The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-08-28
HOW AN ARMY
IS CLOTHED.
Every Article Delivered Must Come
Up to the Prescribed Standard.
INSPECTORS MUST BEWATCHFUL
All Kinds OF Frauds are Attempted
All the Supplies but the Uniforms
Are Bought by Contract in the
Open Market.

article delivered must reach the prescr'o-
ed standard and no matter how press
ing may be the call. or the urgent need
OF troops IN the field. no article which
falls short OF the rigid rules OF quality
as laid down by the army board passes
the inspectors or IS accepted ana sent
20 the troops. Whatever reaches our
troops in tho shape of clothing VIII be
the best this country can produce. Inc
great general depot Of supplies Tor me
army is the Schyylkill Arsenal at Phlla-
delphia.
OF these thousand -and-one things which
the soldier needs, all Of them may De
found IN the Schuylkill Arsenal Win
the exception Of uniforms and Canton
flannel drawers, everything is bought by
contract in the open market An army
equipment board decides upon the style,
color, trimU IS, etc, Of tho UNIFORM
for the army The patterns are It's own.
The Quartermaster's department adver-
tises for kersey and flannel. When de-
livered AZ The arsenal It IS sent to the
examiner 20 be tested as TO color, weight
warn. filling. and tensile strength. The
slxteen-ounce kersey must bear ten
slle strain OF sixty-hNe pounds 10 the
square inch Bach piece Is examined by
three men. and a record Of each piece
tested is carefully preserved In the IN
spectors books. As soon after being
tested as may be necessary the fabric
is sent to tho cutung-roOm. Here an
army Of cutters guide electric cutting
knives through forty thickness Of six
teeu-ounce kersey for trousers and fam
mel for drawers. thirty-two for facings,
thirty for overcOats and blOuses. Each
piece is then rolled into a bundle ana
dropped through a chute into the trim
min groom where buttons. hooks and
eyes. braid. cheyrOns, pockets. and lin
ings gre added: then It is sent to the
delivery and inspection room 20 await
the tailOress. who g. to take 10 homo
and return &c ready 10 wear. There are
over 900 Of these tailoresses OF the pay
roll, who earn from SIS TO $40 per month
When the clothing Is returned the most
rigid inspection OF IL takes place. I'M
Gle Sans inspectors have to keep their
eyes open. as oh kinds Of frauds are
attempted IN n small way; even such
petty thofts as changing the pocket
Innings have been attempted. One poe
ket-iiuing. Of course. amounts TO little,
but in a years time the aggregate OF
such pcculations would reach tidy
sum. The gathering Of these women
three times a week at the arsenal 20
turn I'm and take out their work resem-
bles a rush on "a bargain-day at some
great store. Some OF them go as far
az faintlng in the crush. In fact, some
OF the clerks have been swept off their
feet in vain endeavors % regulate the
crowd.
THE TENTS
The arsenal makes an the tents used
by the army; IN this war emergency
several thousand have been supplied 10
the navy. These tents are made by sail
makers, who squat tailur-fashion on the
floor or litle benches and sew with IN
credible rapiGity at The heavy cotton
duck. The mon are paid by the piece
T. e.. 81 Tor wall-tcnts one man turning
out "a tent Of this kind IN twelve hours;
for tho larger tents the men are paid 81.
but it takes nearly three and one-half
days to make one Of these conical tents.
FIFTY cents a hundred is paid for spllc-
ing tent-lincs; there are besides tent-
poles and pins which are supplied by
contract. Wall-tents and flies require
ten large and eighteen small pins, conf
cal wall-teuts, forty-eight small pins;
shclter-tents. twenty-four small pins.
etc. A Sibey tent complete costs (circa)
1914: wall-tent. ditto. SSH; tent-pins.
wall. set. - conts. tcnt-pOles ditto. set.
faf 70 A"AAN FkDhNf FAs-"f N'lAN IL f'HtF 'tANAAf
IN. h0snifai-tent. complete SI1L
Shoes cost about 81 per pair; blouses,
$50: trousers $40: blankets. s.; rubber
p0nchos. ti31 - drums Sj2I bugles,
$3.50. felt helmets SLIP; cork SL25. musk
rot eauntlets (but not for Cuba nor the
Philippines. Sl5l; caps SD cents. leg
gIngs, - cents; forage-c0ps So cents:
shirts. flannel. SL97. muslin. % cents;
oyercoats. SSH Tn addition o. these am
the chevr0us brassards. and insignia for
hcad-wear are extra. Tire daril blue
cloth. ca army standard $50 per yard.
blouse flannel. So cents sky blue kersey.
NE. and dark blue ditto. iliC, Canton
flannel. cents: shifting flannel. 80 cents.
There aro over 300 men employed in ard
about the arsenal; the payroll runs be-
youd 500 f0 per month. and the disburse-
monts Tor supplies over slol.OJ0 during
tie like period.
THE EQUIPMENT.
TIE equipment with which each infan-
try soldier Is provided consists Of one
rifle complete. To- rounds of ammunition
for same. one cantecn aud strap. one
blaukct-bag. one pair blanlet-bas should
er-straps. one pair blanset-Dag coat
straps one cartridge-beit, one bayonet-
sc8bbard ono havorsack. one havcIsack-
strap. one tu cup. one meat-can. one
knife, ono fork. and one spoon. Aus.-
clans and cOIor-bearers carry one re-
vOigcr and nifty rounds NJ ammunition.
instead Of the rife and discrimination.
n time OF peace the schuyikll Arsenal
can clothe and equip the army. but in
this emergency many contracts have
been let for supplies Of all kinds but
always based upon the reguar-army
STANDARD. g. Dr. not generally understood
that the enlisted men and non-commis-
stoned officers have clothing allow
anco. which for the private amounts %
S57.H Ter bis first year. $3.50 for his
second. aud $685. Tor his third year
service clean and orderly man can
save moucv out OF this allowance; it IS
not deducted from his pay. but an that
ne does NOT draw ia clothing during his
ee~v.cc period Is paid 20 him In cash
when he finally leaves the service. \
REGULAR table showing tho cost Cf each
article IS prepared by tho adiutaut can-
eral. and based upon this scale OF prices.
The men Gre furnished with such cloth.
fms, arda equipment as they need % en-
able them 10 pass the Inspecting officer
These prices are furnished from the
schuvlkIl Arsenal. calculated at about
the actual cost OF cacn article.
The largest days shipment from the
arsenal since the war began was on
August 9th. to Montaull Point for the
uso of the troops returned from San
tiaeo de Cuba. This shipment consist
Cd of c0O0o campaign hats. 1000 pairs
OF shoes. % 600 ponchOs, 1900 blankets.
10 no pairs Of stockings. 1000 bed sacks.
ft7 hospital-tcnts, and sixty-two vail
tents complete. when you study these
figures this turns out 20 be pretty