The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-19
On TRANSPORT SHIPS
What the Troops Must Endure
and How They Endure II.
OF BOARD AND LODGING
Food Well Enough, But Sleep
ing Quarters a Iophet.

New York. June 1S.-A correspondent Of
the Evening Post writes, under date Of
June u. previous TO the sailing of the
transports. regarding the conditions Of
life aboard ship as follows:
on Board Transport No. Il, Port Tam
pa, June 12.-Today we were alongside
transport No %, on which the Seventy
FIRST New York regiment is chartered
talked with the officers, who have prac-
tically the same story to tell that the Of
hcers on all the other ships have. They
are sincerely interested in the comfort
Of their men, and do what they can for
them. 1t is much more interesting 10
talk with the men. After q visit 10 the
actual sleeping and eating quarters OF
several of the transports. and a talk
with men of ali temperamental sorts-tha
"kickers" and constitutional grumolers,
on one SIDE who find bitter fault because
the sun shines, and the cautious and
strongly patriotic fellows, on the other
hand, who have made up their minds 10
put up resOlutely with what they get and
make the best of tit is possible 10 judge
accurately enough of what their condi-
ton IS. The question is just how much
OF it ought TO be told.
We have had excellent stories from
amateur emigrants Of life in the steerage
Of transatlantic steamers. If people in
the north are told that their brave volun-
teers are living in a way which is much
worse than that which emigrants live n
the steerage Of a transatlantic ship. they
are likely TO be distressed. And yet they
may be assured that the men, in spite of
this state Of things, are reasonably com
Portable and in excellent spirits. have
Just seen the Seventy-drst at their din
ner, and know at least what they had n
this meal. It consisted of Armour's can
ned beef, of a sort which may be de-
scr.bed as good but of second grade
perfectly sound and wholesome beef, but
not so clear and nice as timed beef is
sometimes made. In addition there were
canned baked beans. canned tomatoes,
hard tack and weak, hot coffee. Every
one Of them was apparently able to sat
isfy his appetite with this food. The
trouble was that some Of them have not
the appetite to make this food welcome
as a regular diet; they cannot eat as
much of it as they really need TO supply
the wants of their bodies. This means
that they have not yet seen enough rough
service and deprivation to give their ap- /
petites the edge and incIusiveness which 7
would render anything whatever that was +.
good TO eat thoroughly welcome. In other .
words, they are not soldiers yet.
And some of them are holding them
selves off from making soldiers Of
themselves, in this respect. as long as
they can. One Of the companies Of the
Seventy-frst, which has New York
restaurant keeper for a commissary Of
hcer-a man who knows just how 10 set
supplies and make use of them-makes up
4 regular purse which it turns over to
this commissary, who buys with It all
kinds Of extras. Those fellows are all
right" the soldiers Of other companies
say. enviously. Really, they are all
wrong. If they are to serve the country
very long. and to see hard service. they
VIII suffer severely in adapting them
selves to the government r3tions when
they have 10 put up with them. one serv-
ice which war does for men is TO teach
them what are the superfluties of lie.
The quicker soldiers learn that sugar
ana milk in coffee, and relishes and soft
bread are superfuities. the better It will
he for them. The superfluities viii, in all
likelihood, be Topped off before long
The quarters of the men en- board are a
more serious thing The heat on Tampa
= RI no Ia 4 ,s,,1,r
been intense. and there has been little
wind to clear the air in the holds and
spaces between decks. In these trans
ports We reap another part of the harvest
IF going 20 war without being prepared
for it. These ships are not troop-trans-
ports but freight boats. On the British
troop ships the soldier sleeps in a ham
mock. slUng to iron stanchions provided
TO- the purpose. and during the day an
sings his hammock and takes care Of il.
The hammocks do not interrupt the flow
IF air. as the great bunk structures do
pm these troop ships. Fill up all the
space between decks with a heavy franz
ng Of pine and crowd these spaces with
sleeping men, more or less naked and
you soon have a condition of things which
$ little less than suffoeatng. II IS no
wonder that on board one Of the troop
'hips-which. 10y the way. contained none
except regular infantry-tive men had TO
}e carried out fainting. the other night
when the matches were closed on account
# the rain. None of the Ssventy-frst
las been in this state The men are per-
uitted TO take their blankets and so out
md sleep on the decks which is much
)etter for them; but the decks do aoj