The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-22
LOOKING AFTER THE RATIoNs.
now THE CoMMISsARY SUPPLY
DEPOT WILL BE MANAGED.

COming-How Rattons Are Issued.
Quartermaster sergeants win
swap Rauons to Merchants for
Something to Eat.
The government has a big space reserv-
ed in the Florida Central and Peninsuar
and the CentraPs New street warehouses
for the army commissary supply depot
but there does not seem to be any more
than will be needed
There is an immense space in the Flor
ida Central and Peninsular warehouse.
This viii be used as a store for the COM
missary supplies that are to be received
and then given right out again. The
space i'll the Centraps warehouse, which
Is not small by any means, will be used
10 store supplies that will be held as
reserve. Many car loads are to come and
all the space will be needed. 1t will be
the supplies that are now placed in this
warehouse that will in all probability, be
taken aboard the transports with the
troops when they sail for Cuba.
Fifty colored men now have jobs at
the commissary depot. They are getting
dollar day for nine hours work They
will go to work at o'clock and knock off
at 8 getting an hour for dinner. These
ere the hours and wages prescribed in the
regulations for labor,
The men are now moving twelve car
loads of supplies from the western to the
eastern end of the space reserved for the
government in the Central warehouse. The
necessity for the removal is due to a mis-
take having been made. Through a mis-
understanding, those in charge of the COM
missary department had the supplies put
in the western end of the warehouse. This
is intended for the use of the quartermas-
ter of the Seventh Corps, however. When
Capt Baker, acting chief quartermaster
saw yesterday morning that the twelve
carloads had been put in his end of the
building, he called for their removal
Arrangements We're made to have the
supplies moved through the partition that
separates the spaces reserved for the two
departments and at l O'clock the fifty
men We're put at work with trucks. They
rolled bareback beans and tomatoes in a
hurry, and the work viii be finished to-
day
Maj. G. w Ruthers will be In charge
OF the depot of commissary supplies. He
Is represented by Mr.. A G. Watson, his
chief clerk. Maj. Ruthers will be up next
week from Jacksonville. He has several
civilians as clerks in his Office. This office
will be with that of Mr. A. A. Avefhe
agent at Savannah for the Florida Central
and Peninsular
The commissary supply depot is not for
the Seventh Corps alone. II is not known
as the Seventh Corps commissary, and has
no more connection with it than 1t mas
will NJ a a
with provisions from it. acquisitions of
reglmental commissary officers will be fill
ed by Maj Ruthers for the Seventh Corps
and also those Of other.commissary officers
of commands at a distance. 1t is prob
able that all the camps in this section will
be supplied from Savannah.
There are already some aeighty cars of
| commissary supplies here. Twelve of
them, as stated, have been unloaded. The
others viii be unloaded as fast as the
work can be done, which means that there
will be about twelve carloads day stored
In the warehouses. Ii is necessary to
stack the boxes so high that the work
| cannot get on as fast as might be ex-
pected.
More than 100 carloads are yet to come
Most of these are at Jacksonville, but
some are at Tampa. Some of The cars in
which supplies were taken to Tampa have
never been unloaded, so they viii be re-
| the contractors factories. 1t is also prob
| able that many of the cars will not be
unloaded here al all, but that they win be
| kept on the tracks with the supplies still
| in them. This can be done by the govern
ment, as demurrage does not apply upon
| its goods. 1t is either forty-eight or sew
| enty-two hours that cars may remain load
ed without demurrage costs to consignees,
! forty-eight hours when personal notice
! Is given, and seventy-two when notice is
| sent by the mails. The Florida Central
| and Peninsular works 1t by the latter
method, There is a thorough understand
! Ing about the cars and nothing will be
| said if they are kept as storage places by
| the government.
The Plant System brought in thirty
cars of commissary supplies yesterday
| while thirtynine cars of all kinds of
equipment supplies and rations were
| transferred to il from the Florida Central
! and Peninsular, Rations are shipped
! along with other stuff when a regiment
moves, as rations are issued them just be-
! fore they leave one place for another
| 1t is usual for issues of ten days rations
! to be made.
The rations for one man for day are
| far more than he could consume. AS the
| issues are made upon figures showing the
| regmental and then the company
! strength, the quartermas sergeants of
| the companies have good chance to do
some fancy work in looking out for the
| interests of their comrades stomachs
| Some of the quartermasters are first rate
! caterers, and their men live well. Others
| do not take the same interest in their
! places, and the soldiers then do not get
| along so well.
The mark of good quartermaster. in
| the estimation of the men, is in his abili-
| ty to hustle around and swap off govern
! ment ratlons for things that are rot is
| sued. Changes in diet can thus be gotten,
and the men appreciate them vastly. The
| exchanges are made by the quartermaster
| sergeants with the merchants of the cities
where they are camped. In a day or two
grocers will be visited by the sergeant
! and trades will be proposed. As it les the
| sergeants who want to be obliged, it Is
| always the merchants who get the best
of the trades There is a great deal Of
this business done, and the merchants Will
see that there win be no need of their
putting in orders soon for such things as
toma toes, salmon, beans and other things
| furnished by the government. They will
get all they want in exchange for sugar,
! Of ,,-Itol, MT enough lie isguads meal w