New-York tribune., 1919-01-25
Leviathan, Hit by
Wind, Holds Back
Fig g hit Troopships

For an hour yesterday morning the
great bulk of the Leviathan, biggest of
all transports, foundered about the
hudson endeavoring to turn around in
the teeth of the wind that swept down
upon her from New Jersey. Meanwhile
SIX transports and two cruisers, carry
ing 4,5O7 returning members of the
American Expeditionary Force, waited
IN the bay until the mighty craft finally
turned and started out to sea.
Seamanship Of the smartest kind
was necessary to prevent an accident
when the Leviathan backed out of her
dock IN Hoboken. She had no more
than cleared the piers when the wind
smote her. Captain W. W. Phelps, her
commander, tried to head her toward
the lower bay, but her own rudder
and propellers, assisted by the push
ing of numerous tugs, were unable to
swing her head against the sixty-nile
wind.
Accordingly Captain Phelps ran her
upstream until, in the lee of the
Palisades, he was able to turn the
enormous ship. 1t was not until 1880
that she started out to sea. She left
the dock at 1880.
The Goentoer, a British transport
operated by the Cunard Line. brought
IN the largest number Of fighters yes
terday, her passenger complement
beng made up of las officers and men
from the 40th Engineers and the lO2d
irench Mortar Battery. The battery
IS the first complete unit of the 9th
DIVISION to return. The headquarters
oecachment @ ata OF the engineers. in charge
OF Major John S. Bragdon, of the regu-
lar army, included artists. sculptors
and motion picture men, to whom was
assigned the work Of concealing from
the enemy the movements Of troops
and artillery by the aid of paint and
Iollage. They are called the camou-
neurs, and were organized early in 1917
by Major Evarts Tracy, of this city.
On the transport Accomac were only 81
ofncers and SIX enlisted, men, mostly
from the 90th and 99th Aero Squadrons.
with them came Sergeant Paul S. Ben
DER, OF Washington, d. c., who fought
WIN the 327th Tank Battalion at ST
Mlhlel and in the Argonno. He snc
the men of his battalion had heen per
sonally commended by Marshal Foch and
General Pershing. Sergeant Bender
was recommended for the Distin-
guished Service Cross.
:, "nen we went into action" he said,
we al took an oath that we would blow
up our tanks before we would surrender,
Du' we never found it necessary. There
was never any opportunity to sur
render. II you were in tank. Yoa
were either blown to bits by German
attiiery or came back alive. There
was no middle ground for surrender.
rev wounded soldiers came home
SssteTd&y Oh any vessel but the hos
included 2S6 bedridden cases and lo2
men who required no special attention
she Sfe nae had fairly good passage from
OF, Nn%aire, but ran short of coal and
put 4nto Bermuda TO replenish her
nuhkers. When few hours out al
hamilton she sighted the American
schooner Edlegraif flying signals of
0lstiess, and bearing down upon her
earned that the skipper had died and
that the mate was i'll in oed. The Mercy
sent radio message to Bermuda and
Jugs came out TO the schooner and
brought her to port.
=, captain U. r. Webb, in command 0f
.he mercy, permitted no one but doe
,ors ana nurses to board the vessel.
out later issued list of the wounded
men on board. Dr.. Dorothy Smiley, Of
,he ked Cross, was in charge of the
aenafkation, and by the aid Of thirty
alhpuiances transferred the sufferers
70 70 penarkatlon Hospital No 8 in The
oreehhat ,e, Building in this city.
ne Calamares, formerly one of the
United Fruit steamships. brought over
thirty-six officers who were attached
TO the Naval Aero SQUADRON at PAUL.
lac, France.