Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-07-31
SOLDIERS WENT HUNGRY
New Jersey Militiamen Com
plain of Their Rations.
FOOD WAS SCARCE AND VERY BAD.


Fried st nix Three Times a Day and a Mys-
teriou> Substitute For Coffee, Which Was
Not Re cognized-They Say There Was
an Attempt at Economy.
JERSEY CITY, July 31.-The charge is
made that New Jersey does not give her
citizen soldiers enough to eat when they
are in camp. Queer stories are being told
about the manner in which the boys of the
Fourth New Jersey regiment were treated
last week while serving their state in Camp
Werts, Sea Grit. Complaints were rife
that the healthy appetitss of the militia
were unsatisfied and they were compelled
to look nice on empty stomachs. Some
narrowing tales have been circulated about
the astronomical powers of the Jersey
soldiers and the deprivations they were
forced to suffer.
In the first place there was no vinegar in
camp. All the week the soldier boys took
their applejack coolers regularly and
flirted with the pretty girls down the
beach with becoming Hudson county de
corum, but when it came to eating cucum-
bers and tomatoes without vinegar the
SoAlahb lddS VI AilS Il OllTIu hlCheN 50 lOTCl-
bly, that even Founder Bradley, the Nawab
of Asbury Park, could hear the rumblinG
along the coast.
The absence OF vinegar was first laid to
the regiments quartermaster, Alvin II.
Graft, who dates his mail when at home
from so Highland avenue, Jersey City.
But it was not long before the blame was
shifted to the broad shoulders of Quarter
master General Donnelly, who halls from
Newark.
Did Not Like the Coffee.
The milk in camp, the men said, was
good enough, what there was fit, but the
quantity was hardly sufficient for the suck,
ing pup which Company b wanted to
adopt. Then again the flour ran out on
Saturday and Colonel Abernethy was com
PEELED to put up some of his own hard
earned cash to finish out with. This was
very kind of the colonel because his mess
had the luNuries of the season. But he
would not march idly by and see his com
mand suffer for flour.
Il tell you what il is, said a private of
the Fourth, that coffee was more than
suspicious. Why, they fixed it up in the
cooks tent or in the quartermaster gen
erals department or somewhere else, and
that coffee was sugared and MIXED before
it reached us. phew, what stuff!
There was loud callIfor some Jersey
City chickory or some coffee of the vintage
of lS93-anythinG, in fact, except the mys-
FERROUS liquid which bore the brand of
Quartermaster Graft"
You see, it's this way" said another of
the Fourth's men. Our ouartermaster
has too many irons in the fire. Now. he is
secretary of the board of education. has
charge of the rifle range down at camp at
q a day, and his other duties are numer.
Gus and lucrative He's n decent fellow
enough, but he did not devote time suffi
cient to properly feeding the men while in
camp. 1t was fried steak for break fast
fried steak for dinner. fried steak for sup
| per and ditto, ditto, ditto for all the days
And just to think of 1.-THE Thermometer
away up to 102 in the shade, land breeze
| blowing and the deadly mosquitoes com
| ing in by the billion"
Two Much Economy.
The state appropriates 90 cents a day for
| the subsistence of each militiaman, ant
| they say that if that sum were properly
| handled it would give the soldiers a mucl
better spread than was furnished las
| week.
| "Quartermaster General Donnelly." on,
| man remarked, was possessed of tn,
crank's ambition to make record for econ
omy, and he did it at the expense of tn,
| men, who were not in position to rcmon
L
| Friday the men consumed the entire isSu
for that day before supper. They at
everything before them, and when the las
crumb had disappeared the men took t
drinking oat meal water and filled up OF
| that diet.
Many barrels of water were consumet
when something more substantial shout,
have been furnished.
| 1t is well enough to give the militiamel
taste of rough camp life, but his foo
should be wholesome, palatable and abuud
ant. If Quartermaster General Donnell
saved a few dollars to the state perhaps
has gained the i'll will of this entire com
mand. Regimental Quartermaster Graz
was careless, too, in making his requis
lions small. With all his experience h
ought to easily gauge the appetite of tn
average Jersey City soldier, but he faile
in that he did not order a double ratio
every day for each man. Members of tn
Fourth take the palm for food consumin
capacity"
The matter will be officially investigated
Another Chicago Enterprise Fails.
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