The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-11-23
Seaman Aston Visiting Relatives Here
Made Ter Round Trips on
Record Breaking Ship
of American Navy.
THEY ALL GOT sEAsIcK
system Of Loading Worked Perfectly
and Few Hours Only Were
Required to Embark
Thousands

Making the fastest round trip OF
any transport from America TO france
in the largest and fastest liner tornl-
erIy Of the Pacific coast and now a
navy vessel, is part of the expert
ences Seaman A. NJ. Aston had dur
ing the ten round trips he made dur-
ing the last year.
He Is now on leave visiting his
father, G. r. Aston, OF 1924 Timea
street
Lately he has been doing the work
OF quartermaster on q. s. 8. Great
Northern, and he wears on his sleeve
the gold service stripe won by enough
service across the ocean.
His ship sighted the wakes OF
come submarines and fred on them
and on various floating objects which
Uaigtt have been submarines but We're
NOT. but never had an encouter with
o Hun uuderseas boat.
When They Got seaaick.
~The outward bound trips were
crowded with soldiers" he said this
snprning, "bu+ the houeward bound
trips were very enjoyable. Going
over, the ship was full of soldiers, but
they had orders to keep out OF the
way of the sailors and always gave
as gaugway, so they did not get IN
our way mich.
"On the westward voyages. we al
ways had some returning officers and
casualties. and they got up entertain
reents which we all enjoyed very
rsrcfr. and they We're good shows.
Eyes, the soldiers all got seasick,
znd some of them got seasicl, or
imagined they were, as soon as we got
SIT of New York hasrbor- Before we
reached France, they would all be-
seasick. but luckily not all at once.
BY getting seasick IN relays, some
more every day as the first ones re-
severed, the rail of the ship was long
enough for the purpose most Of the
time.
American System Wins.
EVERY convoy we had was all
American, and we never had any
other flag in sight on any convoy yes
sci we had with us on any of the
trips"
1t took eight hours to load ship
full OF soldiers at Hoboken, and the
syster az described by Seaman
Aston worked like cIocEwork. AS
the men marched aboard, navy man
stood at the head of the gangway and
gave each soldier slip of paper.
This contained the soldiers bunk
number. compartment designation. life
boat number. abandon ship station,
muster station, and every instruction
for the voyage. The soldiers went a.
once and each stood by his bunk in
his compartment and the eonDart-
rnents held from $50 TO nine hundred
men each When all were aboard
general quarters were sounded on
gongs. and each man went to hts
abandon ship station, his position IN.
stantIy accounting for him and all the
Others.
a Record Breaking Ship
The Great Northern Is one of two
magnificent steamships built by Jim
Hill for the SeattIe-San francisco
trade now converted into naval
vessel She went from Seattle to
New York through Panama after Sea
nan Aston Joined her.
She made round trip between Eo-
boken and Brest In fourteen days, -four
and a half hours once, taking over a
lead of soldiers. Such figures help To
explain the remarkable rapidity OF the
transportation of the American
army to Europe
Seaman Aston lived in Hamilton
most Of his life, and his grandmother