The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-03-14
LoGeERs AT NEAL-TIME.
Kitchen CnlIsthenicS rs Illustrated In =
Michigan Logging Camp.


Michigan Logging Camp.
Charles Ellis in The Current.
They literally chuck their food; and
it would be more correct to say of them
at the table, using their own uni lue
term, that they are 'chucking' than
that they are eating" When a meal
is ready the cook opens the door and
calls and the men rush in with q silent,
grim, determined energy that 8 sugges-
tive Of gathering OF old soldiers in the
ban Iuet rooms Of Walhalla. The secret
of this is that the men all wear rub
bers or packs" and 80 move
over the floor without noise; aud
the eargerness with which they crowd
forward, bareheaded, with swinging
arms, and legs striding far, and all
without sound; almost makes the be-
holder wonder il he has not by some
mistake got down into the wrong place.
Hungry men are reticent. The sensa-
ton OK hunger Overpowers all social
sense aud rUverts civilization for the
time to savagery. These men march in
and seat themselves at the tables with
out word. If there were only ono
table and food enough for dozen of
them, thoy would, it is easy to SEQ,
scramble and fight for it like Savages,
and the strongest ones among them.
that is, the greatest bully and glutton,
would be elected chief. But there is
plenty, as they know and 80 each gOcS
to his place, loads his plate and begins
chucking without ceremony.
For flee minutes you hear nothing
hnt the IN :ossant cL.shhg and clattcr-
ing of knives and forks against tin
plates and see nothing but tho upward
ERIK OF hundred hands and tho down
ward lob of fifty head. ~, midway, the
well-trMned jaws, agape, are catching
the chuck on the hy' BY that time the
stomach has got fairly TO work, the sen
sation of hunger is relaxing its grip
tho social instincts begin to exert them
selves again, tue sayages are once more
becoming civilized. llere and there
you hear them talking. Quip and quirk
are on the wing, Gontentment is in the
air. In five minutes moro the place has
,ecome jovial and the m0ro skillful
chu kerS are leaving the room with pipe
and tobacco in hand, to finish the meal
with the inevitable smoke. Then oil to
work, and repetition Of tho scene at
the next meal.
Salt meat, often half-boiled, potatoes
ditto, fried pork stuck fast in half.cold
pork grease; good fresh beef ruined for
ever here and hereafter by being fried
while swimming In pork fat; fresh beef
boiled and served without seasoning OF
any kind; beans that sometimes are
scooped from barrel to boiler and SO
baked" without change of water or
vessel--a deed against which every
Boston stomach must rise in protest -
bean soup served with the beans so hard
that they will break between your teeth,
and the water as clear as when the
work began, but with its transparency
a trihe obscured by bits of broken
cracker that seem to float and sail
around their iron-bou und. coast; hot
soda biscuit, a spoonful of flour tc
a quart of soda. it seemed to me, very
short with oceans of lard; mince pies ol
haShcd beef and pork. salt and fresh
dried apples with molasscs to suit, and
raisins thrown In to support the crust
that is made of chilled pork fat sprinkled
with flour; tea that is boilcd down, filled
up and boiled again, and kept boiling
from meal to meal, dished out from the
boiler, grounds and all, into measure,
that are half filed with cold or luke
warm water, and drank from tin cups
whose inner surfaces are coated witt
the brown and dirty-looking sediment cl
the overlooked tea, without sugar oil
milk--all this sort of thing ''the boys
endure from day to day With an amia
hilityy that would make New EngianC
dyspeptics miserable with envy.
But 1t must not be understood that
camp cooks ana without skill They are
often good cooks Most of thom can
make excellent yeast bread. which is
after all, the stat OF life. But there /,
so much work to be done. and only tht
one man, with one or, ut most, two
chore hands to assist him, that much o
it must be hurried over and sighted
from 1 in the morning until or latel
at night the cook must be on duty, th'
season through. Mike, our French
cook, is as good as they average. He is
active and industrious, and will Gu
more meat, in his way, dish up NOR
potatoes, hash, fried pork, stewcd steak
soda biscuit, baked beans, ETC., in tiy,
minutes than any other man ever saw
at work, and tho way he will place ant
arrange di-hes on table is luminou
with dexterity.