The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-21
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BURE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington, D. c.
JOHNNY COMES SAILING HOME.
Washington. D. C

Washington, March 11.-Wherever
there is a service flag in the window
of a home, there is a family that's
eagerly waiting to welcome their boy
back from war And the boy, far
away in the great barracks at Brest,
or the rest camps at Langres, or in
the rocking compartments of home
ward bound transport at sea, is wait
ing for the day when he will see his
home town once more.
Of course. we would all like to be
on the dock at Pier 5, Hoboken, to
welcome him when his ship sails up
the bay, but since every mother and
father in the United States cannot be
there in person, the big hearted city
of New York has elected itself a re-
ception committee of 100000 to well
come the heroes home.
On Thursday. March 5, over 10000
overseas troops arrived at the port of
New York on the great transports
Leviathan, Mauritania, Plattsburg,
Mongolia, Crania and CORONA. This
day set a record for the return of
troops, but during the past two
months there has been an average ar
rival of 10000 troops week at New
York.
Wearing two or three gold overseas
stripes on his left sleeve, and perhaps
wound stripe on his right, proudly
bearing a gold and lacquer papier-
mache helmet of the Prussian Guard
beside his own camouflaged tin hat,
the American soldier set his face to-
ward home. Almost all of the return
ing troops are coming from Brest,
France, altho a small perez ntage is
routed thru Bordeaux, France, or Liv-
erpool, England. Nearly all the trans
ports make port in New York, safe
for few that put into Newport News,
Va. The transatlantic trip takes from
seven days on the fast transports, of
the ~Leviathan and Great Northern
| class, to fourteen days for the slower
cruisers and merchantmen.
It's a long hard trip across the At
lantic in these March days There
are high seas. and gray clouds and
steady pounding and, hammering
that makes. the boys in khaki wish
they were back in the quiet trenches
again. But then one morning they
| are in the Gulf Stream, warm and
! blue beneath sunny skies. and the
next day the lookout in the crows
nest will sing out Land Ho," and
/ far down on the western horizon there
will be a dim blue cloud bank that
is the U. S. A. 1t is only a few hours
run in to Ambrose Light Vessel, where
the pilot boats lie tossing on the off
shore swell. little yawl will bring
the< pilot alongside, and he always
carries a big bundle of New York
| papers in his great coat pocket for the
| boys.
The first sight of land is the bulk
| of Atlantic Highlands. N. L. and a
few miles farther in the boys can
make out the ferris wheels and hotels
| of Coney Island. Soon they are pass
ing Staten Island and entering New
York Bay. Already harbor tugs are
Boat Patrol" carrying the Majors
Reception Committee appears.
| The Patrol is a little seagoing
tug that has been selected by Major
Hylan of New York City to welcome
every transport. On board are the
uniformed girls of the Motor Corps
Red Cross and other relief organiZa
tons. together with the police band
The little craft is gaily decorated with
fiass and remnants, and the girls on
board always have a big supply OF
chocolate and cigarettes to toss up to
the hundreds of lads in khaki who
line the rail. The boys say that these
american girls are the best thing
they,ve seen in their 5000 mile voyage
TO France and back. Over there they
liked to meet Ceci1e and Famine and
Celeste-but most of the time they
were thinking of the girl back home
So there is great cheer from the
boys along the rail. and cheering from
the tugs. and the commuters going
over to New York on the Staten Island
FERRIES wave and cheer too, and then
the band plays Home Sweet Home
| You should hear those soldiers cheer
/ a. lIlo emu IOT now IneX understand
the meaning of the song
Up at the big Overseas Transport
. Docks in Hoboken. putting tugs are
. waiting to warp the ship into her dock
On the dock the red and blue uni
formed girls of the War Camp Com
munity Service are waiting with hot
coffee, buns and candy for the troops
and there is always a battery of photo
graphers and moving picture men OF
! hand. New York turns out to remind
5 the men that they are heroes. Loca
sentiment is forgotten 1t doesn't
make any difference whether they're
from Phoenix, Ariz.. or Caribou. Maine
: their last address was "A E. F. in
, France" and. that's all New YorI
wants to know. There's another band
at the pier, and Yankee Doodle" In.
2 dianola" and Smiles! are favorits
5 tunes that set ALI the soldiers dancins
on the decks No~time is wasted ii
the DISSEMINATING The gang plank /.