Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1904-04-06
JACK LONDON ADM|RES JAPS
THEY CARRY EVERYTHING ON
THEIR BACKS.
No Army Wagons or Muies-Rice 10
Staple Food-Healthy Drinking Wa.
ter Is Sea-ce-Japanese Rifle 10 q
o-Calibre-koreans Kick Because
Soldiers Take but Do Not Pay.

Pingyang, Korea.-The Japanese sol.
diers and equipment seem to command
universal admiration. Not one dis
senting voice is to be heard among
the European and American residents
in Korea. On the contrary. favorable
is made with our own
troops and the troops of Europe.
In the first place, food, luggage and
everything which must be carried with
an army are done up in packages that
can easily be handled by individuals
and which, If needs be. can
be carried on the backs of the men.
So there are no army wagons or army
mules. Packhorses and coolies do the
work. and. though many Korean bul.
lock carts have been put into service,
there is no necessity for them.
The rice. which is the staple food, is
done up in 60 pound packages. One
coolie can carry a sack all day over
the most rugged country. Two sacks
go to make the load of a Korean pony
and from three to four sacks the load
Of Japanese pony. Meat is put up
in one-half pound tins, so Of which
tins are incased in a box. One horse
under three Of these boxes carries one
meat ration for company. Four
horses carry a meat ration for a bat.
talon.
A sheet iron cylinder carried in sec.
tions constitutes a camp stove. This
stove is 27 inches high and 30 inches
in diameter. In this the fire is built,
and into it is fitted sheet iron ket-
tie. Into this in turn is fitted a per.
forated kettle in which the rice Is
cooked and cooked without scorching.
One kettle will cook rice for 100 men.
Eight or nine kettles will suffice for
q battalion.
Sodium sulphate is part Of the SOL
dier's outfit. 1t is to be doubled, in
so fearfuliy unsanitary as Ko-
rea, If drop Of healthy drinking wa.
ter can be found. So the sodium sui
phate in little flannel sacks is placed
in boiling water to precipitate the i'm
purities, and the little brown man is
thus given a larger opportunity of
dying on the battlefield and killing
Russians ere he dies. Certainly, 80 far
as Japan is concerned. it is more econ.
omical for its soldiers to be filled with
lead than with fever germs.
Emergency Rations.
In small cotton bags. weighing little
and occupying less space. are emer.
gency rations. This ration is made Of
rice. boiled and then dried in the sun
till each grain has shrunk to the size
Of a pin head. Each soldier carries
six Of these rations in his knapsack
On a pinch they would suffice him for
days; and always 1t must be remem.
bered that rice is to the Japanese what
bread is to US, and butter and meat to
boot.
Rifles and Ammunition.
The Japanese army rife is a triie
less than 80 calibre. One thousand
four hundred and forty rounds of am.
weigh 100 pounds, and In
such quantities are packed into ammu.
milton boxes. Two Of these boxes com.
pose load for pack pony.
Chains at each end Of the box loop
on corresponding hooks on the pack.
saddle. SO the loading and unloading
of the ponies is simple and expediti.
ous These ponies supply the firing
line when the soldiers are fighting.
Eighteen ponies will give each man Of
a battlion 70 additional rounds.
Koreans Are Kicking.
The praise for the conduct of the
Japanese soldiers Is not quite univer.
sal. The Koreans are beginning to
grumble-that is. the people-and they
have reason to grumble, though it is
through no fault Of the Japanese.
The Koreans complain that goods
are taken from them by the soldiers,
for which they receive no pay.