The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-22
THE NAVY'S COMMISSARY
THE RATI0Ns OF OUR SAILORS DUR
ING TIME OF WAR ARE GOOD.
Easier to Supply Men-of-War than
Army Camps-RatfOns for the Week
Waiting for Supply Boat.

the navy such as have come from the army
camps. But the navy has this fundamental
advantage over the army-that it is always
on war footing, and when war breaks out
there are no conditions to be provided
against for which provision has not already
been made when the men-of-war were built,
f1oated and manned
Inc navy has other advantages over the
army in the matter of comfort, too. You
can keep dry and clean with ease, and you
don't cook your food over wood fires, and
don't suffer other inconvenience of which
enc can easily think to offset the disadvan-
tages of confinement, cramped quarters and
chances of humiliation. But the fact that
you are reasonably sure of square meals at
regular hours is not of the least impor-
lance.
The food of the sailor, like the food of the
soldier, may be supposed to have had the
Deneht of a deal of expert thought and care.
AT any rate, thought and care have gone
so lar that service foods have been tabu-
lated and calculated, and had so many
tnlngs done over them that the problem of
subsistence has become a very cut and dried
AFFAIR. 1t is certainly so in the navy, which
mas very simple eommissary plan, and
Wnlch runs its commissary without the aid
OF most OF superfiuouS officers. A ships
stores are in charge of the paymaster whose
work is all laid out for him as soon as he
knows how large complement of men the
ship will carry. Then, with the aid of the
government tables, he makes acquisitions
on the Bureau of Supplies for the amount
OF sea stores proper for that number of
men for certain length of time, deter
mined by the voyage or cruise.
When the man-of-war is at sea the issue
of these stores is made in accordance with
other government tables, which must not
be departed from. One table provides for
weeks bill of fare, and another table for
legitimate variations from this, and when
you are through with the week you go back
ana begin over. At sea the variety is not
extensive for the second table consists
largely of variations which depend on being
IN port and ability to procure green stores
BUT the monotony need not kill one, and
tity.
A WEEKS MENU.
For Sunday there is issued biscuit (Which
is hardtack) or wheat flour, peas, butter
(Which comes in cans and is not butter at
alD, timed meat, coffee, sugar and one
canned vegetable. Mondays ration is bis
cult or flour, dried fruit, timed meat, tea
or cocoa. coffee and vinegar. Tuesdays is
biscuit salt pork, beans, Coffee sugar and
pickles. Wednesdays is biscuit or corn
meal, rice, butter, timed meat, tea or cocoa,
sugar and one canned vegetable. Thurs
days is biscuit or -four salt beef, dried
fruit, coffee. sugar and syrup Fridays is
plscmt or Hour or oatmeal, butter, toma-
toes, timed meat tea or cocoa and sugar.
saturdays is biscuit, pork, beans, coffee,
sugar and pickles. 1t is a healthful enough
dietary when one remembers that in these
days of steam it is not necessary to sub
slst on 1t for months without change to
green stores. Scurvy is thing unknown in
the American navy
The quantity in which these rations are
issued allows to each man for the day of
issue fourteen ounces of biscuit, one pound
or fresh bread or corn meal or oatmeal or
wheat flour, eight ounces Of pork, one-half
pint of beans, one-half pint of peas, one
half pound of,asalt beef, one-half pound of
rice, two ounces of dried fruit, six ounces
or tomatoes, two ounces of butter, twelve
ounces of timed meat, two ounces of coffee,
one-half ounce Of tea, two ounces of cocoa,
four ounces of sugar, one-half pint of
pickles, one-half pint of syrup. one-half
fresh meat, one and one-fourth pounds of
fresh vegetables and six ounces of canned
vegetables. The table of variations makes
no change in quantities, and for the. most
part provides only for the substitution of
one ration for another, according as the
health of the men seems to demand it and
the quantity of stores on hand makes adj
visable.
All this is supposed to cost the govern
ment about 30 cents day. At least that is
whether apprentice or admiral, for the
Communication of a ration which is not
drawn. This substitution of money for ra-
ton, by the way is gratuity, for the reg
ulations define the ration as a privilege
based on military necessity, and not right.
THE SHIPS COOKS.
Up till recently, and still in some ships,
the paymaster issued the ration daily to
each mess into which the ships company is
divided. In crew of 300 men there are
about fifteen messes, composed arbitrarily,
the marine guard constituting a mess by
themselves, as do the petty officers. Each
mess has it's. cook, Sso-called, who is not a
cook, but a steward detailed to handle the
ration and attend to its cooking the cooking
being done by the ships cooks, enlisted men
in the regular class of cooks. There is no
dtnerence between the diet of the messes
for any one day, the regulations providing
that when an article is issued it must be
issued to all the messeS alike. AS for the
bill for each meal, the mess cook can make
that what he pleaSes within the limit of the
ration and the liberation of his mess. Plenty
OF trouble, too, often arises from this last
fact under the old system, for with a green
crew and green mess cooks, days issue
is sometimes eaten in one meal, the trouble
coming about in this way:
The ration for a day is always issued the
day before that is, the ration of meat and
vegetables, the other articles issuing at wild
er intervals. If fresh stores are in the issue,
and there is no ice to keep them. they must
be cooked as soon as issued. Consequently,
oil lSIlOIdHL COOK, WITH a mess whose eyes
are bigger than its stomachs, serves the ra-
ton up for breakfast. which bothers the
ships surgeon, because the mess turns up
at sick call that night and says it is sick,
and the surgeon finds that it is semi
starved. Then there is an investigation, and
after time things are set right in the pro-
cess of making self-reliant men-of-warsmen
out of the green crew.
Such things cannot happen under the new
commissary system now coming into vogue.
This is an effort in the direction of economy
and greater variety and more even messing.
instead OF issuing rationS to each mess sep
arately the ration is issued to one man, who
takes charge of it, has it cooked and serves
It.. he has his assistants, of course. The
difference between the old system and the
new is not at once apparent, for 1t looks as
though 1t simply interposed another issue of
rations on the paymaster
But this is not so, for the paymaster's
gins The latter concentrates his attention
on getting the ration to the men without
loss ana with variety. Under the new SyS-
tenn 1t has been found possible to stop the
issue or some articles in the ration and
commute them for more money with which
10 purchase luxuries or articles from the
government stores.
ALLOWED TO kick"
A loophole for the expression of dissatis-
faction with a ration is allowed, and when
a paess has registered it's discomfort the
paymaster is required to institute an in
vestigation.
officers messes are not subject to the gov
eminent schedule. There are three of these
messes, the warrant officers, the junior off,
GERS or steerage mess and the senior officers
wardroom mess Each mess elects one OF