New-York tribune., 1919-07-19
Compelled to Eat and Sleep
in Unfit Quarters, They
Declare, and They Even
Washed Their Own Dishes
Blame War Department
Assert They Could Not Re-
fuse Accommodations
Without Insubordination

More complaints against the army
transport service were brought to port
yesterday by officers who returned
from Brest on the transport Northern
Pacific. She was one of fv& troop
ships that came in yesterday from
France with 1918 officers and >men
from overseas.
The big vessel which went aground
off Long Beach a few months ago
came over yesterday on her first trip
since the mishap, with 875 officers
1924 men, Sc "Y" workers, 20 field
clerks, 38 Red Cross workers and 275
sick and wounded men. She has saloon
accommodations for only 17S officers
and about 700 of them were compelled
to sleep and eat in the steerage.
They had nothing but praise for the
navy officers in command of the North
ern Pacific, who tried, they said, to
make things as comfortable as possible
under impossible conditions.
The only satisfaction they got for
their complaints against the steerage
accommodations was the assurance
that the War Department regarded
these accommodations as "first class"
Captain Talks of Conditions
A captain beyond the draft age, who
won a commission in this country and
fought through the entire American
campaign in France, said:
1--WE had become accustomed to put
ting up with privations on the field and
in camp and we had accepted them
cheerfully, but there is no excuse for
the War Departments bringing us
home in the steerage. None of the
seven hundred men with me was so
anxious to come home that he would
accept such vile transportation.
"Moreover, we had nothing to say as
to the time of departure or the ship
we were to take. We were ordered
aboard the Northern Pacific and had
no alternative Refusal would mean
insubordination.
We slept below in hunks three tiers
high. Our first breakfast was with
negroes. but we were separated for
the next meal when this was observed
We washed our own dishes on the
first day, then continued to do so by
choice because the dishes served to
us were dirty. Many Of the officers
went about in their blouses because
the muck of the steerage. There were
among us many gray-haired veterans
who had done their bit-business and
professional men who had given up
their business and were not accus-
toned to travelling under such con-
ditions"
Seventy officers scheduled to come
home on the vessl, it is said, had not
reported at sailing time and were
marked absent without leave.
Captain White Honored by Foch
Captain R. G. White, commander of
the Northern Pacific, received an auto
graphed portrait from Marshal Foch
with concentrations for his bravery in
fighting q U-boat off the coast of
France when in command of the Ori-
zaba.
The sick and wounded men on the
Northern Pacific, all litter cases, were
put upon a hospital train in Hoboken
The Kaiserin Auguste Victoria car
ried $500 officers and men and thirteen
military prisoners.
Colonel Charles J. Symmonds, of the
s. O. S., said that until two weeks ago
there were enough supplies in France
to have cared for the entire A. E. F.
up to that time, had the war continued
that long.
On the Manchuria came 4,7S8 troops
seventy soldiers brides and one mother
in-law, who accompanied her daughter
to New York. One of the brides, the
wife of Lieutenant r. E. Tillery. was
the daughter Of Baroness Viccola de
Charter.
The Ohioan brought over 1915 troops
and the Libarator 2478