The evening times., 1896-07-04

Secretary Lamont has received the re-
port OF the board of officers appointed in
March last Ito consider and recommend a
proper ration for troops operating in eIner-
gencies," and also To report upon the
minimum amount Of articles of food neces-
sary TO sustain Il soldier in health and ac-
4 limited period
The board Consisted of Mai. Charles
Smart, surgeon; Mai. Charles a. Woodruff,
commisSary OF subsistence; Maj. E. a. Gar.
lingtoD, inspector general; Capt. Louis A.
Craig, Sixth Cavalry, and Lieut.. William
c. Brown, First Cavalry.
The board concurs in the views of the va
rious department boards, that ii would be
unwise to select as the staples Of an emer-
/ sency ration any article of food with which
! the soldier is not familiar, and which would
| make material change in his dietary
during the continuance OF the emergency.
II therefore rejects suggestions of 4
| bread containing oatmeal, all pcmmicans
or meat pastes prepared from dried or pow
dered beef; corned beef, and dried and
smoked beef; canned cooked beef, pep
tonized or partially pre-digested meat, etc.
BREAD, BACON AND SOUP.
| The board also decided that the three
| food staples OF the emergency ration TO
be recommended for adoption should iB
| general terms, consist of hard bread,
bacon, aud some variety of compressed
soup.
Guided by considerations of nutrition,
weight, convenience, general utility, etc,
the board decided that 1.-The emergency
should contain as much of the proXiniate
| principles of food as is necessary TO sus.
tain the soldier under the maximum of
! physical strain As meeting these re.
| quirementslt was decided that the amounts
| OF the various ooniponents of the emergency
ration should be as follows:
| Hard bread, Is ounces: bacon / ounces;
pea meal, ounces; coffee, roasted and
! ground with ounces saccliarine, ounces,
or / q ounce OF tea, with 4 grains sac
charine; salt. ga ounces; pepper, .O4 ounces;
tobacco, 12 ounce making total weight,
with coffee, of 80 Is ounces, or with tea,
316S ounces.
1t was also recommended by the board
that the subsistence department supply.
| suitable bags in such numbers as may
be necessary for carrying the roasted
coffee, and the salt and pepper; also a
! tough paraffiDe paper for use in wrapping
about bacon when carried on tie person;
and also that the pea meal be issued in
compressed cylindrical package. In gen
eral terms the components of the suggested
ration consists of % ga ounces water-frce
food, having an available energy equivalent
to 4,110 caIoTics.
The board says that the ration is not
intended for continue us use, but only
for use occasionally, and for short periods.
The objection of its construction is the
largest food value in the smallest weight
1t gives close upon the standard dietary
quantity needful to rcpar muscular wastes
TWO POUNDS WILL LAST TEND DAYS
In concluding its report the board ex
presses the belief, from the evidence be
fore II, that men in well-fed and healthy
condition at starting, can undergo the
ordinary fatisues and hardships of an ac
tive campaign for at least ten DAYS OF
the equivalent of a subsistence diet sucl
as that given by PIayfair, and wit.lou
any Impairment of health resulting from
the temporary restricted diet.
The board also considered from Its ex
I periments that emergency rations for fiv
days should be the maximum number q
rations to be carried on the person of tn
soldier. In emergencies of less than fiv
days, the board says the troops shoul
be required TO carry the full ration for tn
number of days stated.
In emergencies of longer duration tn
commanding officers may direct econom
in the use of the ration, so that the fiv
days rations may be made to last for an
number of days not exceeding ten. Fror
their character as issued, the articles o
the ration are susceptible of accurate sui
division, by which means they may be use
] with any degree of liberality between
minimum of subsistence diet and a max
p nun, cInerpencv nr ha I'd La hor diat