Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1917-01-05
Chief Among Transport Boats Is
the Former Giant Liner,
Olympic.
CARRIES 1000 men ON TRIP
Another OF the "Ferry Boats" En-
ployed In Transporting Soldiers
and Munitions 10 the Lauren.
tio--Great Secrecy Observed.

hours distant I'm the mntter oi 'ine'
Great Britain Is maintaining one end
of the longest. most dangerous anu
most important ferry service IN the
world.
"Ferry service" may sound like an
odd phrase, for the moment. to be
used In describing an overseas trans
portation system. but SO frequent are
the snllings. so great the numbers OF
men and tons of munitions and sup
plies carried that the expression Is
really the aptest to be found.
Halifax. N. s.. Is the western termi-
nus OF the great ferry. Its eastern
ends are Liverpool, London. Havre
and Bordeaux.
Few Americans, unless the thing
falls directly under their eyes land
unless they are helped. even then.
with little Information that IL
mighty hard to get). can realize what
an important seaport Halifax Is and
how much Is being done there.
ON vacation trip few days ago !
steamed Into the harbor Of Halifax
through a narrow space, n gate" they
call II. between two lines OF floating
mines that extend from shore to shore
--on the little steamer Florizel Of the
Red Cross line. writes Joseph J. O'Neill
In the New York World.
As we Strengthened out for our dock
there cnnle into view an immense .our-
stack steamer mile or so away from
us. She looked rather familiar at first
glance, and even more so when viewed
through the glasses. Undoubtedly
she was one of the huge passenger
liners tiiat all New Workers. are used
to seeing In their own bay; but there
was something wrong about her. She
looked different. She was OF the dull
grny Of the British navy, and on each
side Of her. forward and aft, protruded
long. wide-mouthed guns.
i, The Twenty-Eioht Ten.
"Whnt ship Is that?' everyone
asked.
But the patriotic British officers of
the Florizel were not telling.
Probably something In the trans
port service, or IN auxiliary cruiser,
VI tut iiht, ftuty icPiiNi.
But II this was transport or an
auxiliary cruiser II was an unusual
one, for there are mighty few boats
afoat the size of this great gray mon
ster.
BY driblets Information about the
Of the curious vacation voyagers after
they got ashore. The town Is filled
with khaki-clad Tommies, of course
Appenled TO for e namo and bust
ness of tho big craft they would usu'
ally reply: ''Cawn't sye, sir, really"
Finally we got this far: ''They call
her Twenty-eight Ten-Transpori
Twenty-eight Ten"
Then. at last, CHANGED to meet and
fraternize with Canadian soldier. a
dap who had just returned from the
oNer side. wounded. and one who was
glad to get BIT of news about the
Uni,ed States (because-thls was con
fidenual-he belonged here himself
\ ana moved me proudly his United
STATES citizenship papers which he hat
carried with him throughout two
years Of scrapping In Belgium and
Francel
That's the Olympic"
Ihat Mig hooker out there? Why
that's the olynpic!" he said. 81 just
came over In her. and tomorrow
morning shes going out with pretty
full cargo OF hnmies. She's nothln
but bloomin' ferry these daysl"
And that's what she was-the Olym
pic. the former pride of the White
Star line, sister ship Of the ill-fated
Titanic, and formerly one of the most
luxurious passenger liners afioat.
But now she is Transport Twenty.
\eight Ten.
And next morning. 20 early that the
dawh-pink hadn't yet shown over the
easternNhorizon. the Olympic went on,
on one ofNher regular ferry-runs. She
Just siippedNout, without whist,
blast without assound. indeed. And
rs my friend in kAQki had said sh
took with her ''pret,g fun cargo {
Tommies."
Now, II you had rambled 's6out Hal
fax the night before and ASKED pr
Yates or officers here and ther
"Whats the big boat taking aw,
when she goes?" you'd have been to-
"Oh, a few hundred men. maybe; n
OF supplies, too" And watching {
Olympic slide OFF through the sen
darkness you wouldn't have be
greatly impressed.
But II you had had better sources
information--a | had. thanks 10 !
original Tommle-pal and some 9th,
You might have learned that insi
the dark gray hull were 1000 men &C
signed TO tie French front-7,O00 st
wart young chaps from the forests n
wheat fields and towns OF the vast 1
minion OF Canada. for the most pa
That was Impressive enough n
seat number OF lighting lads hous