The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-24
SUPPLIES ron AN ARMY.
Few People Have Any Idea of the
Vast Quantity REQUIRED.

Tampa. Fla. June %. - Few PEG
pie have any idea of the vast
amount of supplies that Il takes TO feed
an army or the preparations that have
20 be made In the way of accommodating
supplies SO as to have them on hand when
they are called for This IS what might
be designated as an of day" in Tampa.
so far as this city can he regarded as a
base of supplies for the troops, owing TO
the comparatively small number of them
here, and the debatable question as to
what the government is going to do in
the future, In the way of moving Its troops
hero for the second invasion. In conse>
quence OF this the figures that | give here
viii stand out more conspicuously The
government has here ten warehouses ana
eight commissaries, an Of these buildings
contain large quantities of supplies. one
OF these warehouses; was recently built by
the government in Tampa between the
tracks of the Florida Central and PENN
sular and the Plant line, so that the ware
house has long frontage on both roads
This warehouse is an immense affair, with
capacity of 275 carloads Of supplies, and
is now packed to its utmost capacity with
general line of food products, such as
-four sugar meat, canned goods, rice etc.
and other goods needed by the govern
ment classified as commissary supplies
Other warehouses are similarly packed
with government supplies. A shipment
of potatoes Is twenty-five carloads, and a
carload Is 200 barrels; sugar comes by the
trainload Of fifteen cars, and SO on Seven
carloads of baking powder reached Tam
pa a few days ago in one shipment. and
along with il came three carloads of muci-
lage, writing fluid and stationary for the
department Of the government Such
supplies as hay and oats for
the mules and horses do not
come under the above head. The depart
ment of forage comes separately, as does
also the quartermaster's department
When clothing shoes camp equipment
cooking utensils arms and ammunition
and, an fact, everything else in this line.
comes under the head Of other depart
ments, and none of these things are in
cluded In the supplies classified as com
missary supplies. Two hundred four-mule
wagons haul these goods from the supply
depots to the camp, and many more teams
are being put in service every day. Three
hundred large army wagons reached
here packed in cars, and have to be put to-
gether. A force of men are at work every
day putting the several parts together
and as soon as a wagon Is comfortably an
stalled upon IT'S wheels, mules are httched
to it, and the wagon hauled TO some camp,
where 1t Is assigned for duty. The gov
eminent expects large number OF mules
here this week. II has several thousand
here now, but these are being used for
packing purposes, so that they viii be
thoroughly broken in by the time that
their services will be most needed. These
pack mules are being drilled In their work
the camps. They could be much better
ueilized If hitched to wagons, as they
could then haul more than they are pack
ing now; but the government wants them
broken in, and thinks time loss now In
this way viii be saved later on. Hun
dreds Of skilled packers have been brought
here by the government from Arizona,
Colorado New Mexico and other Western
states and these men foam and fuss,
sweat and cusS all day trying to get the
green mules properly drilled and educated
in the business that they are expected 20
conduct The head mule wears a bell and
the others are expected to follow the hell
mule Indian file but they don't, and be-
ing yet green, make all sorts of efforts
T to stampede to the front with their packs
on their backs. Then it Is that the pack
ers have their trouble In beating them
back, and generally making a fruitless eff
fort to keep them In line.