The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-05-15
A F|RELESS COOKER
FOR army USE
PERFECTED
Roast Meats and Vegetables
Successfully Served From
it After Long March.
BY Wire Fren e. G. Snyder.

washington, ID. C., May IA
Fort some months past General
Sharpe, commissary general of the
army has been engaged upon expert
ments with "freless cookers" That
is to say the commissary general is
trying to find some means of supply
Ing men in the army with hot meals
when away on long march without
the necessity of making a fire. He
seems to have succeeded in this laud-
able purpose by the adoption of a de-
vice in which heat started over an
ordinary wood fire can be retained
for sufficient time to ensure the
thorough cooking of food without fur
Their contact with fire: How we'll he
has succeeded is shown by the fol-
lowing extracts from letter written
by Captain M. s. Murray of the COM
missary department to the commissary
general:
"sir: In compliance with your
letter, have the honor to inform you
that test was made with the fireless
cooker yesterday to show the utility of
the cooker in field operation.
Fire was started at a. m. in an open
trench and after preliminary prepare
ton of food all articles were placed
in the utensils of the fireless cooker.
At about 6:15 everything was over the
fire, and at 7:1S the cooker was
packed. The following articles, suf-
ficient for IS men, were prepared.
Roast beef, macaroni, and cheese,
creamed potatoes, pork and beans, suet
pudding and coffee. The breakfast for
the detachment of bakers was prepared
over the same fire and during the same
time that the articles for the fireless
cooker were prepared. The breakfast
consisted of fried potatoes, beef steaks,
fried bacon and coffee. BY the time
breakfast was over the cooker was
ready to be placed on wagon and ready
to move with command. No extra
utensils had been gathered, but every
thing intact. Eleven sticks of cord
wood, all small pieces, were used in
the preparation of both the breakfast
and articles for the cooker. At 9
p. m. the cooker was opened and the
following temperatures were taken:
Roast beef 166 degrees; macaroni and
cheese, 1S7; creamed potatoes, ia;
pork and beans, 1856; suet pudding, 165
and coffee, 172. Everything perfectly
done. 1t will be observed that the
temperatures are higher in this test
than others; this is owing to the fact
of all utensils being full of material.
II can unhesitatingly state that the
fireless cooker has proven to be a
success. and feel that were 1
equipped with few pans for frying
purposes I would be perfectly content
ed In starting out in field service that
l would be able to feed an organiza-
ton in first class shape under service
hot <ho 80
organization would be very contented
and satisfied
"The use of the f1reless cooker will
large quantity of wood for cooking
wood necessary in the evening for pre-
breakfast could be prepared in the
wood now required by an organiza-
ried from one camp to another in an
escort wagon for the next days cook
ing. This will do away with the
necessity of purchasing wood for cook
ing purposes at the various camps on
a long march. The work of preparing
the dinner on the arrival in camp
uhuCA SuO pASoCAL olChi1 "
say the least, very trying ordeal for
the cooks, especially during inclement
weather, will be eliminated. After a
long days march a hot meal is fur
nished at once from the cooker to
tired and hungry organization by
simply opening box and serving.
Should it occur that the cooker is not
required for use during the day for
any meal, and that prospects for max
ing a dry camp at night are evident,
the boilers of the cooker could be
utilized for holding water and it will
be kept much collier in the cooker than
in any other way.
1.-THE fireless cooker would be an
excellent means to supply hot food to
troops in a line intrenchment, where
the lighting of fire is prohibited. The
fireless cookers could be charged at
the cooking tent, we will say about
two miles to the rear of firing line,
during the night or early morning,
transported in wagon up to line of
intrenchments and passed along to
various organizations and they could
at any time decided upon during the
day be opened up and good hot meal
ready"