The evening world., 1919-03-06
MANY WOUNDED ABOARD THE LEVATHAN;
LIFE ON THE B| c TRANSPORT DESCRIBED

their seats within nte minutes after
the doors are opened. There are no
seating places, Long tables running
across ship, with a wide passaCcway
amidships separating the starboard
and port sides, await the hungry army
men as they troop In and they iii
one table after another. starting at
the far end OF the room.
The meals are simple, well cooked
and expeditiously served. The aver
age time consumed nt a meal in this
mess Is twenty minutes. Ice cream
Is served every day, and the way
those young, husky lieutenants light
into the ice cream Is reminiscent OF
the charge on the Hindenberg line.
speaking OF ice cream, the canteens
OF the Lev athan were stocked with
$1,000 ice cream bricks. made in New
York and brought across in tho re-
frigerators when the ship left Brest.
The cantcens in question are open
only 10 enlisted men. on the second
day at sea the last ice cream brick
disappeared.
The main dining room and the
Winter Garden are three decks high,
with windows on both sides.
Half way up on each side is the
wide promenade OF A deck The
promenade In continually used during
the day by soldiers. Except when tho
ship is rolling there Is nothing to sug-
gcst a ships dininR-room to those
seated Mt the tables. Rather one liz
reminded OF a vast rathskeller with
soldiers palading mp ond down side
walks. seen through the high arcbed
windows on each side.
What with music AZ dinner and
white table cloths and RlisteninF sil-
vcrware and tho china service OF the
Hamburg Line life at meal
times for army officers on the Levia-
than, coming from camps and billpts
in France, Is what might be called
quite agreeabi,.
Feeding the soldiers is a different
proposition. They "go TO the trough"
as they eXpressively put Il. twice n
day, at o'clock in the morning and
4 o'clock in the afternoon, In order
to handle tho men an infleXible
routine must be followed. Those who
drop behind the time table must take
their places In the rear at the risk
Of missing a meal. But. before golng
into the feeding question 1t is neces-
sary TO intorpolate a brief description
OF where and how tho soldiers sleep,
because every concerted movement
they make aboard Is started from
their sleeping quarters.
Each OF the thirty-seven compart-
mcnts Is equipped with lines upon
lines OF hollow pipe uprights to whIeh
are attached hollow pipe cross pieces
supporting canvas cots. The cots arc
four deep. Many rows OF them are
side by side and the men have to
climb in over the foot. Narrow aisles
| here and there allow OF some move.
ment in the rooms or compartments
/ The man ON the top cot sleeps within
| reaching distance OF the ceiling, and
Il short reach at that, and the bottom
man is 80 close to the concrete iioOT
that he won't hurt himself II he rolls
out. However, there isn't much roll
ing done, for want OF room. II a SOL
! der who Is more than ordinarily
wide essays to sleep on his side ne
will hnd the man above him resting
| on his shoulder.
| H. and + decks are not bad, every
| thing considered, but the air in q
| deck at about midnight might be
| removed with a shovel and the air in
| II deck appears to one entering from
outside AZ irrcmovable except II be
sawed into blocks and carried oui
| with tOngs, like ice. This despite
powerful ventilating system which
pumps atmosphere into the compart-
ments. The extreme after cOmpart-
mcnt OF II deck, right above the
screws, was occupied during most Of
the trip just finished by the division
Office forcc--but that Is another story
Nevertheless there is no complaint
from men who have known what Il
Is to sleep in dugouts at the from,
or in French farmhouses and barns
hemctically scaled, with Germal
aViuns soaring overhead and sheddinE
bombs all over the vicinity. And
besides, the boys are going home
They would gladly lodge in the col
bunkers II necessary.
There was lot OF seasickness dur
ling the first three days out OF Brest
The men ate too much ice cream anu
candy between meals They had bee
much out OF doors during their Ions
stay In the cmbarkation area and tn,
transition into the stiflin" hold ol
the Lcviathar, heavy with the odor o.
disnfectants, caused many stomaC!
to accomplish strange performances.
But the boys laughed about it nj
ana made II the subject of a humor
/