The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-17
Giant Ships Record of Hav-
ing Sunk Two U-Boats
Told at Last.
DODGED, MANY SHOTS
Sunset Prayer" Said Daily
When Vessel Transported
100000 Soldiers.
GERMAN SPEED ECLIPSED
Tumult Of Welcome Given to
Vessel-Battle at
the Pier.
GERMAN SPEED ECLIPSED

mon. Lord. art in the mlaet Of us, and
mis-. holy name is called lea upon BY us; leave
Rsnember. 9 most gracious virsin Mother.
S Vas ei, W Wunaided o Mother of the. Word
los.nas deyp.e sSd nos sS.xsr S%r petition but in
is., VS. We may wake with Christ and rest In
viht. we beseech Thee, o Lord, our dis, ant
homes and families; thine angels guard them
with Thy peace and benediciion. Bless this
her all the snares of the enemy: guide her
uron . tranquil course unto the wished for
Nay the Lord Almighty. grant us quiet
rirht and a perfect end. Jesu mercy. Amen.
From the "Sunset Prayer at Sea" aboard
the q. s. s. Lsuidihdn.
Every evening since the giantess
mother Of all ships, the United States
naval transport Leviathan, began n
year ago to rush American troops to
he European fighting fronts the blue
Jacket buglers just a moment before
The sun sank into the sea blew SAT
tentonr' A cityful aboard the great
ship, jammed on deck or below, In
stantly stood silent and rigid. Out
upon the navigation bridge of the
ship there came the naval chaplain
Of the Leviathan and said aloud the
Sunset Prayer Mt Sea-"
The undersea Hun harpies, hugging
the greatest ship as close as they
dared, perhaps were stretching lacy
strips on the surface Of summer or
winter seas just fore or aft of the
speeding transport as their torpedoes
slid harmlessly by and beyond their
own masterpiece of shlpbuilding.
Nevertheless the bareheaded chap
lain said the prayer each evening
amid a silence broken only by the
>wish Of the wind and sea and, far
below, the throb of the giant engines,
Agnostic, Protestant, Jew, Catholic
and atheist all stood rigid until the
end of the prayer. even though they
we're 50 many decks below the navi-
sation bridge that they could lend a
part to the prayer merely to the ex-
-nnt Of facing toward the spot where
,hey knew the bridge must be.
Final Phases of Service.
Al the end Of the prayer they said
re Act of Contrition" individually in
ne brief way the chaplain had taught
'Nom TO say IT. Then, just before the
Chaplain pronounced the General Abb
solution" they Joined in his prayer,
into Thy hands, o Lord, we COM
END ourselves. Fouchsafe, o Lord
,iis night to keep us without harm y
md as the sun sank below the sea
Inc the thousands of soldier and sailor
lads, whether standing in groups or
alone, said aloud the Lords Prayer
deliver us from evil"
Wherefore the Leviathan, with H.
.24 fighting souls aboard and after n
year Of service that was a year in the
constant presence OF death. swan
lhacefully through the Narrows and
up the bay to her dock yesterday amid
On early morning bang and blast and
9'r spreading Groom OF welcome. She
ID In her great year dumped more
i1an 100000 fighting men on the
t1ores OF France, with all the Central
lowers all the time trying to stop
Ter, but with never so much as a
G"nted plate yesterday over which the
Hun might chortle.
Sometimes the Boche shells had
fnrieked through the meshes Of her
SPIDER web rigging, and on one day
before the armistiCe was signed she
t"med certainly doomed to a death
how as a U-boat surged upward with
Snddenncss that sent tons OF water
kIasc!ng on the f1shback OF the sub
marine within 200 yards OF the Levia-
ans port quarter
And did the chaplain, crew and
troops say general prayers when that
Etppened?" the ships officer, who told
@ the happenings OF that close call,
.as asked after the Leviathan had
cooked at Pier 4 in Hoboken yester-
day.
No Time Then for Prayers.
Prayers?" no blurted. Hell, no!
"hen the U-boats werc in sight we
we're always too busy firing at EN- to
htVe time for our prayers. Not that
hnyoody was too excited to pray when
" We were attacked. and maybe a lot OF
.nese boys were praying while they
Hred' don't know. But when a
scrap was on. which was often, II was
"'oFe Ike a heavy hitting ball game at
,He Polo Grounds 1.-THE officer racon-
@ ~ur males from HarlemI than any
thing else"
Why like n ball gamer"
because all the army was hanging
S.sr the side OF the ship nearest tho
-ooat cheering the navy gunners.
.en me women aboard cheered. With
more than"
women? What women"
me army nurses. I've been over
w. ~, every trip the ship has made and
. " VIZ tphah he