The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-09
A Big kitchen.
How rHr VETERANS AEE FED At TIE sol
ntrzs, Ho,rE At pArros. oHIo.

pfEEs' HoNE At DArTOS, OHIO.
That department Of the Home Of great
est interest 10 housekeepen is the dining
hall and kitchen. Both are contained IN
one building, the front portion Of which
ia occupied on both the upper and lower
floors by two dining-rOoms each 9oxl5o
feet, and together comprising an area ex-
ceeding half an acre. The rear one-story
norton contains the kitchen, bakery,
bread and pie roons. cooling vaults and
sll the psrzphernaiis necessary 70 tne
providing for this vast household. Eaeh
dining-rcom seats 100 men, making
200 al a sitting; and when the tint SET
Is through eating, 50 large is the force oi
waiters and so accurate the discipline
that only twenty minutes are required 10
clear the tables and prepare them for the
second 1000 diners
After the frst loi Of men have ieft the
hall. bell is ruDg, and the army OF walt
ers dash in close on each others heels,
but in perfect order, remove the dishes,
crumbs. and clean the tables. After them
come files OF men with heaps Of clean
mates and bowls which they slap down
or the tables regardless Of hicks, and
with 8 noise, should think, ike artli-
lery. The meat is brought IN on huge
trays. and the coffee served from large
tin pots at each end Of each table. All
this is accomplished by 325 men, part OF
them regularly paid, and part detailed
from the outside as help. All the work
is done by the veterans, no women being
employed at the Home.
A large archwsy from the dining-hall
leads into the kitchen, sanctum pre-
sided over by head cook and thirty
two assistants. Here are to be seen the
range. twenty feet long, the vast copper
caldrons for cooking soup and vegetables
and seven coffee boilers, each holding
upwards Of hundred gallons. which are
filed and emptied twice 4 day the year
through.
In describing this part OF the Home
there i nothing left to do but TO plunge
into statistics, or I cannot do 1t justice
Here are some verified figures Of quanti-
ties Of food used at the Home; 1t takes
seven barrels Of mackerel, 81 bushels OF
potatoes, and $50 gallons Of coffee for
their Friday breakfast; seven tubs OF
mashed potatoes and three whole beeves
90 TO one days dinner; - pounds OF tea
every night for supper; 1900 dozen eggs
for Easter breakfast; 40 sheep 90 to
pot-pie, and 900 pounds OF corned-beef
with 80 bushels of potatoes foT one mess
of hash. Twelve hundred pies, requir-
ing three tubs of butter 10 the upper
crust and three tubs Of lard for the lower,
with twelve barrels Of apples for the tll-
ing. make one days dessert Four hun
dred square feet Of gingerbread are baked
twice a week. On Christmas day the
veterans are treated TO 400 turkeys, seven
barrels of cranberry sauce, 200 mince
pies, and oysters, celery and other deli
cies in propoition. Bread is baked every
day, beginning at midnight. 1t is knead-
ed by steam, six barrels of -four to a
mixing the machine being filed three
times. These eighteen barrels Of flour
FIJI room sbelved to the ceiling with
fragrant loayes, which are all eaten in
day.
The following is bill of fare, selected
at random from their printed lists:
SUNDAY.
BreaIJaS-fried ham or sausage, pota-
toes, bread, butter and coffee.
Dinnsr-roast mutton, sweet potatoes
turnips, pickles, bread, butter, coffee and
apple pie.
.Suppr-stowed fruit, cookies. bread,
butter and tea.
WEDNESDAY.
BraaxJast-corned-beef hash, bread,
butter and coffee.
Dinner-roast beef, baked potatoes, on
ions bread, butter and coffee.
Stppa-pigs' tongues or tripe, beets
tomats catsup, bread, tea. gingerbread.
The average cost TO the government Of
this boarding house is twenty cents day
for each soldier; not so expensive when
We consider the quality and variety Of
food used. The Congressional appropri-
alton, covering all expenses Of the Home
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880
was S770, ,306 50.-Harpar's WoeEly.