The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-15
YANKEE NOVELTIES IN WAR
USED TO GOOD EFFECT DURING
THE LATE PICKERING,

Two Hospital Ships to- Care
for the Wounded, and Floating
Refrigerators Called "Pantries"
| by the Sailors to Keep Jack Tar
Supplied With Vegetables and
Fresh Meats.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14-The Unit
ed States has lived up to IT'S reputa-
ton for novel ideas in the war with
Spain. The operations about Cuba
gave rise to certain requirements I'M
USUAL in naval warfare. Each of these
was met by American ingenuity, and
at the close Of hostilities the govern
ment has af1oat a little fleet of new
and hitherto unknown ships Of war.
| I'his fleet consists of half a dozen
vessels. Their mission is to succor the
wounded, feed the fighters, provide
water and to repair the fighting ships.
Every one Of them is novelty In war
rare, an American device, yet so quietly
have they been provided that their
appearance has not been heralded as
| anything unusual In few weeks
they have come to be accepted as prac-
teal and necessary auxiliaries in mod
ern naval operations.
! The proper care of the wounded was
| deemed so essential that the war was
| barely a settled fact before both the
army and navy were developing ideas
| Which have resulted in the commits
| sloning OF two ambulance or hospital
ships, the Solace and the Relief. The
| former, the naval vessel, was the fine
| S.SQO-ton steamship Creole Of the Crom-
| we'll line. She was selected by Surgeon
| General Van Raypen, after careful
| consideration, and was speedily con-
| verified into a floating hospital, being
the first of its kind in the history Of
naval warfare.
| The Solace sailed on her mission Of
! mercy early in the war, and has been
| in constant use attending the blockad-
ing fleet and carrying the sick and
wounded to Northern hospitals AS
BELTS her duty, she carries no guns
| nor weapons of any kind. The hull Is
painted white. with a wide and promi-
nent strip Of green along the sides,
which, with the Red Cross flying from
the masthead, is supposed to convey
her identify to the enemy Every pos
sible comfort and medical contrivance
can be found In the spacious wards.
| Two large steam launches form a part
Of the equipment, and am elevator has
been constructed in the bow for the
| speedy conveyance Of the wounded to
the operating room.
WELL EQUIPPED SHIP.
The war department lost no time In
following the example set by the navy,
and shortly after the Solace was placed
in commission the steamer John Engl1s,
Of the Maine Steamship company, was
purchased and converted into an am
bulance ship. Under it's new name, Re-
lief, 1t Is an entirely different vessel.
The military authorities had the bene-
fit OF the navy's experience in fitting
out the Solace, and the Relief is there
fore equipped to better advantage.
There are five wards on the latter craft,
two on the main deck and another on
the after berth deck. Fully 500 wound
| ed men can be accommodated, the
| wards alone taking $50. The interior
| fittings are the finest procurable, the
| wards and operating rooms being COW
cred with rubber thing. The ship car
ries an ice plant capable of producing
| 200 tons day, disinfecting plant, and
| a complete electric plant for mean
| descent lighting. There is also a car
| boDator for supplying mineral water
| which Is assuredly decided novelty in
steamships of any class. In the labora-
! tory Of this remarkable vessel will be
found several X-ray outfits to aid in
locating bullets, a microscopic depart
! nlent and we'll equipped photo
| graphic dark room.
| In close touch with the relief of the
| I'LL and wounded of a military force Is
the care of the well. The maintenance
Of health depends directly ON the quail
| ity Of food and water supplied to the
| soldier and sailor. These refrigerator
vessels, for that Is precisely what they
are, have proved to be the most valu-
able additions to our modern navy.
With their aid the system of feeding
a ships company has been entirely
| changed for the better.s Admiral
SIMPSONS fleet off Cuba has been reg
ularly supplied with fresh meat and
vegetables, and the crews, instead of
| being compelled to eupsist on naval
salt horse find their mess kids filled
with choice cuts of beef and mutton.
That Jack will fight better when well
! fed Is a self-evident truth.
NAVAL PANTRIES.
| At present there are three of these
novel ships, or "pantries," as the face
| tious naval officers call them. They
are the Supply, Celtic and Glacier. The
! Supply, formerly the Illinois, we'll
| known American liner, was the first
| to be fitted out. She is now with Ad-
miral Simpsons fleet, and the SPLEEN
! did work she has done distributing
| fresh meats and provisions has thor
oughly proved the success of the new
| idea. The Celtic was originally an
| American trader called the Celtic King.
| She has a caSscity of about 1000 tons
of freight, besides the refrigerahing
! compartments
| The latter form the unique feature
Of the vessels equipment. They are
three In number, and are located
tween decks, forward of the engine
room. The refrigeratfng apparatus,
which cost the round sum of 100000,
| is so complete that 1t is possible to
| maintain temperature of 10 degrees
| month after month. The three COM
| partments are SO arranged that fresh
meats can be kept in one, vegetables
| in the second, and ice in the third.
When the Celtic sailed on her first trip
South she carried 100000 pounds Of
| fresh beef and mutton, 100000 pounds
Of fresh vegetables, and $50 tons of
ice. A mere bagatelle like that does
not go very far, however, when one
takes into consideration the fact that
each man and boy In Admiral Samp-
| sons fleet is entitled by law to one
and quarter pounds Of meat and the
| same quantity Of vegetables each day.
PARSONS LIQUOR BUSINESS.