New-York tribune., 1919-03-06
400 Return
From France
On 3 Vessels
Detachment of New York
Nurses From Mount Sinai
Hospital ON Santa Marta
Epidemic ON Powhatan
Sierra Carried Many Men
From New Jersey and
Western Part of This State

Three transports brought 400 re-
turning soldiers into New York yes
terday
The Sierra carried 1859 officers and
was the 312th Ammunition Train, COM
posed chiefly Of New Jersey and West
ern New York men. Two hundred and
twenty-one sick or wounded were also
on the Sierra.
One of the casual officers on the
vessel was Second Lieutenant Lawrence
Harmon, of Rochester He was attached
to the 26th Infantry and was with the
army of occupation. He had previously
served under Lieutenant Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt
de IS an ideal commanding officer"
said Harmon of Roosevelt. "He was al
| ways cool under fire and continually
thoughtful of his men. Despite his
badly wounded leg he marched with his
men to keep up their courage"
Defed Enemy Snipers
Lieutenant Marvin j. Mencfee, of
Luray, Va, came home with the Distin-
guishcd Service Cross. In October he
was in command Of machine gun com
pany which was advancing under fire.
| Enemy snipers picked off all his men.
but Menefee dragged the gun forward,
set 1T up and operated it till he had
sllenced two Hun machine gun nests,
despite bullet which tore out his
right cheek bone.
Among the Sierra's crew was Robert
Earle Whitby, of Troy, Ala. He was
decorated with the Legion of Honor
and the Croix de Guerre. Whitbv en-
listed in the United States army in
l91l, when he was eighteen years old.
he was discharged in the summer of
l9l4, went to France and enlisted in
the Foreign Legion. He served in Cen
eral Haiilenl's taxicab army, which
checked the Germans at the first battle
of the Marnc. He was wounded five
times in this engagement He was again
wounded IN October Of 1914, gassed in
the Champagne fighting of September.
1915, wounded on the Somme in De-
cemoer, 1916, and became a victim of
shell shock on the Disc in April, 1917.
Captured Woman Spy
lie was awarded the Croix de Guerre
ana discharged from the service. In
July OF that year he captured woman
spy, in Paris and for this was rewarded
with the Legion Of Honor.
-, lieutenant George =. Apgard, Of
flalnheld, N. j., another casual officer
OF the Sierra, told of his experiences
IN Germany after having been taken
prisoner in the Meuse-Argonne sector
October IL. He had been wounded in
the fighting.
lie was confined in a military hospi-
tai at Trier, where, he sed, he re-
cefved good treatment. On November
OF the Trier garrison revolted, i'm
prlsonlng all its officers, even those
OF the medical branch. Fo, two days
tne patients were unattended, but the
physicians returned to duty November
IL, the day the armistice was signed.
clad IN civilian clothes.
Powhatan Brings $3.50
The Powhatan brought 1850 officers
and enlisted men, most Of them of the
o6th Coast Artillery and 315th Field
Artillery. These units Got to the front
lines on,y few days before the armis-
tlce was declared, and saw little
fighting. Captain William D. Spear,
CT 2720 Creston Avenue, The Bronx.
vas on the Powhatan in command Of
battery of the 66th Coast Artillery.
Another local man abroad was
Lieutenant Charles j. McGronan, Of
1907 franklin Avenue, The Bronx, at
tached to Company A, 127th Engineers.
iAe WAS WOUNDED III the LEG at NorUun
last September.
Just after the Pownata7 left Bor-
deaux February II all epidemic of in
huenza broke out abroad. The vessel
put back and disembarkei twenty five
patients.
Nurses on Santa Marta
The Santa Marta dock,i at Pier 2,
Bush Terminal, Brooklyn. She brought
forty-six officers and ffty-one nurs as
from. bordeaux. They were dc.ach-
ments from the Mt. Sinai Ease Hospi-
tai Unit No. 8 of this city and Base
Hospital No. 90 of Milwaukee,
The local contingent numbered flf :.
teen officers and thirty-three nurses.
The officers were taken to Hoboken by
tug and will be transferred to Camp
Merritt TO await discharged The nursna
vent to Polytechnic Hospital and will
be later quartered at Hotel Albert.
Among the officers of Unit % was
Captain Lindsay Dcnnison. formerly
on the staff of "1'ke Evening World
He was quartermaster of the unit
The Mt. Sinai Unit detachment was
under command of Major A. l.. Celler,
a physician, of 61 Wes. Ninety fourth