The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-03-09
The ou7rtsrmasteys Task.

Nowhere was the Superiority o1 III
new state OF affairs over thse that
existed in the war department before
tn days OF the Spanish war maze
more maaifest than in the quarter
masters department. General Al
SHIRE WITH his deputies were Engaged
IA Herculean task. He was MOVING
a body Of soldiers across tie country
more numerous than the entire force
ia was gathered al Tampa, Flor
ida to form the American occupation
in 1888, though actually there was no
evidence to the casual observer that
there was In progress anything nor
than the routine business
The troop movement was proceed
ing with absolute acc"racy and up to
the clo7e Of business today not one
telegram had Eeen received by the
qu;r sermaster general to complain
that anything was missing essential
to the comfort Of the rocps or the
ANIMALS On the read.
Thue was good reason >or this
because tie records CT the quarter
MASTERS department shcw that every
detail OF the movement had been
worked out with the greatest perfo2.
ton long in advance. Lying on the
desk were typewriter statements
showing the exact method Of routing
troops and supplies from every part
Of the United States to San AE,oaio
Tex.
Every particular OF Information
that might be needez ry the depart
ment was included, The trunk lines
Of railroads, their small feeding lines
The water routes, the numDer Of sleep
ifg cars, fat CARS and box cars and
other vehicles available, were care
fully catalc gued az was>an exact rec
ord Of TIE number of men and ami.
mails and the tens OF supplies tina
could be handled by each carrier.
Sample of PRECISION.
For ing ance it was shown that
.here were four separate lines OF
ailroads iEio San Antonio, and the
number of warehouses with the ex
ait capacity OF each at Fort Sam
Houston, was Indicated.
1t vag not asserted that all this
data had been prepared since the
order had been given to mcDiize the
troors in Texas But II was pointed
out the same information existed tt
every other point in the Unite i
states where it is probable that
there might be need OF concentrating
a sLelt body of tTcoTs.
Particular. credit attached to that
part of the quartermasier's depart
ment which deals with waIer trans
portation. Last Tuesday four OF the
tig army TRANSPORTS, the fitzpatrick
the Sumner, the Mcclellan and the
Meade, were lying in the nludway al
Newport News. They had been lone
out of commission WITH only one
small crew to look after the ships.
The captains and q few of the EN-.
eineer officers available were order
ed at once to put the first three
three named ships in commission. II
| is not believed that the Meade WI
re needed al present
Orders were telcGraphed to New
York fer crews for tfe ships. They
were rushed to Newport News. Tht
vessels were dockcd, cleaned anc
painted. Supplies are now going OF
toarda and they will be ready tc
enabrk two full regiments OF coas'
Z tllery by tcTorrew night and I,
sail fer Galveston Friday morning.
Composition Of Division.
"Details of the composition CT the
full division Of trop which will h'
concentrated at San Antonio undtl
command of Major General Carer
was made public by the war depart
ment. The division vii: CONSIST oI
three brigades Of infantry, brigade
cf field Gftillery a divisional cavalry
attachment an Independent cavalry
brigade, and auxiliary trops includi1a
member3 Of the signal, medical and
engineer corps.
The first infantry brigade win be