticable to embalm the remains for immediate shipment.

Mr. Rhodes also sent a small party to China from the Philippines, where, under the supervision of Mr. Solon F. Massey, 138 remains were disinterred and sent home, together with 11 which were buried at Nagasaki, Japan. A supply of caskets and other materials were left in China, which will enable the Department to make shipment of remains from there without sending a special party for the purpose. The burial corps which operated in Cuba was organized at Havana by Mr. C. E. Norton, and a total of 170 bodies were disinterred and sent to New York City, 53 of which were shipped to their former homes at Government expense for private burial and the remainder to Arlington National Cemetery for interment therein.

No remains were brought from Porto Rico during the past fiscal year, as the civil law of the island prohibits the exhumation of dead bodies until three years after burial, and until the expiration of this limit the Department can take no steps toward bringing to the United States the 28 remains which are buried in that island.

Under an arrangement with the Navy Department, the Quartermaster's Department disinters and ships to destination the remains of persons serving in the Navy or United States Marine Corps and receives reimbursement therefor from the Navy Department. During the past fiscal year a total of 66 remains were thus removed and brought to the United States, 25 of which were for the Navy and 41 for the Marine Corps.

From the following statement, which has been compiled from reports received in this office, it will be seen that 1,825 bodies of officers, enlisted men, and others were returned to the United States during the fiscal year, viz:

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Of the above, 823 were returned to relatives and friends, 713 were interred in the Presidio of San Francisco National Cemetry, 117 in the Arlington National Cemetery, and 172 remained at San Francisco, Cal., on June 30, 1901, to be disposed of.

Messrs. Rhodes, Massey, and Norton, with their assistants, have satisfactorily performed the important work intrusted to them of preparing and returning to their native land the remains of those who died in the Philippines, China, island of Guam, Honolulu, and Cuba.

PERSONNEL.

Prior to February 2 1901, the number of officers provided by law for the Quartermaster's Department consisted of 58 officers of the regular establishment and 70 volunteer officers, making a total of 128 officers in all.

Under section 16, act of Congress approved February 2, 1901, to increase the efficiency of the permanent military establishment of the United States, the following officers were provided for this Department:

Regular establishment:

Quartermaster-General, with rank of brigadier-general.
Assistant quartermasters-general, with rank of colonel...

Deputy quartermasters-general, with rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Quartermasters, with rank of major..

Quartermasters, with rank of captain.

Military storekeeper, with rank of captain....

Total...

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Volunteer establishment, to be continued in service during emergency, for duty in Philippine Islands and on transports: Assistant quartermasters, with rank of captain..

Total, regular and volunteers..

24

121

The military storekeeper having retired from active service on January 12, 1901, the position was thereby discontinued by operation of law.

It having been determined not to continue in service any of the twenty-four volunteer quartermasters authorized under emergency for the Phillippine and transport service, all the officers of the Quartermaster's Department holding volunteer commissions were discharged from the volunteer service on June 30, 1901, in accordance with the provisions of the act approved March 2, 1899, leaving only the ninetysix officers of the regular establishment for the performance of all the duties pertaining to the Quartermaster's Department.

The increase in the number of officers in the grades of colonel, lieutenant-colonel, major, and captain, provided for in the new organization under act of February 2, 1901, created thirty-nine original vacancies. These vacancies permitted the promotion of a number of worthy officers of this Department who had rendered long and valuable service, and also made it possible to recognize the services of the volunteers by appointment in the regular service as captain and quartermaster of a number of the volunteer quartermasters and other volunteer officers who had rendered efficient and meritorious service in the Volunteer Army since April 21, 1898.

Since the date of my last annual report the Department has suffered the loss of one of its promising young volunteer officers, Capt. Raymond Sulzer, assistant quartermaster, U. S. V., who died in San Francisco Harbor February 3, 1901, just as the transport from the Philippines reached the harbor bringing him to his native land. This officer, though young in years and service, had shown himself to be a capable and efficient officer.

On March 2, 1901, Capt. Edgar S. Dudley, assistant quartermaster, U. S. A., was appointed major and judge-advocate in the Regular Army, thereby severing his connection with the Quartermaster's Department.

OFFICERS DETAILED FOR DUTY IN THE QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT.

Under authority contained in section 36, act of Congress approved February 2, 1901, three officers, at the close of the fiscal year, had been detailed from the line of the Army for duty in the Quartermaster's Department for a period of four years, to fill vacancies in this Department.

POST QUARTERMASTER-SERGEANTS.

At

Under act approved February 2, 1901, Congress authorized 150 post quartermaster-sergeants, an increase of 45 over the number previously authorized. This increase has enabled the Department to appoint a number of these sergeants and assign them to duty in the Philippines and at other points where their services were urgently required. the close of the fiscal year there were 138 of these sergeants in service. The remaining vacancies will be filled from the most efficient applicants who are from time to time designated for examination for the position.

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