The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-28
STILL SHORT OF FOOD.
RatiOns Inadequate Yesterday, and
Nothing to Eat Them With.

NOIn1nR 10 Inem :" ldn.
Contrary to expectations, the commits
sariat at Camp Mount yesterday was still
both unsatisfactory and inadequate. Col.
Smiths Second Regiment was the only one
that could properly be said to have been
well fed, and the reason for their well do
ing is ascribed to the fact that the colonel
has his regiment quartered close to the
commissary building, and being somewhat
of a fighter for the rights of his men, gets
them in line and over to the supply house
ahead of any of the rest Of the regiments.
and insists on their being given all they
want to eat The consequence is that his
men fird no fault with the arrangements
made for their subsistence. The rest of the
regiments, however, continue to howl for
food long and loudly.
Among the special sufferers in this re-
epect are the members of the indianapolis
Light Artillery, Battery A. The boys of
this fine local company put up with scant
rations Tuesday and Tuesday night cheer
fully, believing that yesterday they would
be properly fed To their great astonish-
ment when the mess sergeant went with
his detail to get the provisions for the COM
pany, they found only a small portion
awaiting them. Everything else had been
given out So the boys went off in squads
fOraging for meals. The custodian'S house
IS doing a good restaurant business with the
Battery A boys, because of the failure OF
the commissary Every meal time sees
Captain Curtis and a squad of officers and
men march over to the house and take
their meal in company
AS an example of the shortage existing in
all departments, ii may be stated that none
of the men have as yet been supplied with
utensils for eating, so that even IL supplies
were plentiful there would be way in
which they could eat their rations:
In Battery A four tin cups have to supply
coffee to 178 men, there is not knife fork
them existing within the company lines
Thus 1t will be seen that even with an
abundance of provisions the boys would be
like the stork in the fable, unable to take
advantage of the fact.
The trouble all lies in the fact that when
the arrangements were made to feed the
men by the eommissary only enough provl-
sionS were purchased to supply the neceSsl-
ties of each day. The amount of provisions
to be bought for one days consumption was
computed on the basis of a regular army
ration for the total number of enlisted men.
The men. however, just emerging from
civil life, find the regular ration insufficient
and generally consume about two of them.
Thus the first come receive plenty, while
the rear guard only find depleted store
house ana about half rations
Another thing whiC has affected the sup
ply of ratlons is that there are now nearly
one thousand men who were not counted
on by the quartermaster general when he
made his estimates. These men are vOlun-
seers, either as individuals coming with
panies seeking enlistment At any rate
they are there and must be fed, inasmuch
as they have been accepted for service.
In the meanwhile, the boys are trying to
figure out how, If the supply is short 10 be-
gin with, and one body of men receive a
full ration, the balance can expect to get
full ration and share up besides with 1000
outsiders who though unprovided for in the
requisition, arc entitled to their food.