The Carlisle independent., 1919-10-23
THE QUEEN OF TRANSPORTS
 U. $. MT. VERNON
(J. C. Isbell, Carlisle, Ark. ]

German Lloyd Liner Kronprin- zzessin Cecile, steamed out of New York harbor with $10.000,000 in gold aboard, bound for England. Arriving offthe British Isles her wireless picked up the broadcast message that war had been de- clared between Germany and England. Immediately she was headed back towards America and under full steam she eluded the British navy and five days later was safely in- termed in Bar Harbor. Two months later American war ships escorted her to Boston, where she was taken over by the Depart ment of Justice on account of li- bel against her for failure to de- liver the $10,00O,000. There she remained as a floating palace for her German captain and crew until February 3, 1917, when the |. $. Government, because of the strained relations existing with Germany ordered all interned German ships manned by Ameri- cans, and all German seamen ta- ken ashore. This order was car ried out six hours later, when a United States marshal boarded the Kronprinzzessin Cecile, but the Germans had received secret information of the order and ac- ting under orders from their Government they had already wrecked the machinery of the ship to such an extent that the captain, Captain Pollock, declared that the ship could not be used by any one for any length of time. He informed the American engi- neers that 1t would be impossible for them to put the ship in run ming order, so effectively had he carried out the orders of his su- periors.
 Two months later war was de. clared with Germany, and on May 5th 1917, the Kronprinzzessin Ce- cile was taken over by the United States Government. After two months of thorough repairing of machinery and complete conver- sion into transport, the Mount Vernon transport was put into commission oil July 2S by the Ma " Department.
 For the past fifteen months the Mount Vernon did valiant>service in carrying our army overseas. Her sides were covered with cam ouflage, and her movements shrouded in secrecy, but suffice 1t to say her record is one of speed and efficiency.
 Among her passengers she has numbered Secretary of War Bak- CT, Assistant Secretary of Treas ury Crosby. President of lnter-al- ly war council on, Purchase and Finance, Colonel E. II. House, Ad- miral Benson, General Bell, Gen eral Bliss and many others of equal fame. On occasions she has made her round rip in two weeks, and been on her way across again within three days after docking. Perhaps no ship in the service has been worked harder and certain ly no ship more willingly than the Mount Vernon. Of the many, thousand soldiers committed to her on each trip she has never lost one by accident. and not over an average of one for each trip by
 disease.
 Her physical equipment consists generally of all appliances and conveniences of a modern city, her twelve decks furnish ample space for power plants, stores re- frigerators, repair shops, ventila- tors, elevators, Libraries, tele- phones, electric heaters, hospital, church, school, safety appliances for all on board and the most eff fetive battle equipment Three of our mogul locomotives each pull ing its capacity train load of coal could not furnish the thousands of tons of coal which go into the Mount Vernon s bunlzers for one round trip to Europe Although over seven hundred feet long and having displacement of over thirty thousand tons, her power ful engines generate forty-five thousand horse power and drive her through the water at speed of twenty five knots an hour. Her water tight integrity has stood the test of the most power ful torpedo. (see vessels lost and