The Hawaiian gazette., 1897-09-24
FOOD IN TABLETS
Rush to the Gold Fields In.
terests Chemists.
A Years Supply Will Not Weigh
Over Thirty Pounds When
Packed.

The rush to the Klondike has stirred
up the dealer in condensed food and the
chemist who condenses the nutriment
from meats and vegetables into the small
est space Said one of these men the
other day, speaking of the heavy weights
of food prospectors are taking with them:
."Why, man, in an ordinary valise I
can put enough food to last a healthy
man year and give him a menu Just as
varied as he could find in a first-class
hotel. He can easily take another one of
those valises, and when he reaches Daw-
son City he can sell it for $1,000. That's
what a years supply of good food is
worth there. If he wants to load himself
down with a good-sized burden he can
take four or five supplies. and he will be
a comparatively rich man the moment
he reaches his destination.
Two years ago a commission, appoint
ed by the Secretary OF War and composed
of experienced army officers, made thor
ough Investigations, and in their subse-
quent reports it was shown that it would
be possible for a large army to move a
distance from its base of supplies with
out the usual attendant wagon and beef
''in the hoof" by supplying each soldier
with a packet of condensed foods 1t
was, however, reported that while foods
of this kind could safely be used in event
of emergency, it was not advisable to
furnish them when fresh foods were OBJ
tainable.
I'm the Chino-Japanese war the SOL
diers of the AIikado executed several long
marches with unusual dispatch by the
use of condensed foods Each soldier in
addition to a cartridge belt, carried what
was called a dinner belt. This was filed
with large assortment of capsules, pills,
buttons and small packages, none of them
larger than a medium-sized pocketbook.
The dinner belt weighed 10 pounds, but it
contained enough nutriment to sustain
the soldier for 30 days.
THE present scheme is to furnish
Klondike voyagers with an assortment of
condensed foods similar to that carried
by the Japanese, but adapted to the pc
culiar needs of the men in the diggings.
Anything in the eating line can now
be put up in compressed form. A good
| cup of coffee or tea is crowded into a
mass as thin and as small as medium
| sized button. 1t is already sweetened
| with a Saccharine product of coal tar,
| which is 200 times sweeter than sugar,
| and accordingly requires a very small
amount. One of these buttons dropped
into cup of hot water becomes imme-
diately cup of good coffee or tea.
'All kinds of soups are prepared in the
same way. The buttons contain a mix
ture of meat and vegetables, fully sea-
soned and ready for hot water. A sau-
| sage-like affair, not as large as frank
| furter and made of pea meal, fat and
bacon, makes u plates of nutritious soup,
'One of these essentials for Klondike
/ will be dessicated beef, an ounce of which
| is equivalent to five ounces of fresh meat.
| II is put up in hard little chunks-so hard
1 that an ordinary knife makes but little
| Roadway against it. A tiny machine like
a coffee mill grinds it into fine shavings
which can be spread on bread or used for
/ soup-making.
"a loaf of bread is compressed into a
mass not much bigger than a soda crack
| er. When soaked in water it swells up
like sponge, and when dried out makes
very fair eating. A loaf of the same size
lis composed of q preparation of -four
] beef, fat and salt and contains all the es-
sentials of plain but hearty meal. This
| is somewhat similar to the pemmican ra-
ton used in the British army. Ter
pounds of onions, carrots, potatoes, tur.
nips, cabbage or any other vegetable are
by the condensing process, crowded into
one-pound cans, and for soup-making pur.
poses are said to be excellent.
THE man who counts upon being {
| millionaire through his scheme does moi
expect to do anything this season, as tbs
time for leaving for Klondike is practic
| ally over. He expects, however, to be IL
| shape to launch his project early mex
| spring, when the first steamer sails anC
| when the food supply in the mining dis
| trict is practically exhausted.
THE kingpin of the scheme is to fl
UP all kinds of fancy and plain drinks
| from cocktails and gin fixes to straight
1 whisky, in tablet form. trunkful Of
| these tablets will stock a fine cafe ane
i give the Klondikers all the pleasures o.
] life in a big city."-New York Herald.