The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-04-30

nearly 100000, to the National Home;
for disabled volunteer soldiers. The
share this Home received built thi;
theater- 1t has seating capacity Of
about 1000; contains two galleries, and
is fitted with stage, scenery, etc.
One of the best patronized places
on the grounds is what is known as the
Canteen. Pension day and all pay day:
this institution does rushing business
and as long as there is any money left
in camp, it gets Its share of trade.
Another source of revenue for the Home,
rs well as great convenience for the
men, is the Home store, where they keep
good general assortment of clothing,
furnishing goods, hats and caps, boots
and shoes, stationery, tobacco, and notions
of oil kinds. The Treasurer has the
management of this branch of business,
and his clerks are ali old soldiers The
profits from the hotel, canteen, and store
90 to what is called the post fund, which
pays for theatrical performances, ex-
penses of the band, and for part of the
help employed. One of the cosiest
structures on the grounds is the build
ing erected for the use of the Keeley
Club, an institution which flourished
here for a time, but soon outlived its
usefulness. When Gen. Franklin was
here recently he ordered it turned over
TO the Hospital Department, and in
future it will be for general use. When
this house was first built it was very
current talk that someone had made a
great mistake in putting money into
building to establish Kelley Cure, when
at the other end of camp was 4 beer hall,
where men were privileged and encour-
aged to imbibe all the beer they wanted,
and thereby get into condition TO join the
Kelley Club. The two extremes did
meet and one had to 60 No wonder
this Home would not support Kelley
Cure.
There is a very nice chapel situated
on the plaza directly opposite to the
dining-hall. Here Catholic services are
held every Sunday morning at 7:30,
and also on holy and fast days during
the week. At 2:30 Sunday afternoons
there is a Protestant Bible school, and
at 7:30 Sunday evenings Protestant
services, with preaching by the Home
Chaplain. These services, both Catho-
lie and Protestant, are usually well at
tended.
The general department and disci-
pline of the men, considering their ages
and condition of life to which they were
brought, in a majority of cases, before
coming here, is surprisingly good. Gov.
Woodfin, after % years service here,
knows his men pretty well, and how to
best handle them with the least trouble.
To give some idea of the amount of
subsistence stores required to provide
these men with their daily food, the fol-
lowing table shows the amount consumed
each month Of some of the leading nec-
essaries of life, and is only part of the
gross amount used:
Fresh beef, 45,5O0 pounds; fresh
mutton, $500 pounds; cured shoul-
ders, $4,000 pounds; corned beef, $500 |
pounds; fresh sausage, 1000 pounds;
breakfast bacon, 1000 pounds; mack
eral, 1000 pounds; Goldfish, 5000 |
pounds; white sugar, $500 pounds;
brown sugar, 5000 pounds; coffee,
5000 pounds; tea. 900 pounds; navy
beans, 1000 pounds; rice, 1000
pounds; pigs feet, 1000 pounds; pigs
tongues, 5000 pounds; cheese, $500
pounds; eggs, 1000 dozen; butter,
5000 pounds; milk, 1000 gallons;
-four, $50 barrels; oysters, $50 gallons.
The estimates for the support and
of all National Homes for
the year ending June 80, 1896, as rec
TO Congress by the Board of
Managers, aggregated S3,491, ,707.96,
and is apportioned as follows:
Central Branch, Dayton, o., $685.
1873; Southern Branch, Hampton. Va,
425,745.93; Western Branch, Leav-
Kan, S379,312.5O; North
western Branch, Milwaukee, Wis, S297,-
1873, Eastern Branch, Augusta, Me-,
$3.50, 5,635.76; Marion Branch, Marion,
Ind, s257, 1880; Pacific Branch, Santa
Monica, Cal, s245,021.52. The grand
total above includes s240, 900 for cloth
ing, s40,740 for salaries of officers, ETC.,
and s725,000 for aid to the different
State Homes.