Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-02-09
A Working Army of 2,629 LabOrers.

A Working Army Of 2,629 LabOrers.
A correspondent of the Cumberland
Evening Times gives the following in
teresting account of how the army Of
men building the connecting link of
the Western Maryland railroad be-
tween Hancock and Cumberland sub
Iist in their construction camps. He
says:
ut costs 5000 day to feed the
men we have working between Cum
berland and Hancock" Such was
the statement made to the writer by
Macarthur Bros, the contractors, who
have 1929 men at work. That
means $4,000 a month. Fresh
dressed beef is delivered at every
camp daily, and as it requiress pound
and half day man it can be read
ily seen that the meat bill for 2,629
men is no small item. In addition to
the fresh meat, there is an allowance
of three-fourths of q pound of salt
meat man daily, and that runs up
into figures,
These men, however, do not live
on meat alone, and possibly those who
look amazed at the figures for their
own store account for week or a
month would not enjoy having bill
for rs bushels of potatoes day. and
yet that is what it takes day to feed
these Wabash men. Ofcofee it take,
24O pounds, Of sugar 600 pounds, B..
$50 pounds of -four, 30 cases of corn
and numerous other items that run
into big figures, the bill for butter
and eggs being the one that staggers
person.
with these men scattered along 40
miles of work it is manifestly impos-
sible to have a central boarding or
lodging place. AS result, every
four or FIVE miles, sometimes much
closer, there are the camps where the
men eat and sleep. These camps
consist Of from 8 to II buildings, one
story frame structures covered with
tar paper. As rule the buildings
are crested in one straight row, but
in some camps there are two rows
running parallel.
"The largest building is the COM
mis,ary, where supplies Of all kinda
can be procured. Then there is the
boarding bouse. This is usually about
40 feet long and 20 feet wide, with
two rows of oilcloth-covered tables
with benches along the sides. At the
entrance OF the dining room is the
kitchen, with a large range and shin
ing pots and pans of every shape
hanging from the rafters. The cooks
are usually white people and they
must be good cooks or there is a tre-
mendous row raised in hurry by the
men.
1.-THE writer ate dinner at Turn
crist & Meyers camp, at Si1eling Hill
tunnel, on Monday. Arriving late,
the dining room was full, there being
so men at the tables. At the second
table there were 80 persona. including
the wives Of some Of the steam .shovel
engineers and foremen. and the con-
tractors. commissary clerks, time
keepers, etc. No difference is made
| in the meals served the lsborers and
the superintendents, fOremen aud
others. The meal consisted Of fresh
meat, potatoes, beansi corn, excellent
coffee, good butter. apple pie and
pudding. Everything was we'll cooked
and the entire place was ser1pulously
clean. As the writer passed out be
overheard one cook whisper to anoth-
er, He ate hearty. and it was a
meal that invited hearty eating.
"'Birds of a feather flock together
is saying fully exempli6ed in the
camps. At the boarding house just
described only Americans eat Ther
there is the Austrian section, the It4l.
ian section. etc. The AUstrians vii
not mix with the Italians. and tbs
Americans have no desire to mix
! With either Of the Others. The living