San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-11
How The Soldiers Are Fed at
Fort Sam Houston.
A Visit to The Place Made by a
Light Reporter and its Work.
ingS DeScrihd : Post News,


dining room Of the consolidated
mess hall yesterday. At the time
the visit was made it was A :3O
and as the various walters detailed
from their respective organiza-
tions, had arrived and were ar
ranging the tables, everything
presented a scene of unusual activ.
ity, although the duties were all
performed with perfect military
precision and skill.
The dining hall is first entered.
Here are rs tables, each capable of
seating from ten to fourteen per-
sons. The tables are made OF one
and half inch white pine lumb Der
and are bare, the boards being
scrubbed until they present the ap-
pearance of having never seen a
spot of grease. Sergeant Wagner,
of ID troop, is incharge of this de-
partment. Two men are detailed
from each organization at the post
to act as walters, being detailed
weekly. They go over to the din
ing hall about half an hour before
meal time, set the tables and get
their various dishes in readiness.
When the men arrive their
meals are brouuht out from the
kitchen on large, three-story
trucks and distributed to the vari-
Gus tables.
From the dining room the in
specting parties passed through to
the kitchen, going by large table
where two men were slicing bread,
a stack having already accumulat-
ed as high as either of their heads
on table by them and the report
er was informed that this was
hardly half enough to feed all the
men.
. Upon entering the kitchen, Ser
geant Brady took the reporter in
charge, he being the chief in that
department. Here the same air
Of cleanliness prevades every nook
and corner. The first objects at
tracing attention upon entering
are the large tea, coffee and hot
water silver plated urns, the two
former holding so gallons each and
the latter holding 100, all resemb-
ling huge water tanks more than
coffee urns. From these, one pass
es to the four large steam rOasters,
each holding $50 pounds Of meat,
then to the four steam boilers, each
holding 200 gallons, then the steam
heaters, where the victuals are
kept warm.
The ranges which occupy the en-
tire south end of the large room
and which can bake about 80
pounds OF vegetables, each, there
being four of them, are next seen.
These are the only cooking appar-
atus which are heated from the
kitchen, the others all being heat
ed by steam from the cellar.
The kitched also has a coffee
rooster of sixty pounds capacity, a
large meat grinding machine,
vegetable chopper, fashioned on
the order of the steam sausage
mills, and a huge coffee mill.
There is also a refrigerator 12xS
feet connected with the kitchen.
Dunn, Of Z troop, is first cook here
and reigns supreme.
The cellar was next visited.
There is where the steam is gener-
ated for cooking purposes and
where the machinery which runs
the fans, coffee mill, vegetable
chopper, ETC., is situated. Engin-
eer Grady is chief man here. The
boiler is $50 horse power and the
engine is ten horse power. A
foundation is now being put in for
a dynamo also.
In the cellar in a small room is
where the prisoners eat, two men
being detailed from their number
to go over and prepare the tables
just as for the other organizations,
with the exception that their
guards, with loaded guns, accom-.
psny them.
The entire mess hall is under
the supervision of Capt. Foster
with Sergeant Brady, of B compa-
ny, as steward. There are five as
sistants to Sergeant Brady-foul
cooks and and another steward
At mealtime there are sc walters
Capt. Foster makes an inspection
of the place twice a day-once in
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