East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-01-09
Stories From the War Zone

roast beef from tin. have seen
him at numerous points along the line
and IL seems to me he is always eat
ing.
The Frenchman has two meals a
day plus his morning coffee The
two big meals are at, or around IL
o'clock in the morning and $3.50 or 6
o'clock in the afternoon, usually his
meat and vegetables are served to-
gether. as they are cooked. the mix
ture being stew prepared in huge
pots or boilers. His ration Is served
him by the cook who ladies out a
piece OF meat and the regulation am
cunt OF rice. beans or peas, in his
"gamelle,p or CASSEROLE, which is part
OF his equipment. II YOU have evef
seen a picture Of French solJier In
full marching order you have noticed
this utensil strapped to the top Of his
tnapsacf. He eats his meals with his
pocket knife or fingers unless he has
provided himself with one OF the
many varieties Of collapsibls knives
and forks.
But where all does this 10 I'd come
frCmg How does It arrive tat the
front: How is the food collected and
handled; who baked the bread. where
and how?
In France there are some 20 reyic-
tualing stations well out OF harms
way back OF the line. Then there is
what is called control" which
bureau unifies the thing and prevents
too much OF any material going TO
enc station and too little to another
Long before war was declared the
war department had tabulated the
average output OF food stuffs In each
department OF France. II was already
understood in case OF war. each de-
partment was TO furnish so much OF
this or that article. The thing works
automatically now that II is started.
the government paying the depart
ments for everything as It is bought
The departments send 10 pre-ar-
ranged destinations. otherwise to a
certain one OF the score OF revicual-
ing stations
Coffee. tea. part OF her flour and so
on. France buys abroad and the re-
victualing stations are supplied from
central warehouses in the various
ports.
The revictualing stations handle
flour. but not wheat The flour is
made into bread at these stations. tens
Of gigantic ovens. in long rows being
employed. soldiers formerly bakers,
doing the work.
The flour goes first 10 the station /
warehouses. upon It's arrival From /
there II is taken TO a 'standardizing'
room above the mixing pans. In this I
room. flours from the United States !
South America. Canada, Russia. /
France and elsewhere. are mixed. or
blended so that the quality will al /
ways be the same: were this not so !
one soldier would get a loaf OF superb I
white bread while his bunkie got a
and less palatable loaf. /
BY blending the flour OF all nations. J
the ultimate loaf Is standardized. The I
flour is poured out upon a metal /
floor and mixed with shovels /
Nearby are holes in the floor.
These holes are chutes leading to the |
giant cast-iron dough mixers below /
These mixers are steam-operated. |
great paddles and wheels turning and |
working the dough to the proper con-
sistency. Once properly worked the
bread is put into basket holding
about 200 pounds and passed on to
the weigher and then TO the ovens.
have the word OF the soldiers
that they get all they want
to eat and that what they get is
good"