The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-08-21
SUNDAY.

Breakfast-Baked pork and beans,
tomato catchup, coffee cake. Bread,
butter, coffee.
Dinner-Rice and tomato soup.
| Dreaded pork chops, tomato catsup.
green peas, mashed potatoes, ice
cream and cake. Bread and coffee.
Supper-Italian macaroni, sliced bo-
logna, potato salad, peaches and
cream. Bread, butter, tea.
One might wonder how it is pos
sible to supply all of these fresh and
good things on a man-o war If one
did not know that each battleship has
great cold-storage compartments In
which these things can be tucked away
and kept
Years ago the butter served to our
sailors was of a character properly
termed forceful and even the most
hardened sea dog had to hold his
breath when he ate it. Today the
butter supplied our bluejackets comes
from the best of the creameries and
has the most rigid specifications and
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1t is accepted for the service. In the
same way all beef and other meats are
examined by experts. ard jacky knows
that he will have only the best and
juiciest of joints.
The following proportion of fresh
meats is issued: In any one month
there will be so per cent Of beef, 20
per cent Of pork loin, 10 per cent
of sausage. per cent veal, per cent
mutton and per cent fowl. During
the Christmas holidays and at Thanks
giving more generous allowance OF
fowl is permitted, for then prime
plump turkeys figure frequently on
the bill of fare
In the old days the nearest approach
to a fresh vegetable when at sea was
the Irish potato and lemon or lime
juice helped further to guard the men
from scurvy. Now our sailors have
variety of fresh vegetables and daily
issue of fruit is considered necessary
from a health standpoint. The medi-
cal men of the navy have found that
life aboard ship is of necessity more
or less sedentary, and for that reason
bodily functions are prone to become
sluggish. Fruits in ample quantities
have a great corrective and curative
value in this respect and the allowance
is now increased on going to sea.
Formerly the crew of ship were
divided into messes containing from
IA to 20 men. and the food for each
mess was, within some limits. subject
to qualifications or change to suit the
desires of the group. BY committing
some of the rations and taking the
money equivalent it was possible to
buy supplies ashore that could not
be obtained from the ships stores.
This added to the difficulties of the
cooks and bred discomfort through the
disparity of diet existing between q
bad and a we'll run mess.
Now, this objection has been over
come by placing all Of the enlisted
men in what is known as a general
mess and all have to fare alike. The
chief commissary steward and his
assistants, the chief cook and his sub
ordinates. together with the system Of
purchase and the wide range Of the
dietary allowed under the ration scale
now make it possible to provide. to
prepare and to serve to our sailors
food that cannot be equaled any
where else for several times the price.
The question Of water is quite as
vital in the official mind as solid food
for our sailors. Now every drop
drunk on shipboard is distilled and
the men commonly drink from sani-
tary fountains placed at convenient
points. The medical experts of the
service have found that this water is
of peculiar value in cases where the
jackies are predisposed toward rheu-
matism, hardening of the arteries, abb
normal blood pressure and kindred
conditions. In short, this distilled Wa
ter will contribute to longer life un-
der such circumstances. and this fact
should be Of general interest.