The sun., 1919-07-06
3,346 Casual Officers on the
Leviathan Growl Over
Loss Of Dignity.
NATION SAVES S1,OOO,OOO
Two Murder Prisoners Disap-
pear From Mount Vernon
During the Voyage.

hhch IOuI NTdhSpOl 70 iaAucu thSh ~ hiiAo
port. The Leviathan. which steamed up
the river early in the afternoon, carried
the largest number, 1929 military pas
sengers, including Major-Gen. David c.
Shanks, Brig.-Gens. Lesley J. McNair,
Briant II. Wells Benjamin d. Koulois
and William T. Wood. all travelling as
casuals. The big ex-German liner also
had record number of casual officers
OF other ranks, there being 1886 on
board.
incidentally, every one OF the 3,346
who could get within hailing distance of
a reporter had a tale OF woe TO tell. The
Leviathan Is a big ship. the biggest
there IL, but not even the Leviathan had
first class accommodations for the more
than 5000 officers, and in consequence
many a Lieutenant who counted on a
pleasant stateroom. possibly with a pri-
waite bath, a steamer chair on deck and
three meals a day at the Government
rate of 81 in the liners saloon. found
himself sleeping on a mattress in troop
space G and standing in line for his
chow, like the veriest doughboy. To
add insult to injury. officers of the lower
ranks were restricted to certain decks
end blue dungaree overalls were served
out to all hands, so that gold and silver
gave their wearers no credit, but were
even lost to sight
There was much talk on the pier at
Hoboken of breaking down the discipline
OF the army by such unprecedented re-
moval of the distinctions between off,
Z GERS and enlisted men, and 1t was said
that one young aviator had gone SO far
as TO file wireless message to Senator
Hiram Johnson asking him to meet the
ship on arrival and view the indigni-
ties to which his constituent had been
exposed. Senator Johnson was not
among those present on the pier and
there seemed to be some slight suspicion
among the casual officers that the mes
sage possibly had not been despatched.
Officers Dignity Damaged.
So far as could be ascertained from
the explosions of indignant language
which sounded along the ships side like
a barrage. no one had suffered any
real hardship on the voyage. The dam
age reported with such vehemence was
done only to the dignity OF their owners
Col. Robert S. Knox OF the Regular
Army, who was in command OF the
troops on board, admitted that there
had been some growing on the voyage
but said that 1t had died out after a
couple of days.
ne Hdu paTtHhen OF every meal tnat
was served aboard, he said and had
found no cause for complaint. He also
declared that the officers had double the
space allotted TO enlisted men, so that
the transport was filled to only SO per
cent. of her capacity, and that each Of
ficer had received a clean mattress,
sheets and pillows the first day at sea.
The Fifty-ninth Pioneer Infantry. for
merly the Delaware National Guard.
furnished
aboard and did all the guard duty and
fatigue work, so that the only duties i'm
posed on the long suffering casual Of
hcsIs were eating and sleeping.
Commander Stratton, executive officer
OF the ship. said that the Government
had saved 100000 by bringing the
casual officers back according to the plan
adopted on the Leviathan.
The Leviathan hung up a new record
for the round trip from New York to a
French port. Her time for the round
trip from Ambrose Channel Lightship to
Brest and back again was IA days. 81
hours and Al minutes. The distance is
approximately 6,40o miles.
Two Prisoners Disappear Mt Sea.
On the Patricia there were 2,S49 men
and officers, while the Italian liner
Caserta, from Genoa and Marseilles,
b,756 names on her passenger list, but
two of her company were unaccounted
for when she locked. The missing men
were two general prisoners, one under
sentence of life Imprisonment for muir
der and the other facing a fifteen year
term for an attempt at the same crime.
Tho prisoners got away from their
guards on the last night OF the voyage
and a thorough search OF the entire
vessel, including even the boilers. which
were not under steam. failed to find
them.
Sentries with fixed bayonets guarded
the ship after she locked at Hoboken,
and as the troops marched down the
gangplank each man was scrutinized by
officers, who knew the missing prisoners
by sight, but when the debarkation had
been completed the prisoners were still
unaccounted for. Army officers in
charge refused to give the names OF
the missing men, They regarded the
theory that the men had jumped over
board during the night as very improb-
able and seemed inclined to think that
the prisoners would be found in the
bunkers or storerooms.
- jor r. c. Rodgers was in COM
mand of the troops on board. COM
prising number Of scattered units
Travelling as casuals were Brig Gen
Charles Il. Wheeler. who was chief of
ordnance Of the A. L. F.. from April
1918, and who. received the Legion CT
Honor from the French Government, and
Brig. Gen Manus McCloskey OF Pitts
burg
McCIoskey Wins War HOnors.
Gen. MoCloskey went to France as
Colonel of the Twelfth Field Artillery
and was In command Of the organiza-
ton when II acted as a support for the
and Scissors He was promoted TO
Brigadier General on August 10, 1918.
The general wore the ribbon of the
Croix de Guerre with three palms and
the American Victory Medal with seven
\ stars, each indicating major engage
ment
Tho 1O4 casual officers who landed
from the Caserta at pier Sc, North
River yesterday at noon. were all
students at the A. f. f. University at
Beaunne, which was established 10 give
special courses to the members of the
American Army between the date O.
the armistice and their return to their
homes. The courses included arts and
letters. business law. engineering and
preparation for the civil. consular and
diplomatic services. and were attended
by 1000 officers and men.
Among the civilian passengers on thu
: Caserta was Miss Winfield +. Winning
ton, a young English girl who served
with the British Admiralty in Italy dur
ing the war and Is now on her way
10 visit her father at Victoria. r. q
She said that she was in Rome at the