The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-23
INFLUENZA SWEEPS
TRANSPORT AT SEA
Manchuria Has 1853 Cases, of
Which Three from New
York Die.
FIANCEE OF ONE AT PIER
Four Other Troopships Arrive
Here With Tales Of
Heavy Storms.

Five transports bearing homeward
1o.17s men Of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces entered tho gray harbor
of New York yesterday. Four Of the
vessels, tho cruiser Pueblo and the
| steamships Henderson, Orizaba and
Cape Romaine, brought tales of un-
eouallcd violence OF wind and sea which
drove them out Of their courses and
held them back of their schedules from
several days to a week.
Only the Manchuria, largest OF the
fleet and the best able to bear the brunt
Of the storm. seemed to have steered
a course which kept her out of the
zone OF disturbance. The Manchuria had
an epidemic OF influenza on board. how
ever, so she cannot be considered for
tunate.
10 Cases of Pncum onia.
Two days after she left France with
her list OF 1919 officers and 4,24S men
the epidemic suddenly appeared. Be
fore It could be checked 16S men had
contracted the disease and twenty-four
cases OF pneumonia also developed. -Four
| soldiers died. Three of them were New
Yorkers-Sergeant John A. Pagan, Sew
| entieth C. A. c.. Of SIT Lexington ave-
nue., Brooklyn; Private James II. Martin
Of 1898 Thirty-eighth street. Brooklyn,
and Private Harold Rigney Of 664 West
104th street Private Napoleon Cote of
Lowell, Mass. was the fourth victim.
AZ the news of the ship was being
| telephoned In to his newspaper by re-
porter in a Cigar store in River street
across from the pier In Hoboken where
| the Manchuria locked two young women
entered to telephone. As one. Miss 1sa-
bella Nixon of 46 West Forty seventh
street, heard the names OF the dead
droned of by the reporter she suddenly
screamed and became hysterical. Her
| companion explained that the girl was
engaged 70 be married TO Sergeant
Pagan, one OF the influenza victims. She
had been summoned to the pier by a
| wireless report that her fance was ill.
but expected to see him we'll on the way
to recovery.
The Orizaba, bringing 1881 mon. In
Guiding six batteries of the SS4th Field
Artillery. had the worst experience OF
all ~ vessels in the gale. Her anchor
chairs became loosened by the heavy
motion and Northumberland L. A.
Babcock and three Of the crew. Chief
Boa aims Mate Wiidhagen, Boatswain
Arthur Grove and Coxswain w. r. Bag
netto, went out TO make them fast A
huge comber, fifty feet high according
to those who saw the incident-came
rolling down on the ship and smashed
over the bow. The men were damned
into the steam winches on the deck, un-
conscious and half drdAned.
oncer Helps save Them.
Lieut.. A. A. Bigelow and some sailors
d. shed forward and succeeded in drag
ging back the men. despite the waves
washing over the deck. Leutenant-Com-
mander Babcock's arm was broken and
he was severely cut. The others also
suffered broken bones.
Several members OF the old Sixty-ninth
Regiment were on the cruiser Pueblo,
| beating their regiment home because oi
wounds suffered in action. Corporal
James Quigley OF 15s East ssth street
one of these. brought with him the Crolx
de Guerre. He said he got it for digging
not fighting, and explained that he
helped to dig out OF n dugout crashed In
by German shells twenty-four impris-
oned soldiers Major Donovan OF the
Sixty-ninth also assisted with shovel.
he said, and also was decorated. Com
panions supplied a little detail that Cor
poral Jim had forgotten in his account
that the digging was done In terrific
bombardment. in which II seemed al
most impossible that the diggers could
survive.
on board the Pueblo. In addition 10
wounded men in casual companies, were
the men of Co. I. l6ist Infantry, and
men OF the l62d Regiment.
Most of those returning on the Man
churia were members of the 10th and
list Coast Artillery Corps regiments,
the former made up chiefly OF Inen OF
the coast defences OF New York, In
Guiding members OF the old Eighth and
, Thirteenth regiments. and the latter Of