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WCU - Horace Kephart

Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 1

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Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 1

HL_MSS80_24_01_01_03_01
Item 2 - Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 2
wcu_kephart-665.jpg

Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 2

HL_MSS80_24_01_01_03_02
Item 3 - Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 3
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Horace Kephart to Ezra H. Fitch, April 5, 1911, page 3

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Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • (Cop,.) > Bryson City, N*C*> April 5, 19X1. Kr# E*rm H. Pitch, New Xork: Dear tfr. Fitch.-- Somo time ago you sent me a Preston Individual mess kit* asking my candid opinion of it. The Preston kit is ingenious and veil made; but It is adapted tc the needs of only a small proportion of cmnpers. Most of us take our outings where a canteen is superfluous. The Preston kit lacks the prime essential, which is a kettle* Its sauoe pan is no substitute, being too small and too easily tipped over- In every European army the kettle is the chief Item of the soldier's cook* lng kit- In our army a mess pan la substituted, because we rely upon the wagons to carry company cooking outfits; but this Is bad tactics in time of war. It Is out of the question for wilderness faring* An Individual cooking kit should include: 1. A seamless cup of about 1 l/2 pints capacity* to be carried separately, on the outside of pack, or wherever It i& easily get- -at-able on the march; for it is wanted many times a day. 2* A kettle for carrying water, boiling, stewing* etc* 3* A fry pan big enough for four eggs or a couple of medium trout* It may be long and narrow, without detriment* 4- Plate, knife, fork, spoon, and can-openor. The latter Is usually omitted, but. In these days. Is even more essential than knife flf Cork. I have given a great deal of study to this matter of an Individual cooking kit, for it comes up every day in the woods. X know that many another outer who takes pedestrian tours, or who ■takes side trips from camp, has bothered over the sntfo problem. The demand for such a kit is already considerable, and would become much greater if a really good one were put on the market. The accompanying sketches show my idea of a combined mess kit and lunch box for one man. It comprises not only everything except the drinking cup, that a lone traveler needs In the way of cooking and eating utensils, but also has receptacles for two days' rations of everything. These receptacles prevent the otherwise inevitable musslncss, and protect the food from moisture and vermin* Provision Is even made for carrying fresh eggs without risk of breakage. When mealtime comes, the owner of such a kit merely unloads his kettle, sets its contents on the grass, retches some water In the kettle, and builds a fire. Everything that he wonts is before him, in convenient receptacles. When he is through eating, his utensils are easy to wash, and the whole affair is repacked in a few seconds. No sooty utensil is nested inside another. The packed kettle is strapped shut, slipped Into a khaki cover, and either stowed Inside the knapsack or strapped outside (the cover having a loop on inner side, one-third way from top, for this purpose). The dimensions of the complete kit are 7 C/8 Inches wide, 5 inches high, and 4 l/8 inches deep, over all. The weight, without food, need not exceed one and a half pounds. There are no sharp corners to abrade the carrier, no flip-floppy dangling or rattling things. And there is no musslness: everything is in the Hunter Library Special Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
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Horace Kephart

Background and Early Career Horace Kephart was born in 1862 in Pennsylvania, but spent much of his youth in Iowa. He went on to achieve success in two careers. Trained as a...

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