The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-23
HOODOO ABANDONS
i TRANSPORT GRANT
stork Visits Vessel Near Home
Port on Last Voyage as
Troopship.
PENNANT SLOWED AWAY
Combination Makes Trip Best
1t Has Had; 141 War
Brides on Board.
pENNANT SLOWED AWAY

whether It was the result OF carrying
homeward bound pennant neatly,
.,oved away in the flag locker. or just
no way old Grandfather Neptune had
n, greeting his latest grandchild. Miss
Nellie Grant Scott, who was born at six
bells Of the morning watch on Sunday.
all hands on board the transport Pres
,aent Grant were agreed that the last
yovage Of the former German liner as a
naval transport had been by all odds the
best, for the Grant had just begun to
acquire a reputation as a hoodoo ship.
Rad weather had pursued her for
months, nobody in the wardroom mess
eould fill a hand in friendly contests
with the representatives of the sister
service at Brest, and as for the bones
well they just would not act right for
ANYBODY who had U. S. S. President
Grant on the band OF his fat hat. To
make matters worse, when the trans
nort was two days out from New York
on her previous voyage and the crew
had Clipped in for the finest silk home
ward bound pennant that ever flew from
the foretop Of a navy ship. under the
IMPRESSION that their days in the trans
mort service were dope. orders came to
return to Brest after discharging troops
and cargo.
Yachting Trip Homeward.
Ava,n had Weather pursued the vessel
ali the way across and Il wasn't until 1t
rad laid in Brest for a day or two that
The luck changed. Suddenly the bones
began to heed the calls OF their frantic
owners, the wardroom mess grew cheer
ful over the outcome or sundry contests
with the army. and the sun made its
semi-annual appearance at Brest, Or
ders TO proceed to New York ana stay
there were received and the voyage
home was a regular yachting t.ip. But
the homeward bound pennant remained
in the flag locker by unanimous vote OF
tho crew, and until Sunday morning 1t
was the general opinion that that was
why the hoodoo had been shaken at
last.
Lieut. J. G. Hoffander, who was
standing the morning watch on Sunday
as officer Of the deck. Is of the opinion
that Miss Nellie Grant Scott should be
thanked for the change in the trans
ports luck, for Is 1t not the luckiest
thing that can happen to ship to have
& baby born aboard her. and does not
the officer of the deck get the biggest
share Of the luck? Lieut.. Hoffander
thinks so anyway.
The baby is the daughter of Private
Edwin Scott of 81 Van Dyke street
Brooklyn, late a member of the 310th
Infantry and before that able seaman OF
bis Bntannic Majesty's navy, which he
Joined four years ago while on visit
10 southampton His wife Is an Eng
lbh girl
141 War Brides, 81 Babies.
There were 141 var brides on the shiI
and thirty-one babies, including Nellie
Grant The dean of the returning bride
rooms was Master Gunner Alexander
H Bowman of the famous Fifth Regi
ment of Marines. Belleau Woods, Cha
teau Thierry and the other engagement;
In which the marine brigade distin'
guished itself are only chapters in Gun
ner Bowman's war record. however. fo1
ne was a first class fighting man many
years before the Kaiser set out for his
dinner party in Paris. He has been sol
dering for thirty-eight years and ha;
served in the United States Army, NAVY
and Marine Corps, and the land force:
Of China, Mexico, Great Britain ant
France.
In Morocco he enlisted in the French
Foreign Legion, that magnificent aggre'
cation Of soldiers of fortune which held
throughout the war a reputation as the
Reiment d'elite of the entire French
army. With them he helped stop the
. Germans at Verdun. but only at the ex
pense Of his sight, which he lost as the
result Of gas poisoning. He was re-
turned to this country, had his sight re-
stored by an operation performed by
Lieutenant-Com Spencer of the
Navy Medical Corps, an old friend; en-
listed in the marines and went at Il
again. His wife, formerly Miss Anne
Blanchard of Southampton, is an ole
sweetheart he first met on visit t.
England before the war. Gunner Bow
man wears the French Colonial Medal
the Croix de Guerre and the Cross Of
the Legion Of Honor.
The troops on the President Grant IN
cluded the 2s1st Military Police Com
pany and sixteen casual companies, al
under the command of Col. w. N. Win
ters of the Regular Army