The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-08-24
SIGHT SEEING ABOARD
AMERICAN TRANSPORT
Associated Press Correspondent Had Sat
isfaction of Being Shown Around
One Ship of Great Amer
lean Armada.


Aug. "a Correspondence of the Asso-
ciated Press Am american armada of
IL great transports bringing $4,000 fight
ing men to France had come quietly into
port during the night and the landing of
this little army was soon to begin
Going on board the transports, the As
ISOLATED Press correspondent had an OPP
portunity to see the equipment for this
huge undertaking. and how the men had
lived and Jared on their trip across. 1t
was long climb up the rope ladder to
the deck of former Ward liner rebuilt
as a transport Soldiers packed the
decks and were thick as flies in every
cabin, hatch and between decks down to
the very bowels of the ship. The spa
cious promenade deck had disappeared,
and in its place were long lines of
'stsndees," or metal hammocks, for the
men sleep in the open on deck as well as
between decks
The men looked well, and the report
from the sick bay showed only six cases
of sickness out of 5000 men aboard, a
very good showing, said the doctor In
the mess hall relief of men were tax
ing their breakfast. There was no sit
ting down at table The men stood at
high troughs, very clean and practical,
each man with his own tin plate. knife,
fork and spoon, tossing off with relish
the hot coffee and good white bread and
butter We tasted this bread and found
it reveIation-real bread, so different
from the potato bread we are used to as
war diet. And real butter, luxury for
soldiers only, which no one begrudged
them
Between decks tiny blue lights were
burning TO let the men see their way
about with some degree of freedom.
These are the only lights aboard, no
lights on deck of any kind, to avoid
danger of fire. AT night the men felt
their way about.
The living quarters between decks
were scrupulously clean, and even after
10 DAYS Of this crowded life afioat there
was not a trace of odor, the floors were
scrubbed and sthere was no little about
It would have cheered the heart of an
exacting housekeeper.
"The admiral says it is the cleanest
transport afoat," said the naval officer
with as much pride in the record as one
in craftsmanship.
In the wash rooms the men were at
long porcelain wash troughs. Every
thing showed the spick and span neat
ness of the efficient naval management.
In the kitchen galley savory dishes were
being prepared, and in the breadmaking
plant the long line Of ovens were turning
out stacks of white bread for these 5000
hearty eaters This was meatless day,
for civilians, but one of the negro cooks
offered lis a taste of the steaming meat
curry which would have done credit to a
Paris chef
An exciting event of the trip was
learned as we passed along. Most of the
voyage had been uneventful. But, near
ing this side a lookout had signalled the
appearance of periscope. Soon the deck
guns got mot action, and two depth
charges were dropped over the spot where
the periscope was last seen But here
was no further sign of hostile craft If
the depth charges took effect they left
no trace, for there was no wreckage on
the water. Very soon the incident had
passed and some of the ships did not
even know anything unusual had &C.
Cured.
On the upper deck we saw the deadly
depth charges and the long toboggan
slide along which they are started on
their errand. The charges were in metal
cylinders the size of cask, two on each
side ready to drop over.
Besides these the gunnery officer was
proud of the possession of guns made for
use on battleships but mounted here on
deck
"They will outshoot any submarine
afloat," said the officer, patting his big
weapons as though they were pets.
In the officers mess hall one of the
officers summed up the results of the
trip. Most of the men, he said, were
from the west, with a large number of
farmer boys who had never been on the
water before. This was great eX-
perience, great adventure, and they
were eager for it. There was little sea
sickness after the first few days The
men looked forward anxiously to getting
into the fighting front, for there was
one common impulse running through
them all, as shown by their letters home
that there was big job ahead which
had to be done, and they wished to do it
and have done with il so as to return
home.
As we came ashore two American air.
plane sections were being debarked, with
their liberty motors and all the parapher-
MALTA of flight These arrivals, long de-
ferred but now coming strong and fast,
we're almost as cheering as the arrival
of troops, and together they signalled
that vital part in men and machines
that America would soon be taking in
the critical stage of the great conflict.