mander; or, if in the hands of a recruiting officer, on the order of the Adjutant General.—[ Chief Ord., June 6, 1877; Ord. Prop. Regs., 89.]

2542. Officers in charge of arsenals and Ordnance depots will receive all property, and afford every facility to officers authorized to turn over such stores. They will give receipts for it in due form (Form 3a), according to its condition.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2543. Whenever canteens become unserviceable from the wearing of the covers, the breaking of straps, or loss of corks, they will not be presented to the Inspector for condemnation, but will be repaired by the troops. Timely requisitions should be made upon the Ordnance Department for extra covers, corks, and straps, &c.[G. O. 58, 1875.]

2544. On arrival of recruits at their destination, the clothingbags and haversacks which they turn in as unnecessary, unsuitable, or unserviceable, will be properly packed and turned over to the Quartermaster's Department for transportation to Watervliet Arsenal, West Troy, N. Y., for repairs and reissue to recruiting depots.-[G. O. 104, 1876.]

2545. Ordinary repairs can usually be made in the company, or at the post, with the means provided for that purpose by the Ordnance Department. When the repairs required are too extensive to be thus made, an Inspector must recommend that the stores must be sent to the nearest arsenal. A certified extract from the inspection report, accompanying the invoices, is the officer's authority for turning them in.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2546. In the absence of an inspecting officer, commanding officers may send to the nearest arsenals all arms, accoutrements, or equipments needing repairs which cannot be made by the troops.-[Regs. 1863, ¶ 1419.]

2547. No officer has authority to turn in any unserviceable Ordnance stores without complying with these regulations; nor has any Ordnance officer authority to receive them.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2548. When commanding officers of regiments detail a competent mechanic to act as armorer to repair the arms of his regiment, requisitions may be made for a set of armorer's tools and such spare parts as are required, stating particularly the kind and calibre of the arm. The requisitions (Form 22), approved at Department or Army Headquarters, should be forwarded to the Chief of Ordnance. -[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2549. To prevent large loss of revolvers while in the hands of the troops, mostly stolen by deserters or other persons unknown, officers having charge of ordnance of this description will take the most stringent measures to guard it; and no one shall be relieved from his responsibility for its loss except upon the most clear and convincing proof that no blame can attach to him therefor.-[G. O. 52, 1879.]

2550. Lists of prices to be charged against soldiers for the loss of or damage to fire-arms are published from time to time.

2551. The empty metallic cartridge-shells for the Springfield carbine and rifle can, after being fired, be used an indefinite number of times by refilling and capping. Great care will therefore be exercised by all officers to prevent Indians from procuring the empty shells thrown away by the troops after firing, either in action or at target practice.-[G. O. 13, 1876.]

2552. The application of oil or grease to the shell of metallic ammunition has a tendency to cause the shell to rupture when fired. Under no circumstances, therefore, shall such lubricants be applied to the metallic case of any cartridges for the service arms. When practicable, every cartridge, before being placed in the arm, shall be examined, to see that it is perfectly clean; and no cartridge, and particularly no discharged shell, shall be kept in the arm longer than absolutely necessary.-[G. O. 31, 1877.]

2553. Arm-chests not required by commanding officers of companies, regiments, or posts, wherein to keep surplus arms, are returned to the nearest arsenal or Ordnance depot, with proper invoices in duplicate, when the cost of transportation is not greater than the value of the property. Officers to whom such chests have been issued are charged with their value if they are destroyed. -[Ord. Prop. Regs., ¶ 66.]

2554. Before making final disposition of Ordnance stores which from any cause are worn out or damaged, whether they are repairable or not, they must be submitted to an inspecting officer. An officer having such property requests the Commander of the Department to have the inspection made.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2555. Articles "to be continued in service" are such as the Inspector regards as still serviceable.

Those to be "dropped from returns," if utterly worthless, must be so far destroyed as to prevent any possibility of future presentation as public property. Such articles as cannot be destroyed will, when practicable, be marked with the letters "I. C." [InspectedCondemned], or else will be broken up, and the serviceable parts retained.

Those "to be sold at the post" are such as are of no further public use, or not worth the cost of transportation to a depot.

Those "to be turned into depot” are such as cannot be repaired at the post, and are worth the cost of turning them in.

Those to be "taken up" are such parts of broken up articles as are still serviceable, and are to be kept for public use by the officer responsible, or transferred to depot, or to some other officer.

Stores are not recommended to be dropped unless they cannot be sold at the post, or are not worth the cost of transportation to an arsenal or other Ordnance establishment.-[G. O. 65, 1869; Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2556. Inspection reports are transmitted by the Inspector to

the Headquarters of the Army or Department in which the officer in charge of the stores is serving, for the final approval of the General commanding, except where the property is worthless for military use, and has no money valne at the post where inspected, in which case the Inspector orders its destruction in his presence, and his inspection report is a valid voucher for the officer responsible for the property.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2557. When sales of Ordnance stores are recommended, the reports will be forwarded by the General commanding direct to the Chief of Ordnance for the final action of the Secretary of War.[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

2558. When the recommendation for sale is approved, the copies are sent to the officer accountable for the stores, through the Headquarters of the Department in which he may be serving, with detailed instructions how to make the sales, account for proceeds, &c., to be used by him as vouchers in making out his next quarterly return. One copy of each inventory and inspection report must accompany the return.-[Regs. Ord. Dept.]

PACKING AND TRANSPORTATION.

2559. Officers who ship arms of any description are held strictly responsible that they so pack them that under ordinary handling they cannot break loose from their fastenings in the boxes, and that under no circumstances a loaded arm is packed for transportation. When loaded arms, or arms insecurely packed, are received by an officer, he reports the facts direct to the Chief of Ordnance.— [Regs. Ord. Prop., ¶ 24.]

2560. After packing arms, or other Ordnance stores, whether at arsenals for issue, or to be sent from posts or troops in the field to arsenals, the covers and bottoms of the arm-chests and packing boxes will, before shipment, be sealed with wax and stamped with an official mark.

The lids will be secured by screws, at least two of which will be sealed, and the bottom of the box will be fastened with two screws, in addition to the nails used, which screws shall be sealed. When several pieces go to make up either top or bottom of the chests or boxes, each board on top and bottom will have at least one sealed

screw.

The heads of all the screws will be countersunk to a depth sufficient to protect the wax seal from injury.

The design of the seal will be such as to designate the arsenal or the post from which shipment is made, or the name of the shipping officer.-G. O. 74, 1871; G. O. 26 and 71, 1873.]

2561. The gross weight of all boxes and date of weighing will be distinctly marked thereon. Each Quartermaster who ships Ordnance stores will satisfy himself that the seals on the packages are unbroken; or if the seals should be broken and any stores lost,

he will cause the value of the lost stores to be charged to the transporter. [G. O. 74, 1871; G. O. 71, 1873.]

2562. The Ordnance Department prepares official stamps for sealing boxes, and distributes them in duplicate to each company in the Army. Commanding officers of companies will account for them on their quarterly returns of Ordnance stores, and will use no other stamps for the purpose.-[G. O. 17, 1874.]

2563. For transportation, Ordnance stores are turned over to the Quartermaster's Department, with duplicate invoices, and a third invoice, with duplicate receipts to be signed by the receiving officer, is sent direct to him by mail, with a letter of transmittal. But in the following cases the stores are not transported by the Quartermaster's Department:

1. The transportation of all materials purchased or procured for current use or manufacture at Ordnance establishments is paid for out of the proper Ordnance appropriations.

2. The transportation of all stores moved for sale, or to be prepared for sale, is paid out of the proceeds of sales.

In all cases where transportation is to be paid out of Ordnance appropriations, the shipments are upon regular bills of lading in duplicate, and in strict accordance with the printed directions thereon.-[Regs. 1863, ¶ 1432.]

REPORTS.

2564. Every officer commanding a regiment, corps, garrison, or detachment, or the acting Ordnance officer if there be one, shall make, at the end of February, April, June, August, October, and December, a report to the Chief of Ordnance, stating all damages to arms, equipments, and implements belonging to his command, noting those occasioned by negligence or abuse, and naming the officer or soldier by whose negligence or abuse the said damages were occasioned, from which reports the necessary instructions shall be issued to the armories and the Ordnance Inspectors to correct defects in the manufacture. Blank forms for these reports are furnished by the Chief of Ordnance (Form No. 28).—[Regs. 1863, ¶ 1426; G. O. 92, 1874.]

2565. Reports of defects in the quality or condition of Ordnance stores will, in all cases, besides naming the articles, describe the particular pattern or model, when and where made, and whence, when, and from whom received, with such other information as will aid the Ordnance Department in taking the proper measures for correcting the defect.-[Regs. 1863, ¶ 1413.]

2566. Requisitions for blanks and blank books required for the use of the Ordnance Department should be made quarterly by every regiment and company in service. These, suited to every arm of the service, and such others as are needed from time to time, can always be obtained by applying to the Chief of Ordnance.— [Regs. Ord. Dept.]

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ARTICLE LXXXV.

THE SIGNAL SERVICE.

2574. The Chief Signal Officer of the Army is charged, under the direction of the Secretary of War, with the general Signal Service of the Army; with the custody of all records and apparatus connected therewith; with the equipment and management of field telegraphs used with active forces in the field; with constructing and operating lines of military telegraph; with maintaining signal stations at light-houses and at life-saving stations, and with the observations and reports required by law.-[Regs. 1863, ¶ 1063; G. O. 92, 1867; G. O. 72, 1872; G. O. 40, 1873.]

2575. Officers temporarily serving as Signal officers will be styled "Acting Signal Officers."-[G. O. 47, 1868.]

2576. When an officer is detached from his regiment for Signal duty he will immediately report for orders to the Chief Signal Officer of the Army, and thereafter will be relieved from such detail only by orders from the Adjutant General of the Army.-[G. O. 68, 1862.]

2577. When it is necessary to employ officers on Signal duty in the field, they may be temporarily assigned by orders of the Department Commander, but will not be part of the Department Staff. For this purpose officers who have been regularly instructed by the Chief Signal Officer of the Army will be selected if practicable.— [G. O. 19, 1869; A. G. O., Feb. 8, 1871.]

2578. The senior acting Signal officer of any command will be the chief of the Signal parties serving in that command. Orders and instructions affecting their duties will be transmitted through him. He will be responsible that his officers and men are fully instructed and properly perform their duties. He will keep himself informed of the position of the Army and of the enemy, and, under the instruction of the General commanding, will establish his stations to the greatest advantage. He will take care, by inspections and timely requisitions, that his parties are well supplied with equipments. He will make reports of his operations in the field from time to time to the General commanding, and, with his assent, will forward certified copies of these reports to the Chief Signal Officer of the Army. He will make the usual returns and monthly statements, and at the end of each month a report to the Chief Signal Officer of the Army of the condition of his party, and all matters pertaining to its duties.-[G. O. 139, 1863.]

2579. Acting Signal officers, wherever serving, will be in charge of and responsible for all property pertaining to the Signal Service at the posts or places at which they may be stationed. They wil