The sun., 1919-04-08
Greetings From Sea, Air
and Land for Chief U. s.
U-boat Hunter.
RUSHES TO HIS FAMILY
''On1y for Merchant Marine
Men We'd All Gone to
Blazes," Says Sims.
FOG DELAYS MAURITANIA
Admiral Went Abroad Under
Assumed Name on Ship
That Struck Mine.

William Sowden Sims. tho admirable
Admiral, who has had charge of Amer
lean naval operations in European
waters for nearly two years, or ever
since we first had any navy or war
duty in those waters. got home on the
Mauritania yesterday. While he was
dnly appreciative of the city skyline,
The Statue OF Liberty. conveying
blimps and airplanes and Mayor Hy-
lan's megaphone. II was obvious that
the tall, ruddy. gray bearded man on
the bridge of the Cunarder as she
neared Quarantine was chiefly inter-
ested in a woman and four children
whom he espied on the deck OF the
naval yacht Aramis.
You may believe that it didn't take
the Admiral long to disappear from
that bridge and descend to the tiny
vessel. where he embraced. all at once,
as it were, his wife. three daughters
and boy in a sailor suit, who was
none other than William S. Sims, Jr..
going on years old.
Tho Aramis took them swiftly to the
Battery. where there was much applause
and bowing. Then they rode up TO the
Biltmore, and when the last visitor who
simply couldn't wait another minute to
take up the worlds most important mat
ters with the Admiral had retired from
their suite, the Sims family sat down
and had a reunion dinner all by them
selves.
Fuss Not Expected by Admiral.
The recent proprietor ossSims.s circus"
tho submarine hunting hotilla that
raided out OF Queenstown-said that he
wss honestly surprised at the fuss
made over his return down the bay and
In the city He had expected. he said,
to slip into New York" without much
of anybody knowing he was here. He
talked OF his ships and men in terms OF
he greatest pride and affection, and said
their whole record was splendid.
He wouldn't discuss Admiral Sims at
all. When pressed on that subject he re-
marked that he had never had a sick mo-
ment since left America. except for the
common lot, and turned the conversation
10 the achievements OF the men who
manned the merchant marine of all the
Allies in the war. He insisted that not
half enough credit had been given to
hem.
Fine seamen," he said: 'ths very
hest; trained to 1t from boyhood and
tn nf fOilCh
while on shore duty, like naval men,
Absolutely fearless. No matter how
many times they were nit by torpedoes
they went right back to sea- II it hadn't
bean for them we'd all have gone to
nlaxes. for armies and navies would have
bean OF DO avail"
At least one fact heretofore kept dark
by the censor was revealed by Admiral
Sims. He said that a few days before
The United States entered tho war he
was called TO Washington and then
sent to England so secretly that he and
an aide travelled as 'Mr. Robertson,
and "Mr Richardson Their ship was
smashed by a mine on the other side,
nut was able to go on.
After a few days of consultation with
the British authorities as to how tho
American navy could best serve. Messrs.
Robertson and Richardson dropped their
aliases. and for the first time the
American public learned that Sims
was not in Newport.
Reverts 10 Former Rank.
Admiral Sims is again a Rear Ad-
miral. Under the law he automatically
reverted to his former rank and pay as
soon as he turned over the command OF
the European feet to Rear Admiral II.
: Knapp. Therefore he reached New
York with two stars on his collar in
stead OF four. He will go 20 Washing
ton this morning TO report to the Navy
Department. and on Friday will go to
Newport. which will welcome him
hugely to resume his work as president
OF the Naval War College.
The Mauretania was held up by fog
outside the harbor for about six hours.
Therefore the greeterS who went down
the bay early in the morning made a
day of II, for the big transport. with
200 soldiers on board In addition TO
the Admiral and his stan. did not get to
Quarantine until after o'clock in the
afternoon. The Aramis. with naval men
and the Sims family on board the Patrol,
with Mayor Hylan, his wife and daugh-
Ter and members of the Mayors commit
tee. and the Correction. with a large
party, set forth from the Battery at
about O'Clock.
The welcome home feet reached Quar-
sntine simultaneously with fog diss-
rating sunshine. On the Patrol the
Mayor treated all comers to sandwiches,
roffee and pie. The monitor Amrhitrite,
guardian OF the harbor gates, raised a
tress ensign and the Fire Department
hand on the Patrol played The Star
Spangled Banner" and everything else
It could think OF, which is a good deal.
At noon the Mayor and his secretary.
Grover Whalen, got into a police launch
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