The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-10
TROOPS BIVOUAC
IN CTTY'S STREETS
Vanguard of Veterans Who
Parade To-day Encamp Along
Harlem Speedway.

When darkness and French weather
descended upon New York last night 1t
embodied, besides the usual Inhabitants.
a silent army of occupation. bivouacked
in the streets in readiness for participa-
ton in to-day's parade. If the entry
into the city could have been accom-
plished silently by the troops Of the
First Division their whereabouts could
scarcely be kept secret. AS It was it
took police reserves to control the
crowds en- route.
The greatest of all intelligence bu-
reaus let it be known that along the rim
of the Harlem River, lining the Harlem
Speedway. were, IL the estimates Of
young eyes were to be credited. millions
of soldiers and horses and guns. ''Y'd
oughter see - Which straightway the
citizenry of the nelghboring heights,
young and old. did. They saw men Of
the field trains, machine gun outfits and
commissary departments sweep up along
the dusty speedway, hastily make camp
and eat an evening meal, all as 1t had
been done so often in Flanders.
But the advantages in foreign lam
guages appealed to the three and four
doughboys who were victims
of the unceasing fusillade of questions
that followed the descent of youthful
Manhattan. Even SO commonplace a
task as polishing up chin preparatory
to faring forth into the theatres of
peace seemed endowed with a new, rare
and potent charm to rings of eyes that
bounded every razor stroke.
Childish instinct was quite right, how
ever. Rarely. if ever, has a fully laden
and caparisoned army invaded the
busiest precincts of New York and made
itself so completely at home. Seeing
an army in the field, in the age of end
less photography, would be no novelty.
But witnessing the taking of New York
by these veterans of battlefelds cor
rectly struck the childish imagination
as something worth watching closely,
even If one has to keep one eye on the
restless rear rockers of a mule.
The men who arrived yesterday were
only the vanguard of the troops who
will march in to-day's parade. They
numbered slightly over 1000, and
brought with them 1850 horses and
mules and nearly 500 vehicles, including
about every known variety of army
wagon, All were transported to the
Harlem Speedway via the Fort Lee ferry
to 12sth street and the Dycllman street
ferry from Englewood, n. ]. All were
from Camp Merritt
From Camp Merritt and Camp Mills
to-day will come more than $1,000 men,
the movement beginning as early as
3 80 o'clock and being distributed among
several landing points, the Fort Lee
ferry to West 129th street, Jersey City
ferry to West Ninety-sixth street. the
Long Island road to East Thirty fourth
street, Long Island City ferry to East
Ninety ninth street and Weehawken
ferry to West Seventy ninth and West
Eightieth streets
/ According to the schedule which Of
ficers in command of the troops will en-
deavor to maintain, the movement back
will begin at 3 80 o'clock this afternoon
over the Long Island road. which will
be reached by ferry from East Thirty
fourth street.
The trains bringing in these troops
to-day will leave Mineola at five-minute
intervalA. while the trains which trans
ported the tanks, motor vehicles. horses
and mules yesterday moved in an al
most unbroken line from Camp Mills.
Thirty caterpillar tractors and as many
whippet tanks, the latter decamouhaged
and painted gray. We're among the i'm
pedimenta.
The majority of the men who arrived
Yesterday were of the Fifth, Sixth and
Seventh Field Artillery, all part of the
Third Army Composite Regiment,
known as "Pershing's Own" One of the
field pieces accompanying the men.
which will appear In the parade, is
reputed to be the first American gun
hred In France