El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-10

LESSONS IN THE ART LEARNED AT SAN AN
TONIC MANEUVERS.
A New Kind of Army Oven That Will Make Bread for
5000 Soldiers -Collapsible and Portable Bakery,
Which Can Be Transported on a Wagon-How
War Bread Differs From Ordinary Kind

It is not intended that the field
bakeries shall follow close on the heels
of troops on the march. They are TO
be operated at the nearest convenient
base. the war bread" being forwarded
in wagons. Twelve of the new ovens
compose what is called divisional
bakery" and are capable of turning
out all Of the bread required for full
army division of 10000 men, Such
divisional bakery has been doing duty
during the recent military movements
in Texas, and its work has been salts
factory in the highest degree.
A single oven in II hours will turn
out seven patches of bread. Of 216
pounds each, or total of 1912
pounds This, however. is only the
normal output. Under emergency con-
ditions two shifts Of bakers can be
used, a day shift and night shift, so
as to double the product. Each oven,
with its appurtenances aforementioned,
is a complete bakery unit" and. oper-
ated only in the daytime. can turn out
more than enough bread for any regl-
ment Of war strength. less than one
pound for each man being usually
enough. Indeed, the ordinary consump-
ton is at the rate of about three-quar-
tiers of a pound for each soldier.
The German Army Oven.
Mention has been made already of
the rolling oven" used by the German
army It is nothing more nor less
than a huge oven on wheels. with
lower compartment into which the
fuel is put. The contrivance is fairly
satisfactory. but cumbersome, and i'm
possible to take apart. One Of the
greatest advantages of our new mill
tary oven lies in its knock down"
character, the whole affair being so
light and easily transportable. To be
able to carry the entire baking outfit
for a division of 10000 men on dozen
ordinary wagons-to pull it to pieces
in few minutes, and set it up Off
hand in another place, many miles
away, perhaps-is a mosts importan~
and obvious advantage.
Nevertheless. IT was the rolling
oven" that furnished the idea from
which the apparatus here described
was developed. BY giving the latter
knock down" character, and placing
its compartments one above. another,
with the Incidental and ingenious flue
Arrangement, il was rendered vastly
more convenient and serviceable. Dur
ing the recent ''maneuvers." the mill
tary attaches representing various
foreign nations have been much inter
ested in observing the divisional ba-
kerry IN operation at San AItOHiO. anu
inasmueh as there is no patent on the
idea, it is not unlikely that the reports
they make to their home governments
on the subject may cause some of the
latter to adopt it for their own mill
tary uses.
Profit is in Water.
The war bread" is made in round.
flat loaves, of two pounds each, this
size and shape being deemed most suit
able for transportation It is sold by
the commissary department of the
army at the cost price of the flour
used for making 1t. The profit is in
the water it contains. and goes to pay
for the other ingredients. sugar. salt
and yeast; also to provide extra
duty wages for the bakers. The lat
ter are soldiers who go through spe-
cial course of instruction at the army
baking schools. and who, when they
have received a satisfactory training.
get additional pay for such work.
There is. however. a considerable clear
profit left over and above all expendi-
lures. and this is distributed among
portion to the amount of bread they
consume
1t may be said that. in some respects
this country is not prepared for war.
But. in the event Of conflict with any
foreign power we shall certainly be
able to snupply our troops with plenty
of good bread thanks to the training
of our military bakers and the facih-
ties afforded by the new army oven.
Rene Bache.