The times., 1898-05-15
ALL ON THE TENTED FIELD
The District Guard Is Now See
ing Some Real Service.
No TIME FOR IDLENE s
There Is work for Everybody From
Day light To BarIs--A Soldiers Bill
Accommodation for Visitors
"A Spanish Breakfast.

The camp of the District volunteers is
at last a reality. and the boys are get
ting their baptism of work There is no
idleness. II has been work from daylight
in the morning to the sounding of the
tattoo at night. Adjt James L: Mock,
who is acting auartermaster. is one of the
hardest-worked men in the camp. He
commenced Friday afternoon when the
troops arrived. and worked increasingly
until midnight without any dinner what
ever. He is assisted in the handling Of
the camp equipments and supplies by
sergt Joseph Hendrickson. George Meigs,
the son OF the weIl-known clerk of the
District Supreme Court has been made
conlmissary sergeant, and he. too, is
constantly engaged in Weighing and
dealing out rations to the company cooks
A real grocery store has been opened
under a large fly tent. under which there
is stored vinegar. flour, coffee, baked
bread, potatoes. beans and sugar. Every
particle used IS weighed and accounted
for. 1t goes to the company cooks. and
Is taken TO the kitchen, with which each
company is provided The company
kitchen is an interesting affair Stakes
from the adjoining woods have been
cut and used 10 fence of square of
ground about 9X9 feet. Inside this space
the fire is built and adjoining is where
the food is kept over iron CRATES last
night the supper pots were placed In
these meat was boiled, while in large
boilers. much like wash boilers, beans
were cooking. Some companies have
erected rustic racks on which hang the
cooking utensils, and the officers see
To il that every article is kept clean and
brght
The eating forms an interesting part of
the camp life. The boys eat on the rule
that works all over the camp: Look out
for yourself or You will be up tree, and
every one does look out for himself.
The Dinner Call.
At 1880 o'clock the bugle call for dinner
rings out. There is Immediately a quick
dash for tents. There are no mess tents
at the camp. But each company has its
mess squad and they have charge of the
feeding As soon as the bugle call ceases
men appear with their plates. knives and
forks and cups. Then they are lined up
along the company kitchen and pass by
one by one. AS they stop in front OF the
cook. their plates are filled and coffee is
poured in the cups. Then they file back
!
pleasant task Of refreshing the inner man.
There is not much variety in the fare.
II was ham, bread, potatoes and coffee
for breakfast; corn beef. potatoes and
coffee for dinner, and bean soup. baked
! beans. coffee and bread for supper. This
1 Is good. wholesome food and so cooked
/ that il is not likely TO make the men i'll.
/ OF course the officers mess in different
/ way. When everything Is settled there
, will be officers 'messes The company Off
/ GERS viii have a mess and the battalion
| and regimental officers a mess. They Will
/ each contribute certain sum of money
with which 10 buy and have cooked what
/ provisions are necessary and will be sery
! ed in their own tents So far this ar
( rangement has not been made and the
! officers have been eating canned food
and occasionally take their meals at
neighboring farm houses.
A Spanish Breakfast.
In this connection good joke is going
around the camp Several of the officers.
including Major -Urell, Adjutant Mock
and Surgeon Cox. determined to Try a
farm house for breakfast. The nearest
| place was at Merrifeld about one mile
distant A stout German women met them
! al the door and consented to give the men,
! q breakfast BY her side stood a pretty
/ daughter who smiled sweetly on the sol
] diers and exerted herself 10 the utmost 10
/ please them. Breakfast was finally ready.
! It consisted Of ham and eggs, rolls, pota-
toes and coffee. The kind farmers wife
! was quite .alkative and seemed much in
terested in the war question. Suddenly
she spread CONSERVATION among the
/ guests at the table. Already had they no
ticed the dark complexion of the daugh-
ter. but they were blankly surprised TO
hear their hostess say:
/ Ill, ,l,
war. He is a Spaniard and was born in
| Madrid"
ms antly everybody jumped in their
seats but Mrs. Ysern assured the officers
! that there was no danger, as her husband
4 was a naturalized American and had been
so for fifteen years. She further inform
ed them that he was patriotic and pointed
! to a small American flag which hoated
! over the corn house. She admitted that
| when quite youth he had served in the
Spanish army, but stated that while he
/ does not say much about the war, he
/ hopes that. America will win. As Mrs
| Ysern expressed il: I'VE all think that
il is a big dog after little one. though. "
When the officers returned to the camp
their new found friends formed the sub
ject for discussion for some hours. When
the men heard of il they feared that the
water might in some way become contain
/ mated. but after an investigation it was
! fully determined that the Spanish family
were friends indeed and not enemies
Mascots i'm Camp.
Nearly every company has a mascot and
each man vies with his neighbor in trying
TO secure the oldest specimen. On Friday
a dog was brought TO the camp attired in
| a skirt composed OF an American flag, and
| yesterday several companies had dogs of
| different degrees of intelligence and feroc-
| ity. But Company f. Capt. Simonson, has
| the oldest mascot. il is large reddish
brown rooster which was captured by Pri-
vate Hart yesterday. He told his COM
! rades that he secured it fresh from a
farmer after a plentiful outlay of cash
and Immediately it was dubbed Fighting