Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-14

pounds: beans. 1900 pounds; sugar, IS 600
pounds: butter, LOCO pounds; loaf sugar.
200 pounds: chewing tobacco, So09
pounds: smoking tobacco. 10000 pounds;
toilet soap 25,Dn0 pounds; cigarettes. -, Oo0
packages: tooth brushes, 1000; combs,
1900; matches, 22.co0 boxes; towels, 1890;
pairs of shoe strings. 1900: barrels of pork,
81 and bologna sausage, Pa pounds.
Necessaries and Luxuries.
1t must be remembered that many of the
above articles are kept on the ship to be
sold to the men and that only ordinary
food is free. The supply of these and other
things, however, is large enough to fill
wholesale grocery store. For instance, in
addition to the above the Sherman had
about $500 pounds of onions, 400 pounds
Of coffee. aG00 pounds of salt, 1000 cans of
apples, 219 cans of apricots 26OO pounds
of cheese and about 1000 cans of deviled
ham. 1t has 316 cans of Holsters, 81 cans
of mushrooms, 139 cans Of cove oysters, 81
cans of green peas, S3S cans OF preserved
pineapples, 4, 900 cans of damson plums and
200 pounds of prunes. 1t carried 25,0G0
cans Of salmon, 500 boxes of Sardines.
500 cans of currant jelly, 1000 bottles of
lime juice, 1909 jars of pickles and 1909
cans of cranberry sauce. 1t had spices of
all kinds, thousands of cigars of all makes
and everything to delight the palate. 1t
carried fresh chickens, wild ducks, par
tridgeS and squads. 1t had 90 OK tails, 100
sweet breads, kegs of picked pigs feet,
2,0o0 cans of fresh oysters and 1000 cans
of soft shell CLAIMS. 1t carried wines and
liquors, among which were - dozen bottles
of claret, - dozen white wines, 4S dozen
bottles of brandy and As dozen of rum. It
had asparagus, string beans, sourkraut,
spinach, Brussels sprouts, maccaroni and
spaghetti and 2t0 bottles of clam broth.
1t had 500 yeast cakes, 1890 bottles of
ginger ale and AZ bottles of Tabasco sauce.
1t carried 40 tons of ice and all sorts of
clothing most in demand among the SOL
dierS.
The packing away of the goods on the
steamer is matter Of Importance. Every
thing has its place, and according to law
everything must be so well in its place that
the quartermaster or man in charge can
put his fingers on it in the dark. The hold
is divided up into six compartments. four
of which are taken up by ambulance wag-
Cns, ammunitions, &c. In another field
ranges are stored. and in another the quar-
termaster's supplies are found.
Ships for Horses and Mules.
One of the most serious matters in the
transportation of an army is the carrying
of the animals. The question of water and
food on the voyage across the Pacific is al
important one, and the transport division
has now eleven ships which are fitted up as
cattle transports. These ships sail from
San Francisco, Seattle and Tacoma for the
Philippines and will carry 1000 horses and
mules to Manila before Christmas. They
have already transported thousands of cav
airy. They are especially fitted up for the
purpose with Ventilators, so that the horses
away down III the bowels of the ship have
plenty of air. They have hospitals for the
sick, in which the animals have beds of
straw and places where they can be taken
about for moderate exercise. Each ship
has condensors. which make six gallons of
water day for each animal carried, so as
to not disturb the tanks kept full for emer-
sencies. Each ship carries 2,200 tons of
hay, 200 tons of oats, or in all 1900 tons
of forage, and also 100000 feet of lumber
1t carries a veterinary surgeon and stable
men.
Reftting the Ships.
The work Of Transforming old freight
steamers into troop ships is no slight task
1t takes great deal of time and great
deal of money. The transfers altogether
have cost a number of millions, the price
paid by Uncle Sam for some being as high
as four hundred or five hundred thousand
dollars each. The remodeling of each of
the large transports has cost more than
one hundred and forty-five thousand dol
lars. The work of refitting is very Import
ant, and the best officers of the SERVED are
chosen to watch the work and to manage
the transport system. Among others who
have made specially of this division OF
the quP rtermaster's department is MAI,
John M. Carson, jr., who was connected
with the quartermaster's office in San Juan,
Porto Rico, and who is now at Philadal-
phia superiptending the re-equipment of the
Thomas. He will be the commanding quar-
termaster of the Thomas on her voyage to
Manila and from there, after studying the
needs of the transport service on the
islands, will come back to tho United
States via San Francisco, his idca being
to get practical knowledge of everything
connected with the service.
The Origin of the Transport System.
The transport system was created by our
war with Spain. When the Maine was
blown up Uncle Sam saw the need of it.
and Aladdin-lke he took down his old
lamp and rubbed 1t, and the genii of Amer
lean brains and American capital placed
1t before him. The slave of the lamp in
this case was Col Charles Bird head of
the transport division at Washington. who,
under Quartermaster General Ludington,
sent kilograms to ship owners OF this coun-