The times., 1898-08-01
ARMY EATI0Ns.
What TX Required by Shafter's Men
for Two Months,

l lot ANO
| (From the indianapolis News.)
| To provide for an army such as that
| of Gen Skaters for two months would
| require 100000 rations, allowing for
| three meals daily. The troops Youid be
| served with $4,000 daily. According To
| the usual propol tons, 1t would require
| to supply these rations 1,500 pounas OF
| pork, 5000 of bacon, IA 900 of beef, 22,500
| OF flour, 10000 of hard-tack, 1,30o or
| beans, 900 of rec, $4,000 of potatoes,
| 1000 of onions, 1900 of coffee, 5000 OF
sugar, 1900 of vinegar, 500 of soap. S0J
of salt and so of pepper. In other words,
an army consumes enough IN one day
| to stock a falr-SiZed grocery ana meat
market. This, Of course, does not IN
| clude what might be called the luxuries
| which are supplied to the officers, or
| the extras which the soldiers can pur-
chase, in liquid and sol d forms II the
army continues i'll force around San
| tiago for sixty days it will have con-
sumed 45 tons of pork, 80 tons OF ba-
con, 420 tons of beef, 6.5 of flour 600 OF
hard tack, 4S0 of potatoes, Az CT coffee,
suppoSlng the regular ration to be given
out Large as are these ngureS, tue ac-
| tuaI expense is not so much as might
be imagined for food merely. In round
numbers, 1t amounts to S2S5,UOO, CT
about $4 $50 a day. To this must BE-
4uueu lOIdScs lOf tue dtliildlo, anu q
| dozen other items. which may come
under the head of subsistence. but for
| which the commissary department does
not provide, which would undoubtedly
! swell the total amount to S325, 900 at
| least.
| In shipping meats to Cuba an effort
| has been made to transport fresh meat
| in large quantities. Owing to the mod
| ern plans for preserving meat in
-
| success. Several of the transports are
| fitted out with refrigerating depart
ments, in which are stored meats OF f.
| ferent kinds, and which are kept fresh
until it reaches Santiago, or a neighbor-
| ing port. Arrangements have already
| been made to construct refrigerat nS
plant at or near Santiago, in connsction
with the store-house, by which the m at
can be kept in a good state until need
| ed. AS heretofore, troops at distance
! from the producing centers have been
| compelled to depend largely upon
| smoked and salted meats. The change
| is very beneficial. The development of
the egetable-packing industry has
I | been of great benefit TO the commisSary
department. which has been unable to
buy tomatoes and other canned vege-
| tables at such a low price as to place
lthese articles. of food within the reach
Ob dill Incy dIe III dIct
cans, and can be transported in the
warmest climate, without injury to
their contents, unless the cans become
| broken.
While wagons are used in furnishing
| supplies to the camps of mobilization
| in this country. the roads in eastern
| Cuba are so poor that, as already
| stated, the army conducting operations
before Santiago was obliged To depend
| hills on the backs OF mules. Only a
person acquainted with the capacity of
the average mule can realize how much
| one of these little animals can carry
| along paths which seem almost impas-
| sable, They would carry loads averdg-
| ing 500 pounds with ease and a train of
$50 mules could transport enough sup
plies to feed Shafter's entire army for
one day. The mules used in the Cuban
campaign for draft purposes were
| transported from Florida. where they
were broken in TO carry what is
termed by the Spanish an "aparejos," F."
a certain kind of package made of
| leather, carried over the back in such
a manner as nearly TO conceal the body
of the animal. II will hold anything
from barrel of sugar to three or four
sacks of corn meal. In trains of TWEEN
| ty or twenty-five, guarded by soldiers
| tlilu luAS VI ICui tllc dill
imals would leave the seashore, climb
the steep hills and move along at an av-
l erage of three or four miles an hour,
| following the leader without a single
hitch. The fondness of mules for horses
has been put to practical use in the
system of pack trains. as they are
| called The leader in each case is a
mare. usually gray or white, which is
led or*driven by one of the attendants
While in Florida the mules intended to
follow it were placed in the same in
| closure with the mare. and became ac-
customed to following her. In this way
no difficulty was experienced in driv-
ing them from the coast to the hills
above Santiago. and had it not been
for the mule trains, it is question if
| some OF the American troops had not
given out from sheer starvation. In
| transporting food by wagons about $50
are required for provisions alone to pro-
| vide for Gen. Skaters army and the
| four or five thousand Cuban troops.
which have been fed since the attack
Of Santiago began.