The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-19
LUxURlES FOR OUR JACKIES
FRESH MEATS, VEGETABLES AND
ICE BY SUPPLY SHIPS.

sent Dewey and His Men From
australia.
Washington, June 1s.-"Every day Is
market day in the navy. n5w that we have
refrigerating ships to keep the vessels bf
the fleets supplied with fresh meats and
vegetables"
This Is the pleasant manner in which
| Paymaster General Stewart Of the navy
opened up an interesting conversation on
the subject Of refrigerating ships in the
United states navy
"Refrlgerating ships" said he. "are
among the most valuable additions to our
modern navy. With the aid Of these float
ing cold storage compartment craft the
system of feeding a ships company has
| been practically revoiutionized. We are
now able to keep the officers and men Of
Admiral SIMPSONS fleet supplied with
fresh meats and vegetables and plenty of
Ice. When you keep Jack supplied with
nutritious and palatable food you improve
his health and put him in condition to
battle against Spain or any foe Of the
United States"
The Celtic IS the newest and best equip
ped refrigerating ship in the navy She
is now on her way to join Admiral sanp-
sons feet off Santiago, loaded with 800. COO
pounds of fresh beef and mutton. 800 200
! pounds of fresh vegetables and $50 tons of
| Ice she is due to reach the fleet in the
! vicinity of Santiago by Sunday morning.
The Celtic, as We now call her." said
| Paymaster General Stewart, was former
| ~ the Australian trader, the Celtic King
| When We bought her we cut off the Kings
| head, and left the Celtic remaining. She
was htted out al the Brooklyn navy yard,
and she is model ship of her type She
! took aboard her supplies last week. and
| started from New York to Join Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet. She ran under orders
TO look in at Hampson Roads and pick
| up her convoy, the Dixie.
She was the phantom fleet of Spanish
! Warships, that frightened the innocents NJ
| Hampton Roads last Monday" and the
| jolly little paymaster general fairly shook
| with laughter as he recalled the conster-
| nation reported from Hampton Roads on
| Monday last when it was said that sew,
| eral mysterious looking ships supposed to
be Spanish warships, were sighted Off the
| cdpes Yes, IL was the Celtic looking
| for her convoy off the capes," continued
| Gen. Stewart that caused all those Wild
| ly sensational stories and almost created
/ q panic at Fort Monroe" She is safely
! conveyed, for she carries no battery. She
! has capacity for about 1900
tons of freight. besides her re-
! frlSerating compartment. She can
! steam about eleven knots COM
! fortably and her tonnage is about sos tons
! Her captain is Commander Henry b. Mas
! held and the supplies are I'm charge of
! Paymaster William ]. Thompson. Her fun
! complement, including officers and men,
| IS eighty souls The crew is made up
| from the South Carolina naval reserves.
| The refrigerating apparatus cost $4,000
out 1t is so complete that a temperature
OF 10 degrees can be maintained in the
| compartment month in and month out
! There are three compartments i'm the re-
| lrigerating section of the ship, which is
| located forward of the engine rooms. In
| one IS stored the fresh meats, the second
| the fresh vegetables and the third is filed
| with ice She is at present loaded with
! supplies for 6 900 men, which ought TO last
at least three months
When asked Gen. Stewart If the Celtic
flies "a mess pennant," which is red to
! indicate the nature of her business he re-
Piled good-naturedly: she does rot need
| any distinguishing pennant. She Is pX-
pected long before she arrives, and the
! ships of the fleet are on the lookout for
| her. She flies the ordinary naval pennant
ana the stars aud Stripes at tie peak. Her
| Visit among the ships of The fleet might
be likened to huckster peddling his pro-
visions through the streets. Only he sup
ply ship does not 80 from one ship to an
other when the squadron is close together
The regulations provide that fresh p~ovs-
ions shall be served to the various ships
of Admiral SIMPSONS feet three times a
| week. Every sailor knows the DAYS Of
| the week he is to eat fresh grub, and so do
| the cooks OF the various messes. When
the supply snip with the fresh grub APP
| pears on the scene, IL 10 customary for her
to report by signal to the flagship. Signals
| are then EXCHANGED with the various ships
| q tn ri
their stewards off to the supply ship to
draw their legal allowance Of fresh rations
for their respective ships. Each man IS
entitled by law to one ana one-quarter
! pounds of fresh Ineat and the same guam
| uty of fresh vegetables. These supplies
are delivered upon the presentation of the
properly certified rquistion. Taorc is no
limit put upon the allowance of ice Many
of the modern ships have the appatatus
for manufacturing their own ics, and
therefore, those ships do not draw upon
the ice supply or the Celtic"
Refrigerating ships are new departure
IN the navy, for we have had no occasion
TO Use them in recent years, until war was
declared with Spain. In times OF peace the
various ships run into friendly ports and
take on fresh provisions as often as CIR
cunstances VIII permit. OF course that is
regulated at the discretion of The com
| mandIng officer. Thus far not a word Of
complaint has been heard from the navy
! about lack of food and clothing, although
the navy has been actively engaged in
war for more than two months past. The
paSmaster general of the navy occupies a
position similar to that of the combined
! qCartermastors and subsistence depart
mens OF the army, which have come in
Tor so much unjust criticism recently. 1t
IS gratifying to the navy 70 know that
no complaints have come up from the sea
about the lack of food and clothing. al.
thocSh he officers and men of the navy
have been under severe testes of endtr-
ance in the tropical regions of Cuba.
AS soon as the North Atlantic squadron
was ordered 10 Cuban waters, Paymaster
General Stewart secured the former Amer
iC2n liner, Illinois and converted her into
a retriSttating ship She was re-christenca
he Supply, and she sails by that name
row. She IS with Admiral SIMPSONS aoet
whore she has been steadily distributing
fresh meats aud provisions three times n
week. She is TO be relieved by the l'ehjc
ana ordered back to New York whore shs
viii he redtted and sent out AGAIN.
While Admiral Sampson ana his men ave
cnlcyu- fresh meats ana fresh provisiors
three times week, the brave Admiral
Dewey ana lis Shlpmates ut Napflo n, :