Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-25
No Wonder Germany Quit
NUMBER THIRTY

When we first went into the
thing that used to make us all sore,
said Major Frank c. Mahin, of the
Army Recruiting Station, 325 Mark
ct street, Harrisburg" and that was
that when the men were cold,
wet and exhausted, the Eng
lish and French troops received
an issue of brandy, rum or wine to
brace them up and stimulate them,
while under the same circumstances
we were expected to get stimulated
on fresh air. Prohibition is all
right. but about four o'clock of
dark, rainy morning, when you are
plastered with mud and have had
no sleep or dry clothes for days
your vitality is at the very lowest
ebb. The onay thing you really de-
sire in the world at such a time is
to die as quickly as it is possible to
do so, and l really mean that. A
gill of brandy or rum will warm you
clear to the toes and put life and
pep in your veins. A quart of hot,
black coffee will do equally well,
but the question is how to get hum
dreds of gallons of hot coffee up to
the front line trenches. 1t simply
couldn't be done, consequently our
men had to suffer, and suffer they
did for while. Finally we began
to get soluble coffee issued for use
in the trenches and as we couldn't
build fires to heat water we also
drew cans of solidified alcohol.
Then things took on another aspect
in the American sectors. When a
man came in chilled to the bone and
about all in, he touched a match
to can of alcohol, put his cup full
of water on top and in a couple of
minutes dropped in two or three
spoons full of soluble coffee, stirred
1T up and 10! he had a cup of fine
strong, black coffee. But here came
in problem; the entire output of
soluble coffee in the United States
was only six thousand pounds daily
and the army needed forty-two
thousand pounds per day in France
alone. When we tried to increase
the production it was found that
there was only one company in the
entire United States which could
make the necessary bronze parts for
the machinery needed and this
company was already swamped with
rush war orders. Also the material
used was vital in the manufacture
of other munitions. But it was even
more important that the Doughboy
at the front be given hot drinks,
so the necessary machinery was
built and put in operation. OF
course this soluble coffee was only
an emergency drink and during the
daytime coffee was brought up ready
made in cans from the rolling kit
chens in rear. At the beginning of
the war coffee was purchased, ready
nd a F11 ftN,
petitive dealers. 1t was then col
lected in warehouses, shipped to
France held there in storage and
finally after six months or so reach
ed the troops up front. BY that time
1t had deteriorated so much that
! half its value as a stimulant was
lost and it was often in a crumbly
condition resulting in Muddy
coffee for the men. So we had to
change that and ship all coffee to
France in the green berries, build
roasting and grinding plants in var
ious parts of France. Then we
| found there was a shortage of train
ed men and we had to go to work
| and teach men how to roast and
grind coffee and send them over to
operate the plants in France. Six
teen such plants were built overseas
with capacity sufficient to take
care of 100000 men. Incidentally
this system was very much cheaper
for the Government than the old
system of purchasing already roast
ed and ground. So finally, instead
of getting a liter Quart of sour,
red wne-'pinard the French Poilu
calls it-a day as the Frenchmen
did and an emergency issue of rum
or brandy that was so strong and
fiery it made your hair stand on
end our boys were getting all they
wanted of the American National
drink good coffee"