Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-08-20
ONE Of BIGGEST
GERMAN PROBLEMS
IS FEEDING ARMY
Six Hundred Carloads of Food
Must Be Forwarded FROM
the Base of Supplies
Each Day.

Washington, Aug. 16-Every German
foot soldier carried 81 ounces of hard
bread, q ounces of preserved meat or
bacon, 10 IL ounces Of vegetables, mostly
onions. and two and fve-oghths ounces
of coffee in his haVorsack when he start
I'd for Belgium. Every Uhlan or other
cavalryman carried just one~third of
that amount.
The foot soldiers had enough food for
three days and the cavalrymen for one
day. The cavalryman Is supposed to he
able to get back to a base of supplies
oftener and easier than n foot soldier.
Besides, his work being usually in ad-
vance Of the foot soldiers, the food sup
plies Of the country are not materially
depleted when he appears, and he is ex-
pected to help himself
An army officer on duty with the gem
eral staff at Washington says:
THE German soldiers are living on
soup and hard bread" II the supply Of
meat and onions is good the soup is
thick: If it is small the soup is thin.
The fewer utensils an army carries the
better it is fed. Big cauldrons packed
with meat and vegetables mean more sus-
tenance than pots and pans and bake
ovens. The motivc-poWcr that would be
irons and baking dishes can he better
used in hauling meat, potatoes and on
IONS Stew every day is better than
planked steak and mashed potatoes every
other day"
Since 1909 the Prussians have been
wol King on the machine with which
the Kaiser is confronting the alliance
Of great and little powers to-day. They
call the ration weighing -four pounds and
IA ounces their iron" ration. 1t must
last three days Six hundred carloads of
food must leave Cohlentz, Cologne, AK
!a-Chapelle. or whatever for the time
being is the commissary depot, daily
for the $4,000 men supposed to be OPP
Grating in Belgium. LuXemhurG and.
possibly Holland; that is the minimum
The chances are that 800 cars are being
used for the conVeYan'e o one days
iron ration. For ammunition there
must he a minimum of 3O0 cars For for
age and other Quartermaster stores there
must be a minimum of at least 1000 cars,
although the probabilities that a
much larger number are being used.
If the army is being kept supplied
by less than $3.50 carloads Of material
every day the statsticians and others
who have work ed on the machine and
.ts handling have achieved great vic
tory Probably 200 locomotives are in
use.
DISTRIBUTING DEPOTS.
All these things are being used to
start the supplies from the great de-
pots at the base or bases to the tenn
forary distributing depots. The cities
mentioned are probably the temporary
depots.
The Belgian railroads probably are be-
Ing used to get the supplies TO the ad-
vanced bases or depots. which are as
near the rear of the army as is con-
s!stent with safety.
Fifty-fve thousand wagons drawn by
$4,000 animals, or their equivalent in mo-
tor vehicles. are needed to get supplies
to force such as is supposed to be OPP
Grating in Belgium.
Kaiser Wilhelm takes Frederick the
Great, 10 whom he once referred as his
ancestor, as his example. Frederick once
fought all Europe, and the Hohenzollern
OF to-day believes that he too can do 1t.
The German soldier Is eating black
bread baked months ago. Its crust is so
hard that bayonet or sabre must be
used to break it and reduces the moisture
70 be carried to minimum. AS to how
the soldier shall eat it, that is his affair.
These estimates as 90 the number Of
wagons and animals are based on a cam
paign Today march from the base, or,
roughly spea king. from 100 to $50 miles
from the point TO which the railroads
bring the food, ammunition, forage and
other material.
ALL PLANS WORKED OUT.
II the advanced bases are At Cologne,
- ha
aumber of wa CONS and horses will not he
needed to supply the forces operating
around LEGO. but by the time the forces
reach Brussels or Rheims the Transport
alton mentioned will he required.
The Germans, the French and Rus
,ans all have elaborate diagrams
worked out showing the method Of
operating the transports and the field
bakery column, which comes along
last and supplies fresh bread These
diagrams look as though they might
have been devised by dancing mas
ters first aids to awkward
squad
Veterans of our Civil War will
smile when they read that each com
pany is entitled TO one wagon and the
headquarters of each regiment to an
other extra wagon. The company
wagon here was abandoned early in
the war.
The French foot soldier carries
three rations in his haversack when
he starts out. 1t consists Of thirty
three ounces Of bread, nine ounces of
preserved meat and hve and one-half
ounces of "grocerles'-that is onions
salt, pepper, garlic and spices, The
Russian infantryman carries bread
enough for two days and a half
French cavalrymen carry supplies for
one day. The Russia mounted man
carries enough for one day.
A soldier is supposed to carry 200
cartridges, weighing, with belts, close
10 twenty pounds. or five times as
much as his food for three days.
Brandon Pastor Resigns.
Brandon, Aug ls.-The Rev Charlie,