The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-10-26
CRUISE OF THE BATTLE FLEET
Some interesting Inside Information Extracted From
s1 the Report BY Laurens Man.


port of the business end is published
Ia senate document.
Just from the press of the govern
ment printing office at Washington is
erations of the Pay Department of the
Atlantic Fleet on Cruise Around the
World-Report Of Pay Inspector Sam
8uel MCGOWAN, U. S. N, Fleet Paymas-
ter"
- 1t is numbered GAG of the second
yession of the 61st Congress and deals
with all the intricacies of the forld-
girdling jaunt as viewed from the in
tensely practical business standpoint.
In order to comprehend the scope
+ of fleet paymaster's" duties, it is
( necessary to know that the Navy Pay
.57GSoTps alone performs ali the duties
(which in the army are distributed
among the paymasters, quartermas-
tiers and commissaries. Hence the
4 feet paymaster who is an officer rank
ing as commander in the navy Qieu-
Sstenant colonel in army parlance)
might be more accurately called bus
iness Manager of the fleet"
s The specific duties of this official
s&embrace all that pertains to pu:chai-
8 4dng-including the ali important items
ssof provisions and coal-to keep the
8 fieet supplied with funds and to gen
orally supervising and standardizing
n a a Of
y officers in the fleet junior (and subor-
dinate) to himself. He is a memDer
\ of the staff of the commander in chief; !;
and. as such, he is required to make
Is periodical inspection o: and report uD-
Z on the work Of the pay office of every
vessel under the admiral's command.
III The report referred to was prepared
In obedience to a direct order of the
y paymaster general of the navy at
Washington and Mr. MCGOWAN goes
1tnto great detail (as officially directetD
With reference to the commissary
question, money supply, Italian relief
work (of which he was i'm supervisory
charge) and a number of other i'm
portant subjects too many to even
mention in this brief sketch
AS an example of the system observ-
ed I'm the feet and o. the immense
quantities OF commissary supplies
used, is quoted the following recapi-
tulation compiled from individual fleet
reports relates to provisions issued
sold. surveyed, and lost on board the
1G battle ships Connecticut. Vermont
Kansas, Minnesota, Georgia. Nebras-
ka New Jersey, Rhode Island. Louis
lana, Virginia. Missouri Ohio, Wis
cOnsin, Illinois, kearsarge. and Ker-
tucky for the three hundred and five
days ending January 81, 1909: the
average number of persons subsisted
being 1880:
EXpendi- Average
ture by expendi-
Articles. classes for ture for
305 days. one day
Beverages ... pounds 80 .095 Lose
Bread =. . do 3,Il2.317 Hiss
Cereals and starch
food e. =. e. do 2li334 7O2
Eggs:
Dried >. . number 29O3@ %
Fresh .... do 2G3,AOS 4.142
Fruit:
Canned -. pounds 955,4S2 1,1G5
Dried .. do l45G22 All
~ Fresh =. ... do llO,5G9 %G3
Meats:
Fresh :. ... do 3.S16l10 l2.jl3
Preserved do G63,3l2 2.l75
Salt ... do lo4.5l9 5C7
Smoked e.. do 533,3l2 LAO
Milk e. =. 49,. do 315lO7 1893
Pickles dozen SiOAo 2Si
Vegetables:
Canned =. pounds 664,700 2,l70
Dehydrated g. do 9!,7S3 3oi
Dried .. .. do 9OO63 295
Fresh :. ... do 5,l2O452 1G,7SS
Baking powder. do 1896 A.
Baking soda g.. do 1862 )
Butter :. e.. g.. do 39IG7S 1884
Catsup .. +. =. do 5,7I1 10
Cheese do 32794 los
Extracts =. =. do 1924 3
Hops e. -. E. do 5O22 &c
Lard -. do l525 800 300
Macaroni =. =. do 35,1GO 1l5
Mince meat ... do 500 2
Mustard do 2,S42 9
VII 49,. .BallonS zi5 !
Pepper :. =. pounds 7,2Ot 2i
Salad dressing gallons 30l !