The Indianapolis journal., 1898-09-02
CLOTHING AN ARMY.
A Great Undertaking., Not to Be Ac-
cOmplished in a Week.
LesIie's Weekly.

Leslie's Weekly.
Army authorities exact that every article
delivered must reach the prescribed stand
ard, and no matter how pressing may be the
call, or the urgent need Of troops in the
1eld, no article which falls short of the rigid
rules of quality as laid down by the army
board passes the inspectors or is accepted
and sent to the troops. Whatever reaches
our troops in the shape of clothing will be
great general depot of supplies for the army
is the Schuylkill Arsenal, at Philadelphia.
Of these thousand-and-one things which
the soldier needs, all of them may be found
In the Schuylkill Arsenal. With the excep-
ton of uniforms and canton flannel draw
ers, everything is bought by contract in the
decides upon the style, color. trimmings, etc,
Of the uniform for the army. The patterns
are It's own. The quartermaster depart
ment advertises for kersey and flannel.
When delivered at the arsenal ii is sent to
the examiner to be tested as to color, weight,
warp, filling, and tensile strength. The six
teen-ounce kersey must bear a tensile strain
OF Sixty-five pounds to the square inch. Eacn
piece is examined by three men, and rec
ord Of each piece tested is carefully pre-
served in the inspectors books. As soon
after being tested as may be necessary the
fabric is sent to the cutting room. Here an
army of cutters guide electric cutting knives
through forty thickness of siXteen-ounce
kersey for trousers and flannel for drawers,
thirty-two for facings, thirty for overcoats
and blouses. Each piece is then rolled into
bundle and dropped through chute into
the trimming room, where buttons, hooks
ana eyes, braid, cneVrOnS, pockets ana I'M
ings are added; then it is sent to the delivy-
cry and inspection room to await the tall
Dress, who is to take it home and return II
ready to wear. There are over 1900 OF these
tailoresSes on the pay roll, who earn from
SIS to $40 per month. When the clothing is
returned the most rigid Inspection OF 1t takes
place. Uncle Sans inspectors have to keep
their eyes open, as all kinds of frauds are
attempted in small way; even such petty
thefts as changing the pocket Innings 1inn have
course, amounts to little, but in years
time the aggregate Of such peculations
would reach a tidy sum. The gathering Of
senal to turn in and take out their Work
resembles a rush on a bargain day at some
great store. Some of them go as far as
fainting in the crush. In fact, some Of the
clerks have been swept off their feet in vain
endeavors to regulate the crowd.
The arsenal makes all the tents used by
the army. In this war emergency several
thousand have been supplied to the navy.
These tents are made by sailinakers. who
benches and sew with incredible rapidity
at the heavy cotton duck. The men are paid
man turning out tent OF this kind in
twelve hours; for the larger tents the men
are paid 50, but it takes nearly three and
one-half days to make one OF these conical
tents. Fifty cents hundred is paid for
splicing tent lnes there are, besides, tent
poles and pins which are Are Tapped by
and eighteen small pins, conical wall tents
forty-eight small pins, shelter tents twenty
costs (circa) $25.14; wall tent, ditto, SSH:
tent pins, wall, set, p cents; tent poles.
ditto. set, W.; tent stove, Sl2o; tent tri-
RS7aiEl Rss71il. ea0h' Vs. hospital tent complete
Shoes cost about 50 per pair; blouses. STE
trousers, 81 blankets, So; rubber ponchos,
$l.S71k; drums. $525; buges, 500: felt he'll
NETS, $1.12; cork. $1.25; muskrat gauntlets
(but not for Cuba, nor for the Philippines),
$151; caps, so cents; leggings, 50 cents; for
age caps. SO cents; shirts. flannel. $l.97;
muslin 70 cents: overccats $sH. In addi,
insignia for head wear are extra: The dark
blue cloth, GA army standard, Sl.20 per yard;
blouse flannel, SO cents; sky-blue kersey.
$1.06, and dark-blue kersey $1.16; Canton
flannel. cents; shirting flannel. SO cents.
There are over 300 men employed IN and
boTt abe 1 the arsenal the pay M roll beyond
for supplies over $1I0O0,00O during the like
period.
The equipment with which each infantry
soldier is provided consists of one rife COM
plete, one hundred rounds of ammunition
for same. one canteen and strap. one blank
ct bag, one pair blanket bag shoulder straps,
one pair blanket bag coat straps, one cart
ridge belt, one bayonet scabbard.
one haversack one haversack strap.
knife, on one fork and one spoon Musi-
clans and color bearers carry one revolver
and fifty rounds of ammunition, instead Of
the rifle and rifle ammunition. In time of
peace the Schuykill 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 regular
army standard 1t is not generally under
stood that the enlisted men and noncomn1is
stoned officers have a clothing allowance
which, for the private, amounts to $57.4S for
his first year. $25.55 for his second. and $3394
for his third years service. A clean and or
derly man can save money out Of this al
lowance: 1T is not deducted from his pay
but. all that he does not draw in clothing
during his service period is paid to him in
cash when he finally leaves the service A
regular table showing the cost of each ar
tice is prepared by the adjutant general,
and based upon this scale of prices the
men are furnished with such clothing and
equipment as they need to enable them to
pass the inspecting officer. The prices are
furnished from the Schuylkill Arsenal, cal
culated at about the actual cost of each ar
ticle.
The largest days shipments from the ar
senal since the war began was on Aug. g.
to Montauk Point, for the use of the troops
returned from Santiago de Cuba. This ship
ment consisted of 20. 900 campaign hats, 1000
pairs of Shoes 10000 ponchos, $4,000 blank
cts, 40, 600 pairs of stockings, 10000 bed sacks
147 hospital tents and 62 wall tents complete.
When you study these figures this turns out
to be pretty good days work.