The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-11-29
Work Of S. 0. S. in France Ex.
GELS All History Of Mil
itary Feats.
QUICK SERVICE IS TIE RULE
Army Us:s 100000 Pounds Of Refrig
Grated and Fresh Beef Each Day
Immense Supplies Needed to
Feed Yanks-Works Like
4 Machine.
By CHARLES N. WHEELER.

I'm the CnlCaSO lEIOune.)
In the S. o. S. Sector, Fronce.-The
matter Of feeding the army in France
Is an epic story. 1t is truly Of heroic
proportions.
Just now 1t requires about 100000
pounds of refrigerated and fresh beef
to feed the army in France each day,
besides the hundreds Of thousands Of
pounds of bacon. mutton, ham, corned
beef, canned salmon, and dried and
picked meats and fish. More than 2OO,-
help to make up one days rations.
Something like 100000 cans Of jam.
5000 cans Of peaches, 5000 Jars Of
pickles. 5000 bottles Of catsup. car
loads Of canned lobster and other sea
foods, more than 1000 boxes CT choco-
late, fresh white bread made of Amer
lean -four and all the boys want, even
the good old corn bread served hot, be-
sides the immense quantities Of pota-
toes, beans, prunes. coffee, sugar. milk,
pepper. salt, vinegar, cinnamon, strip.
and about everything found in a we'll
stocked farmers pantry in the United
States are laid before the American
army in France every day-and it is
all there right on the dot.
Works Like a Machine.
II is there In every section of France.
from Scissors and Toul to Marsei>es
and from the Swiss border to the Bay
of Biscay. All France is great in
dustrial place and there IS hardly
spot in the whole country, including
the sections under heavy shell, fire.
where the s. o. S. is not standing at
attention when the dinner bell rings.
UGMeantime, men and munitions. and
all manner Of supplies are moving up
TO- the front continuously, and the
fighters are coming back for little
rest. Tho j machinery works smoothly
and efficiently. There are side lines
of great interest. One Of these is the
travelling bathroom. An outfit that re-
quires only three trucks Is how sent up
to the lines to greet the boys as they
come out Of the trenches and give
them a fine scrubbing. Each outfit
will wash 500 hoys an hour.
Meantime the S. o. S. is filing orders
from the front. 1t may be few thou
sand infantry, an artillery regiment
or several such regiments, machine
gun companies, and so on through the
list. They are delivered Immediately.
1.-The wounded have to be brought
back to tho hospitals. The trains and
ambulances are ready and they move
like clockwork-except that getting
back from the first~aid stations at times
Is not quite as slow as clock. The
wounded are sent to all corners Of
France and the big machine works on
almost fautlessly.
Whole armies Of the mobile sections
now are transported quickly from sec.
tor to sector. 1t is up to the S. o. S.
to see that all this equipment is pro.
vided.
Salvage Work Important.
The $. 0. S. besides doing an enor-
nous business in the manufacturing
line. conducts large salvage plant, or
plants, into which flows steady
stream Of battlefield wreckagc. In the
clothing branch of the work alone they
are saving thn-taxpaye-s back home
I 1850, 900 q -moz.th. More important
than the money saving is the saving Of
tonnage.
At one station mammoth American
locomotives are assembled "while you
| S}x- ~ khnco 10rio thov,e po mt
together every day and are doing their
bit the next day. "-'-' =,
1t was found advisable to operate a
special train for American militia ~
men between two widely separated
points in France, AS soon as the neces-
sity presented itself the train was in
stalled. 1t Is called the "American
Special" It is manned by Pullman car
porters negro boys who have had
long training on the de luxe trains ba ok
home. They are rated as first class
wagon men here. American railway
conductors have been assigned to this
train, or trains, one running each way
every "a hours.
OF one thing the mothers back home
may be thoroughly assured, and that is
that not one of their boys wants for q
single THU. in the way of subsistence
and medical and surgical attention No
army ev:r took the field better pro-
vided. Ar: while the appropriations are
, being pasSct; around It is :.nt out of
place to observe that the subsistence
division IF the war department ut
Washington ds entitled to decoration
for the efficiency it has achieved.
Something over 100000 enlisted men
and about 25.O0O women comprise the
help" in the S. q. $. organization. A
large number O! officers. Of course, are
, required for The supervising positions
but practically nj OF :ic workers are
men in Khaki who have hcen ts-Dlcd
the 'amE1uniticn passe:s." /.
Employs Army OF Woman.
: OF the 25,OCl wom4 IN t." fx0rl
most OF them are F.cSch e...Ic:.
1