Evening star., 1897-06-12

OF the chlgger, promptly ana euavely sug-
gested that the only radical method, to his
knowledge, is the amputation Of both lower
limbs at the hips. Maj Henderson added,
however, that the application of coal oil
before retiring at night will do much to
convince the chigger that its presence Is
not only unsolfcited, but undesirable as
well. Coal oil applied during the day, ex-
planned Maj. Henderson, would tend TO
cause blisters under the leggins So
All the officers Of the medical department
are well supplied with remedies, and on ap-
plication are prepared to alleviate the itch
First Lieut.. r.. A. Foster, surgeon Of the
I'd Battalion. takes the stand that the
eruPtions generally accepted as the work
of the chigger are not SUCH but are mere
ly an extreme form Of hives. Whether
Lieut.. Foster says this to remove some of
the threatening aspect Of the affair is not
known. AT all events. he says the chigger
base OF operations being in South America
and Mexico. The chigger at Fort Wash
ington, maintains Lieut. Foster is a popu-
lar delusion. The hives are the result, in
directly, Of overeating; scratching causes
irritation and produces sores, which are
ascrtbed to the insect. Lieut. Foster g
theory may be correct, say the afflicted
guardsmen. but II 1t is then the never-fail-
ing precaution. "fen hives" has at last
! missed fire.
- A Factor Cuts q Figure
cuts good deal Of figure in the success
Of the outing of the District National
Guard is the quartermaster's department.
The majority of the men who three times
daily file into the scrupulously clean mess
tents and succeed in amply satisfying the
demands of the inner man, no doubt give
but little, If any, thought to the prepara-
tion OF the meals and the arrangements
therefor. Without the quartermaster's de-
partment the camp would be an impossi-
bility.
The duties of battalion quartermaster
are not at al onerous SO long as the COM
mand remains In the armory, but when
the time approaches to go into camp the
stan officer in question moves very rapidly
and prominently to the fore. In the first
other members of the stan and company
commanders all articles of clothing and
equipment not used ordinarily. Next, it
feil to their lot to take entire charge of
Then they had to engage cooks, walters
and scullions and provide, by purchase
everything in the way of edibles not issued
by the commissary general.
All these things the Quartermasters had
to get to the steamboat wharf Wednesday
morning at certain hour. They had to
nave them unloaded and the wagons car
ried aboard the steamer and properly
slowed on the boat. At Fort Washington
the quartermasters had to see that every
article of baggage was unloaded from the
steamer, and then hauled half mile or
more to camp.
Is n COmmander-in-Chi
The battalion quartermasters are the
commanders-in-chief of the small army of
colored individuals which perform the
manual labor of mess preparation. In
most cases it requires the entire time of
an ordinary mortal to properly look after
the colored help. The quartermaster mus.
leave his couch before daylight, and make
his way to the sleeping quarters of his as
sistanfs Armed with lighted lantern,
the ofncer moves among the sleeping forms
and endeavors to the pest of his ability
10 soiVe an intricate problem. He shakes
and calls. he kicks and cuffs, and some
times resorts to strong language.
Usually after the lapse of something in
the nelghborhood of an hour, he restores
one or two of his cooks to consciousness.
and leaves them with the most emphatic
orders to get the walters and scullions
ast1r. About the break Of dawn each bat
TALON quartermaster accompanied BY q
small detachment of men propelling a hand
cart, proceeds to the headquarters of Mai
Neumeyer. the commissary general, To-
issues the supplies for the day-so MANY
pounds of meat, fish, beans and other ar
ticles, as the case required.
returning to camp, the quartermaster
must see to it that the tables are set prop
erly, and that everything in the, kitchen
moves along smoothly and steadily When
mess cali sounds, at a stated hour meals
must be ready for the men, who usually
attack everything edible in sight in a man
ner which leaves the impression that they
had been subsisting on starvation diet for
an unreasonable length of time There
national guardsmen will brook no delay.
The quartermaster must be everywhere
at once. He must see to it that the wait
ers work systematically. and that every
pouy 1 eets everything, and more, too. be-
lore the everybody really thinks he
wants 1t.
He must see that men who have been
on guard and come in late are served and
perhaps he may be able to take q bite
to eat himself. while he is walking to and
fro, and giving directions about the ncxt
meal. Between meals the quartermaster
must proceed several miles into the coun-
and butter He must communicate with
washington for extra supplies, and after
supper has been served must look to the
Issuing of candles and the making of
Ing what portion Of u candle must last
one man a certain length Of time
The battalion quartermaster may get to
bed by midnight or a later hour. or he
may not get there at all, no matter what
the hustling proclivities he may possess
At all events, he must be Up and ready
for business before daylight. 1t should
be remembered, too, that not u moment
ure.
Gcnernlship Called Into Play.
After ten days fraught with work Of this
class described the battalion quartermast-r
must arrange for the breaking of camp
and then 1t Is that all the generalship he
possesses Is called into play. Before the
general" the signal for the dropping Of
the tents Is sounded. he must have all bag
gage on the wharf. 1t must be loaded
on the steamer and unloaded at Washing
ton; it must be properly sorted and placed
In wagons. and properly distributed at
the armory.
Each battalion Is provided with a mess
tent of large size. In fact, from a dis
tance the mess tents might be mistaken for
circus shelter. They are provided with
long tables, built of dressed lumber, and
in several cases have oilcloth coverings.
Near by are the kitchens, which are con-
structed of wood. These are furnished
with Buzzacott ovens, of the same pattern
as those used in the regular army.
The cooks and their assistants are de-
serving Of credit for the very neat and
convenient manner in which the kitchens
are arranged. All necessary utensils, such
as Dishes knives. forks, spoons, cups and
cooking apparatus, are issued to the bat
talions by Capt. H. H. Parmenter, post
Quartermaster, the goods being government
property and stored in the fort. The bat