The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-14

as the bread is concerned-by the
field bakery at the big army base near
Casas Grandes. OF course, the bakery
is not multiplying three loaves into
enough to feed an army of 5000, bur
it is turned out 5,40O rations of brea 4
every "a hours.
The bake ovens are built of mud
and brick and look as though they
might have been transported from
some spot in Israel when miracles
are every day occurrences. If you
don't think it's a miracle to produce s.
400 Ioaves of bread daily in this part
of the world, you don't know how far
it is from the border.
FIT. Riley Bakers.
Twenty-Five bakers, trained in the
army bakery school at Fort Riley, are
on duty at the two giant ovens which
supply the expedition with its daily
bread. An officer is in charge of the
bread makers. A quartermaster SER
geant who supervises the mixing of
the dough and the baking, told how
the work is done.
Each oven," he said, will hold
about rs loaves of bread--mdklng 100
loaves at each run. After being placed
in the ovens, it takes from one hour
to 80 minutes for the bread to bake.
We figure on turning out about 5000
loaves every "a hours, or enough to
supply 5,400 men with the regulation
bread ration daily. The bakers work
eight-hour shifts and the ovens are
going night and day. It's probably the
biggest baking job under actual field
service conditions that the army has
had on it's hands for years"
Flour is being purchased from an
Anticipated mill conducted by resi-
dents of Colonia Dublan. Thus far
there has been only one criticism OF
its quality. It's too fresh" the bak-
ers say. Its percentage of starch is
too high in comparison to the per
centage of gluten. But 1t makes very
good bread. Notwithstanding, as any
number of hungry dough boys and
slices of it. smeared with gravy. dis
appear into hungry mouths thre
times day in unbelievable quantities.
Ovens Interesting.
The ovens themselves are probably
more interesting than the victuals they
produce. Army bakers are taught not
only to bake bread, but to build ovens.
They built the pair at the field base
Their materials were mud and brick
With the mud, 'adobeS' were L-ade
and set up as a square base for the
superstructure of brick. This upper
half was aTched in the form oil ca
thedral dome. The floor of the oven
upon which the bread rests is of brick.
Over the brick dome is smeared wet
mud to a depth of four inches, so
every crevice is completely filled. The
two ovens, sitting side by side, loom
uD like giant beehives.
The bakery is situated far enough
from the main camp to prevent dust
raised by passing cavalry horses from
tainting the dough. The yard of the
rancho in which it is set up was
rented from a Mexican farmer for
SIS a month. Then the farmer and
several of his friends hired out to the
army at two silver pesos a day as
wood cutters. They supply the ovens
with fuel.
In the front yard of the 'hacien-
dita" stands weather beaten remind
er of the old days, when all was peace
full in the beautiful valley of Casas
Grandes 1t is a small organ, like
those that used to be found in little
New England churches a generation
ago. The gilt letters on the face and
the keyboard, once bright and shiny
are grimy with dust. The five stop
keys are. cracked. On the corner of
the instrument is a dark stain, tina.
even the dust and dirt doesn't hide
When the old Mexican who owns the
place was asked what it was, he
shrugged his shoulders eloquently and
said: Blood