Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-03
T0GUs LETTER..
What it Takes to Feed the Inmate:
of the Home.
A Glance al The Kitchen, Dining Rooms, Hos
pital, Laundry. Etc.

ToGUs, Aug. Especial AS place
for political science in all its branches
social science in all its olosies, the Soldiers
Home is headquarters.
The great majority of the men are close
students of the news of the day and the
slgns of the times, and almost any of them
can entertain you with as good resume OF
what is going on in the world as you can
get anywhere. Ill.,:
just think Of it Eighteen hundred men
from 1900 families somewhere and some
time. Some are now entirely alone in the
world. Some have families still living
Many of them have been here for years
and there are new faces constantly appear,
ing, and to such Of them as have families,
have children, brothers and sisters, it is for
time hard matter to get over the mex
pressible longing that will come over them,
to see those they have left behind.
There never before has been so many
men here at this time of year. The men
who were in the army are now nearly ali
old men, and the hard times, combined with
growing infirmities, have brought many
here who might have kept themselves com
Portable outside had the times been better
1t is busy place here, after all. There
are 1900 mouths to feed and it requires
quite force to do it. The kitchen force
consists of Chief Cook p. B. Burke, vet
eran from Boston, assisted by 10 men, all
vets, during the day, and two night-men.
To give an idea of their work, it takes
$50 gallons of soup for dinner; 1900 lbs
of roast beef or 1900 lbs. of corned beef TO,
a dinner; and 100 lbs. of fresh fish for tn
Friday dinner. Five bushels of dry beans
are required to furnish the Sunday and
Wednesday morning breakfasts. 1t takes
three tons of butter for the table for q
month; four tons of sugar and 1000 pound.
of coffee. 49,.
issued by Com. Lieut.. w. s. Oakman, o
hustler from Charlestown, Mass.
1t would do some housewives good to step
into the kitchen, everything is SO clean and
neat. Then just step into the big dining
hall, seating G72, and the annex, seating
200 more. The big dining hall is filled
twice at each meal and the annex partially
filled. The dining rooms are under the i'm
mediate charge Of Sergt. VIM. C. Jones
also of Boston, with force of 81 veteran
walters. -@: 49,
Everything here works like clockwork
The men form in long lines at each of the
two entrances to the dining hall and at high
l2 they rally around the table TO the notes
of the bug,e, each seat being numbered and
occupied by the same man at each meal
When all are seated, at the tap of the bell
they fall to, and how the grub does vanish.
An old lady from the rural districts pass
ing by the dining room, one day recently.
WAS heard to exclsim: why, la sakes !,
they have knives and forks, and / do de.
clare if they amt got butter on the table"
Poor old soul. Yes, we are human and VT
like good things to eat, and some even &c
so far as to say we deserve them, too.
Now step into the big laundry, where
450, 900 pieces of laundry work is done in .
year, by force of II men, under the
charge of Edwin II. Bean, with Geo. H
Ross as engineer. The latter is also fore
man of the Home Hre department From
the laundry step into the bakeshGp uhere,
with force of five men, Head Baker Ed
ward Waters converts seven barrels of -four
into bread, which is hard to equal any
where-it is light. sweet and rice. There
are 522 loaves of four pounds each. 1t
takes 476 pies for the Sunday supper. 1t
takes GEO pounds Of sweet cake for sup
per, and 75G pounds of corncake for a
breakfast.
There are at present 249 men in hospital,