The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-08
MAURITANIA HERE
WITH 2,755 TROOPS
Mostly British-American Vet
Grams Who Served on Many
Hard Fought Fronts.
BAGPIPEs STIR THRONGs
Some Of Brig. Gen. Coles Reg.
ulars Also Welcomed at
Fourteenth st. Pier.

Auv WiNTu V&&pVDis 70 Wv oSSsSah
Kiitiss Band. that never marched With
more confident strides In their flowing
plaid apparel. stirred folks on the Cum
ard pier at the foot OF West fourteenth
street last evening to barbaric enthu-
slasm as they skirled that rousins Bob
by Burns melody. scots wha has we
wallace Bled-" There were lots Of war
veterans Of Scotch descent lining the
starbosrd rail of the Mauretanla as
she warped In on the northerly side Of
the pier. but II was not 20 much the
nationality Of the inspiring tune that
made the veterans Jump and cheer. II
was the martial swing and sentiment
that hit 'em- For the hrst time in the
record Of arriving troopships. soldiers
aboard threw cigarettes and british
coin from ths rail TO the pier and hun
dreds scrambled for tho memorials.
Conspicuous among the souvenir
throwers crowding the rails were 2,7s5
ofncsrs and mon. near citixens and citi-
sens OF the United States, who were in
this country when the war started and
volunteered to help the British in their
hght against the Central Powers. They
wore the uniforms Of about nifty differ
/ emit regiments that fought on all the
fronts. They ware In charge of Major
II. II. Burne, son Of an Australian ply
sicisn. The Major was q poster artist In
this city when in October, 1914. he de-
cided that he ought to take part in the
conflict. He went 70 England and en-
listed in the field artillery. He has re-
ceived the Military Cross. His adjutant
n Capt. Mclean Jasper of Chicago. and
his orderly 10 Sergeant ]. II. Merrill,
Boston lawyer. who served q year and
half In the Royal Horse Artillery.
More than 1000 Of the British-Ame
can soldiers who declared that they were
American citixens made . demonstration
aboard ship late last night when they
were told by immigration inspectors that
they could not land because they had
not been properly manifested Purser
Shedding said that he had been informed
by Major-General that passenger mani
tests Usually required by the United
states law were not necessary In the case
of returning soldiers originally citizens
of the United States
The immigration inspectors said the
poldlers were legally passengers and
needed manifesto, and as there were no
manifests there could be no discharges
When the men learned that they could
not debark in their adopted land they
said thinss uncomplimsntary to both the
British and American governments. They
were particularly wroth at the British
Government for bungiing things. Some
OF the men who lived within twenty
blocks or less Of the Cunard pier, cursed
the laws that had held them up. In all,
there were 100 men residing in FIVE
Soroushs Of this city and in near by
Jersey townA
West Indians in Kills.
Strangely CARRIED. from the viewpoint
OF the average American. were score
of black West Indians. who wore the
kits OF Highland regiment and were
referred to as scorohed Americans. The
British American contingent wore the
uniforms OF many regiments and had
fought on all the fronts which England
helped TO hold or held alone.
The youngest warrior aboard was O.
p. Bissant. high school boy who on his
sixteenth birthday, last year. decided
that he would have to help civilization
win the war. He did not get a chance
He Joined the Hlghlanders and was
much disappointed whom instead of being
sent to the front he was put on garrison
duty at Kinsale, ireland. where later
there were ructions, which may be eN-
pected sometimes in the Emerald Isle.
-Four Sim Feiners set upon the youthful
soldier and slugged and kicked him.
That" he said. with a very broad
American smile, lis the only time I was
In action, and Il was quite enough"
Llcut. -. hCNoilLlo Ol t-OItldUu
Ore, was wounded At Pasechendaele In
August. 1917. captured and sent TO the
German prison camp at Villingen. Among
the Americans who Joined him later we're
Lieutenant-Comma Isaacs OF the
yorpedoed transport President Lincoln
and Lieut. Willis They devised a plan
of escape. which has been partly told.
Lieut.. McKenHies version OF the at
fair Is that he short ciPcuited the cleo
trio light wtres and put tho camp IN
darkness. Isaacs smashed his window
and throwing some timber over tho
barbed wire enclosure 70: Away. Willis
had a German uniform ready, and. slip
ping into II. had little trouble getting
on. Lieut.. Mckenzie. feeling that he
had done his bit IN queering the wires.
decided he had better remain until the
atmosphre was less punctured with
bullets.
whistle Saved His Life.
Lieut. Francis Henry Jeffrey of Bos-
ton brings back a little whistle which he
used when he was q sergeant. On the
Somme a bullet hit him right over the
heart and finding the whistle in the
way decided that II would not penetrate
the heart. 1t was DETECTED but made n
hole clear through his left side. He re-
grettsd that no could not say for the
benefit OF the poker sharps aboard that
the bullet was turned from a vital spot
by a pack OF cards ne had In his pocket
also. He sympathized with the evangel-
lists. who naturally expected him to say
that the bullet was diverted by littlo
Testament that had been given TO him
by his mother.
The American troops aboard were
commanded by Brig. Gen. Eli X. Cole OF
the Regulars, who had charge of the
Fifth Marines in the battle period In
France. He said the only thing those
marines disliked was the distance that
kept them from the front line
Major Henry II. Curran. City Magis
trate. formerly Alderman from the
Twenty sixth District, commanded the
3o2d Ammunition Train, He won his
commission at Plattsburg. Aeut.-Col
William Rand. once Assistant District
Attorney, has been attached TO the Judge
Advocate Generals office at Chaumont
Capt. Heber Blankenhorn. newspape,
man and head OF the propagand section
OF the General Stan, has been"composng'
pamphlets intended TO demoralize Ger
man morale that were dropped by avla'
tors over the German lines. He said the
scheme was satisfactory and produced
good results,
Philip II Ksnnedy, commercial at
tache Of the American Embassy at Lon
don, with n force OF twelve live Amerl-
can business men under him. said he
hA fAh L. fail nj