davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
To the
Ferries

After all men and officers are ac-'
counted for by check of the passenger
lists and they are finished with their
eating and writing kilograms they are
assembled and marched onto waiting
ferries at the end of the piers. The
ferries take them to one or more OF
four railway terminals-Eric or Penn
sylvania, at Jersey City; West Shore.
at Weehawken, or the Long Island, at
Long Island City. There they arc en-
trained by organizations for one or
more of four rest or temporary camps
Merritt, Mills, Upton or Dix. The
system of handling the troops at the
terminals is such that 1000 of them
can be entrained and on their way to
camp in less than thirty minutes.
1t is the same now as when the war
was on, only the troops are coming
in instead of going out. If anything,
the system has been improved, or,
rather, speeded up, and that is a com
pliment to the returning fighter. There
will be no end to it for quite a few
weeks to come. Something very much
akin to Distinguished Service has been
rendered at Hoboken and will continue
to be rendered for some time
until all of Uncle Sans Army of Vic
tory is back home. For without the
army transport service it would be
highly speculative to assume that the
war is at an end, for there would
have been no victory to end it.
The Transportation Division, as a
part of the port of embarkation Greatly
port Of debarkation now), embarked
Major General John J. PershiEg and
staff on the steamship Baltic May 2S,
1917, to take command of the first
American army abroad. The date and
the event will go down in history.
The first convoy carrying the COM
batant troops left Hoboken on June II,
1917, with the 10th, 18th, 26th and 2sth
infantries, I'd Field Signal Battalion,
Field Ambulance No. 6, Ambulance
Company No. 6, quartermaster de-
tachment, stevedore detachment, six
teen casual officers, 103 nurses and
60 casual civilians in government en-
ploy-a total of 1891 officers, en-
listed men. nurses and civilians-Amer-
ica S first big contribution to the cause
of democracy. Fourteen vessels-thir-
teen of them requisitioned from the
coast trade-were the transports in
this first convoy.
In September, 1917 the first division
of the National Guard roops began
to move overseas-the Goth, Of New
England. On March %, 1913, the first
of the National Army group-the 77th
of New York City-began to move.
With a years foreign service to its
credit it is now on the way back to its
own town.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04

every comfort, including bottled re-
treshments, brand new pack of cards
and tiny, polished card table. You
may revel in the glory of many a cigar,
the loss or winning of many a 5-cent
piece Cor banknote, as your estima-
ton of the "pot" will decide) and the
cheerful company of the best of all
fellows, while the train clicks off mile
upon mile with the regularity of a
hall clocks pendulum. But this pleas
ure is not denied to other forms of
train travel, for the short trip men.
users of communication tickets and
others, may also enjoy the same sweets.
though they do come in different
dresses. A newspaper spread across
the knees of four amiable gentlemen,
friends or strangers, as they sit COM
tortably facing one another, will serve
as table. A bent deck OF cards from
the overcoat pocket of one of the
company - perhaps your own! will
furnish the means. Tobacco smoke and
smoking car chatter will round off
the event with a mellowness that is
undeniable.
Step into some train which has no
smoking car, on which smoking is pro-
hlblted, such as a subway train, and
note the absence of this sociability.
1t is emphatic through its non-exist-
ence. Men wander about the cars-or
are pushed about them--with a mel
ancholy Indifference They do not
care about anything in particular, ex-
cept to get out Of the train. There is
an anguished, longing hunger in their
eyes. Many of them through habit
board the train at, or walk through
it to, the first car, knowing full we'll
that they are to be denied the pleas
ures they subconsciously seek And.
too, you will often see men getting
off subway train at some station
and with relief nervously lighting a
cigarette or cigar, following upon the
heartless denial which has Just been
imposed upon them.
But the saddest sight of all in the
nOn-smoking car train is to watch q
man enter with half-smoked cigar.
and see him sit and gaze fondly at
the butt of tobacco clutched between
his fingers. He will sigh, roll his eyes,
make believe he is smoking by in
serting and withdrawing it from his
lips, and dwell in an agonized state
suspended between the fury of denial
and an anticipated satisfaction.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
The Friendly Smoking Car

possibility and even CONSERVATION. lust
as he might feel, for instance. were he
to find himself Gas you Frequently do
IN dreams) in public without those
same trousersl In short the SMOKING
car IS to this variety every bit as in
dispensable.
Inc companionableness of the smok-
ing car is often as mellow and ricb 90
Its fragrant blue air. A man NAV ride
miles without end and never speak a
word to one of the dozens of other in
mates, yet feel as though he had known
each and every one all his davs-as
though, in fact, they were his cIoses4
trends and fellow clubmen. This is
perhaps due to certain curious UNDER
standing among all men who favor tho
smoking cara certain feeling of peace
on earth that is found to exist amono
people OF common cause. Tobacco is.
alter all, common cause.
The sympathetic friendliness of .
strange seatmate upon being reouested
Tor match is an illustrative token of
this feeling, and another symbol ;s
found in the actions of man who.
though possibly embarrassed, unhesi-
tatlngly requests and secures with pro-
found Willingness a cigarette bv sbum-
ming" it from his unknown neighbor in
the smoking car. Indeed, MANY Incl
dents OF this nature occur from time to
time which strike you with as much
lmpresslveness Of the unselfshness Of
the male as when you see a soldier ask
another soldier for smoke, which is
unquestioningly and promptly fur
nlshed. Taking light from the tin of
another mans cigar, cigarette or the
bowl of his pipe is stfll another scene
frequent to the smoking car. Yes. to-
bacco is tie that binds, and in the
smoking car of all other places its
leashes are looped with a particular
sentiment which makes all men eoual
But the smoking car is still more
alluring when you are surrounded bv
friends. Then a man knows, then
man realizes, the true pleasures of fell
lowship plus My Lady Nicotine. What
If he is rolling on tedious wheels. what
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04

If torrents be pouring from the heav-
ems, what if icy winds blow. or at an.
other season, intensely heated air
laden with coal dust; what if the old
train pauses off schedule for repairs
and is hours late? Nothing short of
running off the track will disturb a
man them
Friends are ever a source Of delight
but friends who smoke and ride with
you in the smoking car are immeas-
urably intimates who can be trusted
admired-yea, loved They may be
taciturn, grouchy, overtalkative, dis
gustlngly affable-yet, because they
are members of the smoking car tribe
they are to be welcomed.
Add to this ideal state of affairs 81
game and you have put a man in his
seventh heaven of glory. If you arc
riding overland you may go in the
luxurious buffet car, that acme Of
rolling stock clubs for smoking men.
and there you will find attendant
dusky gentlemen to furnish YOU with
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Preparing the
Receiving Line

Immediately troops are embarked at
a French port for return to the United
States, that port advises the chief of
staff of the American Expeditionarv
Forces, who relays the information. to-
gether with probable date of arrival in
the American port, to this port and
TO the adJutant general of the army by
cable. This brief message gives the
names Of the organizations on board
the transport, totals of officers and
men sick or wounded, casuals and civil
lans in the employ of the army. From
this cablegram which reaches the Office
OF the troop movement officer, Brigadier
General George McManus, who is next
in rank at Hoboken to Major General
David I. Shanks, commanding general.
there is compiled a tentative distribu-
tion sheet. This sheet sets forth the
date and hour that the transport is due
to dock, the number of the pier. the
camps to which the respective oreani
zatlons are to be sent and of disposi-
ton OF the sick and wounded and Of
the casual army personnel on board.
The sick and wounded are distributed
under direction of the port surgeon
and his staff.
When the ship docks and the troops
are lining the decks with their packs
on, ready to go ashore tout de suite"
the Transportation Division has al
ready arranged to handle them. 1t
has engaged, through the American
Railway Association, trains to carry
the troops from terminal to camp. for
ferries to transfer them from the pier
to the terminal and for baggage light
ers to transfer the baggage. In ad-
dltlon, it has arranged for steye,ore
labor to work the baggage from the
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Chance to Read
Sole Object

They were especially given absolute
szeedom in the handling of the books.
u mattered little if some volumes were
missing through carelessness. The sole
object was to give them a chance to
read. The records kept since the 49,
900 books were received at Guantanamo
Bay give evidence of the seriousness,
a. their desires. They do like fiction,
but those publications which contain
instruction, especially instruction of
the kind that will be useful in the navy,
are widely demanded
There are the men on the submarines,
for instance. These vessels have re-
ceived much attention during the war
We have read many pages about those
submarines of the enemy which forgot
the traditions of the sea. Not so much
has been heard about the submarines of
the United States, for they were quietly
going about the tasks which free
America assigns for such craft-pre-
pairing themselves and becoming expert
in those duties which would make them
valuable IN meeting powerful toe IN
the open when the great battle line
should be formed at sea.
The problem of distributing books
to the men on the underwater boats
as we'll as to the battleships and all the
other vessels in the fleet was intrusted
to Harold Wooster by the American
Library Association. He was for two
years an ensign in the navy as we'll
as practical librarian in Connecti-
cut library. He knew his men and was
able to serve them with the utmost
efficiency. He tells of the problem of
the submarine, which was somewhat
different from that of the larger
ships.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Only Two
Boats Sunk

In spite of the submarine menace.
only two CT the 492 vessels used for
transport duty during the war were
sunk on their eastward trip-the
steamship Tuscania, of the Anchor
Line, which was sunk on her trip leav-
ing New York January "a, 1913, ana
the steamship Moldavia, of the Fur
ness & Witty Company, which was
sunk on the trip leaving New York
May 6, 1913. Both these boats were
British vessels. The vessels sunk on
westbound voyages were the Antilles,
Covington, President Lincoln, Anda-
MIA, Aurania, Ansonia, Carpathia and
Dwinsk, the first three being American
ships and the last five British.
Officers of the Transportation Div-
sion who have played conspicuous parts
in the work of embarking and debarking
troops since our declaration of war
on Germany April 6, 1917. and who
built up this efficient unit for the hand
ling of thousands of troops daily for
the Quartermaster's Corps, are:
Brigadier General John NJ. Carson
(then colonel, Q. NJ. c.; Lieutenant
Colonel L. D. Cabell (then in charge
of the transportation Division. headed
row by Lieutenant Colonel R. f. Shan
nom, Q. NJ. c.; Captain n J. Shelton,
U. S. A., retired, assistant to Lieuten-
ant Colonel Cabell; Major W. B. Baker
~ A
tain NJ. j. Powers, Q. NJ. C., who was
assistant to Lieutenant Colonel Shan
non; Lieutenant Colonel (then cap
tain), D. ". Chamberlin; Captains
Frank Bowman and H. L. Stancliff.
O. NJ C.
The Transportation Division Oh July
Is, 1917, was placed in charge of then
Major Shannon and he has continued
at the head OF that division almost
uninterruptedly. Captain P. f. Wal
ker, Q. NJ. c., has succeeded Captain
NJ j. Powers as executive officer un-
der Lieutenant Colonel Shannon. and
Captain George f. Malone, Q. NJ. C.s
heads the force of deDarkation officer,
under Lieutenant Colonel Shannon. A,
the time that the then Major
Shannon was placed in charge OF
this branch of the ports activities
the division comprised his two assist
ants, Captains Shelton and Powers
and force of five clerks. TODAY ,a.
division handles both troops and bag
gage, Captain Seeley Dunn, Q. NJ. {.
being IN charge of the baggage branch
These silver stripers are few O.
many that did and are doing grea
bit" at Hobokea.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
The Man Who Cried

fighting had been singing the praises
of one of their men-a veteran of
three years of trench warfare-but
when Jimmie got into the swing of the
thing there was little to choose be-
tween the two men.
However, it was not until tho St.
Mlhiel scrap that Jimmie came into his
own. The company's stay in the front
lines was to be eliminated with a raid.
few prisoners were needed for iden-
tlfication purposes, and there were two
machine guns that had been making
life miserable for us. These must be
taken. They were.
At o'clock in the morning thirty
four men, including three officers and
fourteen non-coms, event over" under
a "boX' barrage. Jimmie was in the
van. Cropping their way through the
dense underbrush, which tore the flesh
from exposed parts Of the body, and
keeping dangerously close to our cur
tain of steel, the boys arrived at the
German dugouts, which had been bat
tered by our heavy guns. In spite of
onr artillery preparation, the Huns
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04

Arc children trained
For this special purpose.
(Note the curls, wide eyes, low,
innocent stockings.)
Here, my crooks and Painted
Women,
A race apart. drag them in at
odd times to reform them
Or to circumvent.
Ny detective is chemist,
psychoanalyst, a free-lance,
Sir Galahad,
Who will solve, retrieve, convict,
never fear, and marry
Mrs. Van Deuseun's daughter.
What no!
Shrieks! Shots!
Rackety-bang bang bang of run
ming feet,
Characters in Quick Action yarns.
(They have it tough. They never
sit down unless shot down.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Unloading Heroes
at HObOken
By R. S. Sims

INDICATIVE of what system, and
a not merely large numbers of of
Ia tcers and men, has done toward
lifting the Kaiser off his once
bespangled pedestal of might is a
handful of officers, enlisted men and
male and female civilian workers
making up what is known as
the Transport Service, Port of
Embarkation, Hsboken. Little does
the public, thinking principally and
quite naturally Of the boys who went
overseas little does it comprehend the
enormity of the service rendered the
country by the inconspicuous little
force at Hoboken working under the
direction OF Port Heaquarters, yet that
little force has been so directly con-
cerned with the handling of thousands
OF troops daily that to it really belongs
the credit of embarking more than n
million and a half troops for overseas
prior to the signing of the armistice: ::
and now that same little force. or one
quite identical, is landing and entrain-
ing at this port and supports two
thirds of the troops that are being EN-.
bArked for home from French rorts.
This little group of unsung workers
recently grown to fifty officers, fifty
enlisted men, 125 female employees
and 140 male civilians-a total
OF 365-is headed by Lieutenant
Colonel R. E. Shannon, Quartermaster
Corps, a loyalty inspiring, kindly, gray
haired little man of modesty There
are no medals OR stripes to acclaim his
service to his country, nor for those
under him, for it was they who con-
nected troops with ships and ships with
troops to the effective result of getting
an army of red-blooded Americans to
France ia time to turn the scales in
favor of the Allies, ana Just because
the war is over their work is not fin
lshed-the unexciting, monotonous
routine continues just as ceaselessly,
as thousands of war dusty heroes are
brought into port each day to be de-
barked and quickly disposed of to make
way for other thousands following
close on their trail of spray.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Every Day
A Campaign

Unusual interest attaches to the
workings Of this transportation unit
at Hoboken. To debark a shipload of
troops, their effects and baggage,
Systematically, as in the military way
assemble the different organizations
IN the piers, check every man and
officer off the passenger lists com
piled in France, see that they are fed
connect them with ferries and their
baggage with lighters or tugs, transfer
them from the ferries to railway ter
m1nals, and thence on to trains already
waiting, where they are at last speeded
on their way to a rest camp near by
all IN the space of two or three hours
is military event worthy of as
much recognition as strategic cam
paign in the field, for such as this is
work without respite, without praise
and without glory. And this is the
constant record held by the Transpor-
tation Division at Hoboken, which
handles sometimes as many as twenty
thousand returning troops in a single
day, and has them in camp and their
baggage there also by nightfall, the
troops not having missed meal or
hiked more than fifteen minutes on
the average during the time from which
they joyously stepped from the gang
plank onto an American pier.
To observe this work is to look into
the back of a clock and see wheels
moving steadily and without apparent
effort.
From Brest, Saint Nazaire, Bordeaux
and Marseilles troops pour into Ho-
boken in continuous stream, this port
receiving more troops than all other
debarkation points in the United
States combined. The reason for this
is that no other landing place is so
well equipped by nature and artitice to
handle the great man traffic.
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
BOOkS---NeW Kind
Of Ammunition

cess to the books, and it will be found
they do remarkable lot Of reading
When the books are gathered up to be
exchanged for new cases the per.
centage of loss will be but slight COM
pared to the enjoyment and service
rendered.
THE library is directly supervised
by the executive officer of a DESTROYER
and in most cases it was the executive
officer or the commanding officer who
came in to look over the technical
books, explain magazine needs and Sc
lect the fiction. From list of mara
zines approved by the association. each
destroyer was invited to select ten for
subscriptions, if there was need of
them aboard. Most of the destroyers
eagerly availed themselves of the
privilege"
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
Submarine
Reading

There were ten submarines of the
90 type, with the L. S. S. Savannah as
mother ship, which were with the feet
at Guantanamo he said "Of course,
not much Of library can be estab-
llshed aboard a submarine, yet every
sub wanted some books. Officers from
every submarine came to the office; in
nearly every instance the commanding
officer was there personally. The
technical books came in for the first
consideration, as submarine does
not get many technical books directly
from the Navy Department. Books on
Diesel engines, naval architecture and
engineering, machinery, and all the
new books touching on late develop
ments in submarines. or the work of
the submarines in the war, were se-
lected.
Then fiction collections OF about
forty books were made for each sub
marine In every case these books
we're selected from the stock on dis
play IN the Office, 50 the men picked
Out from large collection just what
they wanted"
Another class Of vessels in which
tae problem was found to be of a
character requiring special arrange
ments vas that of the destroyers.
mere were twenty-five Of these craft
with the feet, and sixteen were be-
Lo
'aeir use the organization furnished
SO special technical works and 1000
FoiuFnes Of fiction.
- is always a special pleasure to
Dc Of service TO the destroycrs." savs
or. "oostcr. Their naval library ap-
preparation III much smaller than that
u me battlcehips and the available
spaee Tor library use very limited. 1t
;" practically impossible 10 have d
real library system aboard. What they
need are books which can be readily
available - the men, small library
" THESE which can be exchanged for
ne" selection whenever they reach
port.
Two or three eases Of general hc~
sA'h can be sent aboard. no officer
mas 70 sizn receiSt for these, and it
explained that they are 10 be freely
s'se and exchanged wherever possible
~f ,~w selection,
These ea&es provide n new lot Of
sssaea for tbs afpall oficers' library
= me wardroom, and then the easez
~. ~ Ds s~t up In The crew's quarters.
%"s msp have the freest kind Of nc
New-York tribune., 1919-05-04
By Leon Kelley

TN HOUGH you may not know 8
a single individual in smoking
car there is yet something
clubblsh, If not homeliEe. about it that
you do not find in the rest of the train
A man need only know how to smoke
and he is at home Immediately upon
stepping within. Of course, if he can.
not smoke he feels properly out OF
place, receives bad impression of
mankind, decides that only the de-
praved can indulge thus in sucking and
blowing smoke through the mouth, and
retreats to atmospheres to him cleaner
and sweeter-the hindquartcrs of the
train. To the smoking man, however,
than smoking car there is nothing
that can be sweeter
A devotee of the soothing weed can
not be pried from his seat in the smok-
ing car. He will even deport his wife
to other precincts of the train and
hasten without excuses to the smoking
car, to revel in nicotine while his better
half resigns herself to her fate and
learns to find interest in other things
at hand, or else fidgets and wonders
whether her Henry doesn't love her any
more. Her actions will depend largely
upon several marital factors, such as
duration of the union, quality of her
faith, present conditions as to domestic
finances or domestic interruption by
the third apex of the eternal triangle,
and so on.
Railroad authorities comprehend the
value Of this trait so we'll that they
allot as many as three and four smok-
ing cars in making up train and post
trainmen at stations with special ad-
vertising slogans to shout "Smokng
cars ahead!"
A man will often seek the smoking
car with the same sort of feeling that
he seeks his trousers when he gets up
in the morning. This may be due to
habit, but whatever is its cause, he
turns instinctively to the fore of the
train as it approaches, and any attempt
to induce contrary action would but
impress him with sense of utter i'm