The sun., 1918-12-13
S96 HEROES OF 100
FIELDS ON MERCY
Hospital Ship Welcomed as
She Comes to City Out Of
Morning Mists.
WOUNDED VETERANS GAY
Col. Hughes, Who Got Bumped
o Bit Among Troops That
Are Home Again.

The one time Ward Line steamship
Saratoga, now the United States Navy
hospital ship Mercy. camo out OF the
very early morning mists Of Quaran-
tine yesterday and headed for the Gov
eminent piers at Hoboken with her
precious cargo of wounded soldiers
sailors and marines from more thar
100 battlefields Of France.
Some Of the wounded aboard had
been trained at Camp Uptor<back in
the days which, they said, seemed now
like a wholly different period OF exist
encc. Throughout the preceding night
the Mercy had been lying at nch of
Quarantine, the 896 wounded men be-
low decks waiting impatiently for the
breaking of the great day that was to
unfold to their view a sight of the
doorstep to America.
Early as the hour was when the
Mercy began to move yesterday morn
ing-she was snug in her berth at Pier
4 Hoboken, by 6 A. M.-wounded Of
fcers and men able to be up and about
were hobbling toward vantage points
OF the decks, the wounded privates
showing a strong leaning for that part
of the vessel which Private Tommy
Philbin of Just outside OF Bergman,
iowa" referred to as the front stoop
OF the boat"
Mercy Arrives Early.
Doubtless if the Mercy had not ar
rived in the upper bay at so unearthly
an ante fapjack hour the whole water
front would have bust loose with all
the noise left over from the raucous
welcome which has been SO generously
unlimbered on similar occasions dur
ing recent days. There were navy II
army surgeons aboard the ship who
said. however, that they were just as
glad the Mercy mad steamed up the
river at "A time Of day which made
nerve racking noise Out of the ques-
ton.
It goes without saying that the
Mercy's human cargo carried a ca
pacity stock Of Homeric tales. most OF
which will not be told until the white
faced lads aboard have got color into
their cheeks again and are sitting
around the stove with Il home folks
on coming wintry days and nights in
RaRyeed Junction, Philadelphia. East
Houston street. Lee Court House,
Painted Fish and similar civic centres
near and far and back of beyond. And
IL any of them missed the noise OF
welcome he promptly forgot his dis
appointment In the greater thrill OF
looking right straight at the front ele-
walton OF a lady who stood with her
feet on Bedloe's Island n her bronze
brow in the clouds.
Band Eager to Welcome.
The sliphorn players, bass drum
mers and oompahers of the Camp Mer-
rift Overseas Band did not think II too
narly- however, to be on the job TO
welcome the returning fighting men.
Tho brass crashed and the trumpts
brayed all over the Hoboken water
front as the Mercy was nosed into her
dock by the fussy little tugboats. And
the cheers from lusty lads on the piers,
all equipped with full morocco lungs
more thar made up, so the returning
wounded seemed to believe, for the
lack of mechanical noise of whistles
and sirens.
Followed more thar two hours Of
breakfast, medical attentions and Other
real businesses Of life. Then along
came the good ship Patrol, stuffed Il
her gills with about every n on the
Mayors welcoming committee, aidet
and abetted by h Police Department
Bands the Police Department Glee Clut
and numerous perfectly fair specimen.
OF the Women's Police Reserve organ,
ixation.
Three hundred and fifty-six OF thu
wounded men aboard were soldiers, 81
were marines. foul were wounded sail
ors. If they were thankful to ge
home, they were anything but enthusi
astic about the brand of upside-dow1
weather which had been handed t.
them on the home coming trip.
'There vas one night in midocean,'
declared Private Peter Flanagan Of
4O7 West 205th street, wounded while
fighting with the Old S%ixty-ninth.'
"when the part of this skiff on which
] happened to be went seventy fee
into the air and then slammed bach
onto the Atlantic Ocean so suddenly
hat 1 left my liver up there"
The friends of Jack Hughes-Lieut..
Col. John A. Hughes of the marines
had somehow guessed that when /
came to returning to America Col
Hughes would be aboard a hospita
ship. He was. Service stripes raj
across his tunic. which showed tina
during his nineteen years of service
he had mixed up with trouble in thu
Philippines, Hayti, Santo Domingo
Mexico and anywhere else the First t
Fight lads were needed.
Also while in France recently Col
Hughes had picked up three othe
little trinkctS to wear home-th'
Medal OF Honor, the French Croi!
do Guerre and the d. S. o.. He haI
been "all over France" the woundet
Col. Hughes admitted when presse,
for details, first with the Sixth Ma
rines and then with the Twenty-thir,
Infantry. Men and brother officer
had been killed and wounded by hi
side. but not until the st. Mihie
salient was smashed by Black Jacl
Pershing in a few hours did the Hum