Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-12
GIVEN EXCELLENT RATIONS
Stores Returned as Unfit in Two Months
Valued at Only S33 20.
Report of Col. Brainerd. Chief Com
mfssary of the Army in
the Philippines.

of the army in the Philippines makes a.
report concerning the supplies for the
| army, in which he says:
Prior to active operations in the field all
troops were supplied with the garrison ra-
| ton, issues being made to regiments by
the Issuing commtssary for periods of ten
Tor these periods was as follows: Fresh
| days. The proportion of the components
| beef, days; bacon. day; salmon, / day;
canned beef, 1 day; flour. days; hard
bread. day; beans. 10 days: potatoes, 80
! per cent, 10 days; onions. % per cent, 10
days. In lieu of four ounces fresh beef
| two ounces each rice and dried fruits (ap-
| Piles, peaches and prunes) were issued on
days when fresh beef was drawn
Remainder usual ration,
On March 10 the issues were modified by
adding one days bacon and eliminating
canned beef, by issuing ten days flour and
| no hard bread and in changing issues of
| vegetables as follows: Potatoes 15 per cent
| onions, Is per cent; tomatoes, 10 per cent.
| Mess pork and beef are no longer issued.
About the same time oatmeal was added as
| one OF the components to be Issued in lieu
or fresh beef. Fresh vegetables, brought
| from San Francisco. have been supplied
| daily to all the troops Of this command.
Supplying the Lines.
"On February and 8 during active OPP
1
| all organizations the firing line. The
| forces had been rationed to include Feb
ruary 10, but the lines having advanced
| some distance from the city these sup
| plies, being left in barracks, were not i'm
mediately available. The system of sup
| plying the line on the days above men
toned was very simple The location of
each regiment being definitely known and
| transportation being promptly furnished by
| the Quartermasters department, travel
| rations were dispatched on bull carts ac-
companied by guard, who received eN-
plicit instructions to the location of the
organizations and to whom the supplies
| were to be delivered.
THE garrison ration. including fresh beef
and vegetables. was resumed February Z.
after which date regimental comunissaries
| attended to the details of supplying their
| commands.
For the first few days several Of the or
CARNATIONS stationed near the city had the
| food prepared In barracks, loaded on wag
ons and distributed to the firing line. Capt
rauthoff mentions this method of supply
as very satisfactory under the clrcum-
stances, and speaks of having seen a COM
pany enjoying their Sunday dinner on Feb
ruary within a few hundred yards of the
| insurgent trenches. The dinner consisted of
| roast beef. gravy. potatoes, fresh bread,
| coffee and plum pudding.
"On February three days travel rations
were issued to regimental comnissaries as
| a reserve which was to be used only in
event of an emergency.
Sales depots on the firing line were es-
| tablished by Capt. Krauthoff at Pasay, by
Capt. Bootes at Caloocan and by Capt
| Handy at San Pedro Macati. The regular
sales depots in Quiapo and Ermtta Were
| continued during the months of February
and March
During the advance of the ID Division
| on Malolos travel rations for three days
were taken by the troops, the ration being
| transported by bull teams which We're as
signed to regiments. Later supplies were
| forwarded by rail to the command. invoiced
to brigade commissaries, who issued direct
| to regiments.
Daily Coffee Roasting.
During the field operations 1t became
| necessary to establish a plant for roasting
| and grinding coffee, there being no faciii-
| ties for such work in this city. This plant
| is under the supervision of Capt. c. du
| Pont Coudert, assistant TO the chief COM
missary. A soldier ard few native labor
| ers manage to roast and grind about ], 200
| pounds of coffee daily, an adequate supply
for all the troops in the field.
The commands at Cayite, Corregidor
Island, lioilo, Bacolod and at Cebu are sup
| piled with subsistence stores from the depot
commissary in Bfnondo. Fresh beef for
troops at Cavite is drawn direct from the
cold storage vessel, the Duke of Sutherland;
that for troops at Corregidor Island is sent
three times each week, being invoiced by
the issuing commissary of the command to
the commissary of the troops stationed on
the island. Troops at Cebu are subsisted on
native beef, which costs from Is to 20 cents.
Mexican, per pound A limited quantity OF
native beef has been procured by the COM
missary at Bacolod, which has been sup
plemented from time to time by beef drawn
from the Indiana, stationed at Iloilo as a
cold storage plant, and from which the
troops al that point are supplied. The COM
| missary al Iloilo reports it impracticable to
obtain the native beef in sufficient quantity
n Snn mi h.A nf "a Let lfn
Brigade at that place.
THE native police force of two hundred
men at Bacoiod are given the native"
ration, the components of which are drawn
from the depot commissary, Binondo, being
procured by purchase from public civil
funds.
THE Filipino prisoners, coolie Transfers
and litter bearers are also issued the above
ration.
Captured Rice.
THE stores of rice captured from the
insurgents during the advance of our lines
on the 4th and 9th of February amounted
to little more than fifty tons, most of
which is stored in the warehouses of the
depot commissary in Binondo. No reports
have as yet been received by this Office as
to the quantities of rice or other stores
captured in the advance on Malolos.
"In the past two months the duties of
Major Anderson and Capt. Krauthoff, depot
and issuing commissary, respectively, have
been unusually trying. The former received
stores from eight transports, made ship
ments and transfers to the various posts
and attachments in these islands, and fur
nished hospitals, organizations and depotS
with enormous quantities of sales stores.
The latter made issues to all the troops of
the command, and at the same time per-
formed his duties as commissary LIST
brigade, 1st Division. The store houses of
both officers were open every day in the
week, and arrangements were made to is
sue rations and other stores at night, if
they We're required.
Excellent Quality of Rations.
1.-The quality Of the ration issued during
February and March has been excellent.
The total quantity of stores returned by
regiments to the issuing commissary as