The evening world., 1919-01-02
VESSEL HAS MADE ELEVEN
ROUND TRIPS.

An unusually heavy battery OF
bigh -pOwerod guns was placed forv
and art. and 4 secondary battery also
provided for defense against enemy
aircraft and submarines. Almost the
entire stan OF officers who had com
manded the ship In the merchant ser
vice were given ranks OF Lieutenant
and Lieutenant Commander In the
Naval Reserve and retained aboard
the vessel Capt, G, G, Preston, an
Annapolis officer. was placed In com
inand, and Naval Reserve crew OF
men from the san Diego Training
| station and the BrCmertOn NaVy
Yard manned the ship Then in
February, 1913. she came through the
Panama Canal and sailed from New
York 10 Brost with her first con
slgnment of $500 troops Since then
she has made eleven round trips.
Because OF her high speed tho
Northern Pacific was used to carry
important diplomatic missions abruua.
In september Secretary Baker trnv.
clled on board this ship when he
made his second trip to the western
front With HIM was MIR. Ryan oi
the Aircraft Board, Cen. Gorras and
large stan, Brig. Gen. Cornelius
vanderbilt travelled on the vessel
when he returned from the front IN
August, aud despatch officers travel
ling between Gen. pershing and the
President always used this ship. II
Was in August that the leViathau
Great Northern and Northern pacit5
raced back from France To New York
The Great Northern established a
, record of days 6 hours between the
Guulct dc BrCst ana the Narrows. th,
Northern Pacific made the run in I
days ~ hours and the leViathan I'm.
ished last IN days 10 hours
OmCCrs and men OF the vessel wCr,
, one big family A. every training
station rockies fought for an assign,
ment To the ship, tor II was known
that In spite of hard, constant duty
, her crew was always happy and con
< tent, "Sho was a home" as tho boy
| used To say, and every man who WOr,
= Northern Pacific" on his hRtbant
T. was envlod throughout the hcct !
y great ocean ferry, Zig- tagging with
out lights through the war zone, he
u guns trained on every swirl of water
3 gll slick or wake, and firing at ever
suspicion Of pCrlsCopc, she ldndC,
= more men abroad than any ship q
her size In the fleet.
Two months ago Cant. Preston wa
transferred To "A hattleHhip, and CAPT
! Nhllll'llA NNph A'llllllhllus ! lt NhNUu
ed men were beginning TO come bach
and the ship was rated ar "A hosplta
ship ana was the first transport /
arrive with her wounded. Carryin
100 men. .,ne is now great float
ing hospital, perfectly equipped wit
all medical stores, instruments an
facilities. and carrying "A large sta
~ medical officers and hospital az
pTentiCes.
This is the FIRST accident Of an
kind 10 happen 20 the vessel since sh
entered the naval service. while
the merchant run on the west coas
however, she was once grounded uT
der very similar circumstances
= Puget Sound Under the naval con
. mand she has been famous for h,
VI luck A tempting prize TO the sui
marines, many nest waited I,
her in vain on one occasion
boat rose directly between her m
tho LCyathan, and her after ru
were smashing shells onto m' Wal
before he could opou FIRE, Many
time hcr lookouts have sighted n
white trdil of "a torpedo that fash,
lust too far astcrn. Vessels on n
same course a few miles aht id We
sunk, vessels that passed doz,
- miles astern met tho u boats thel