Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-01-04
rne soLnIERs KNAPsAcK.
what It Must Garry and How 1t shonid
BE Packed.

I crace weight and in the oDlISa'IOh ~
oarrv it. the American soldier Of today
has decidedly the advantage over his
Furonean brother in arms. The latter
never thinks Of throwing away his
mack, no matter what its weight or the
/ length of the march. To do so means
punishment. sudden and severe. The
former fires it bodily away the moment
he feels that he has carried 1t far
c1ourh. prcrerring any punishment TO
making q pack mule out OF himself
Navgrtheles. the l,napsack isa very nee
p c-slrv grti,,aof the soldiers equipment
and n great deal Of time, experiment
and Thought have been given to the per-
faetian Of q pack that will carry every
thing necessary and yet be, when pack
ed. of the minimum weight and size
The luapsack as at present in use IN
the service is simply waterproof can
vas bag, supposed to contain when pack
cd one blanket, one complete change OF
Undertaking, two pairs Of stockings,
ono pair Of shoes, towel, soap, backing
kit and comb.
To pack these articles properly the
blanket is folded lcnethwiso SO as to be
II inches wide. Roll tightly, leaving
IS inches unrollcd, and place in the
bag until the roll is tight against the
bottom. Then fold the unrolled part un-
til the fold is even with the opening of
the bag The drawers, folded the same
width as the blanket, is placed next,
after which comes the undershirt. The
shoes are thon placed, heels up and soles
out, between the folded blanket and the
side Of the bag, one on each side Be
tween the drawers and the undershirt
two pairs Of stockings are then placed
so as to show the double fold The
blacking kit is then placed above the
undershirt and out of sight, the toilet
articles neatly disposed in the pocket,
the flap Of the lnapsack turned down
and buttoncd, and the pack is complete,
There now remains the overcoat, which
when rolled is fastened by straps on the
top Of the pack
To secure uniformity the following
method of rolling the coat has been |
adopted by the war departments: Turn |
the left sleeve inside out; fold the coat |
down the middle seam of the back, right
side out, front edges to the left, and lay !
it hatly and smoothly on the ground, /
tail away from the feet; pull the cape
ont from under the coat and spread it
double; turn both tails Of coat up about
eight inches, the upper one over and the
lower one under; fold the skirts in
from bath sides until they just meet in
the csurer, which will make the roll
just the width Of the knapsack Then
fold the cape same width as the coat
and beginning with the cape roll up
ycrr tightly and as even as possible
The tighter the bcttcr--heing careful to
keep the folded edges we'll caught.
Whom rolled clear up, turn the exposed
tail back over the roll, taking care not
10 loosen the ends and the roll will be
.acurely bound.
The shelter tent half, neatly folded
so as to show the company regiment
and number, viii then be rolled around
the ovcrcoat roll so as just to show the
.d-cs, and the four shelter tent pins
placed between its folds so as to show
me inch Of the points projecting.
Now place the roll on the lnapsack
with the tail Of the coat, as rolled, to
be roar and the raw edge or hem Just
'boga tic edge of the luapsack. this ,
giving the best water and
lust she'd Tie buckle of the overcoat t
rap io be on top Of tho roll, the end Of
ho strap If of any length, to be rolled
.p. Tie shoIJcr tent poles, Of which
aah man carries two halves, are carried Z
ndr the flap Of the lmapsacz so as to
hrow the roll away from the back of
ho head and thus permit freer use Of the
rms
Tic weight Of the knapsack thus {
acAod and arranged should not exceed :
i pounds, good load in itself for a Q
ian to carry throughout q daily march %
Vlragins ! D miles -Exchange.