The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-29
Sergt. Claude Windham Gives
Interesting Account Of His
Trip Across The Pond
wish there was a war every day.

wish there was war every day.
There were two companies on our
section of the train, also the Head
quarters Detachment including our
"Band?" We paraded at Rochester
and Buffalo, New York, and the exer'
else put enough pep in us to make
us feel good. Anyone who has made
a forty eight-hour trip on a train
knows that it is anything but pic
mic. We left the train at Weehawker
and boarded a ferry for Long Island
City, then another train, (and it was
worse than the slow train through
Arkansas) to Camp Upton. We re-
manned at Camp Upton two days and
il was here that my troubles really
started. My service record had beeL
sent to the 36th Engineers and the
SIND had nothing to show that ! had
received the typhoid inoculations
which was required Of every soldier
before being sent overseas. These
inoculations are supposed to be given
you seven days apart or three in three
weeks. There was only one thing for
me to do, take them all before we
landed in France or remain behind,
and I chose the former, taking one
the night before we left Camp Upton
and two on the boat, getting all inside
Of three days. I had one in my right
arm and two in my left and they
were just about as much use to me as
a wooden arm would have been.
The last night at Upton was a
weird one. All baggage was packed
and on it's way to the boat. Conse
uuently we had no bedsacks and tbs
beds had all been piled up so that
everything would be in order wher
we left. Even our packs had beer
rolled so we had no blankets, Ser
geant Robinson and myself sat in thu
supply room all night writing letters
for we did not know whether or no
we would reach the other side to writ
. again or not for there were plenty 0
submarines working at that time.
The morning finally passed and a
six we marched down and boarded tn
train which took us to Long, ISLAND
, where we unloaded and got on tn
ferry. Then came the trip down tn
river and around the Battery and owe
Q to the port Of embarkation. On tn
( morning before we made the trip fror
3 Weehawken to Long Island City o
b the ferry, we had noticed among tn
8 transports one which lowered abov
d all the others. 1t had three funnel
+. which looked large enough for trai
o to run through. Lieut.. Devine re
a marked that he thought it was tn
G former "vaterland" and that he woul
: surely like to go over on it. INC
thinking at the time that there wa
r any danger of leaving so soon.) =
r Then coming up the river o
It Thursday, June 18th, 1918, we saw
n again. The big question among a
d Of us was ARE WE GOING Owe
n ON THE LEvIATHAN, this being fol
i merly the German Vaterland? The
II gradually the ferry turned in towaI
D. the shore and soon we saw that "
s. were making for the end Of the pie
II to which the Leviathan was anchore
The little ferry boat alongside
y looked like a mouse beside an ell
r plant.
re We unloaded and marched up
r columns of squads to the second flot
1t of the pier. Then any doubt that al
ye of us had concerning the identity
IN the ship was dispelled for a sign
Or the gang plank read "U. S. S. Levi
than" The Leviathan, the large
Mt ship afloat, built by the very nati'
u with which we were at war, and u
be 0oubtedly with the idea of convert,
r it into q transport for carrying h
by own troops, for l am told that We
es little work was required to remod
Dis It. And we were enjoying the pee
Ii liarity of going over to the Kaise
in land on the ship which he had plann
he to come to ours. Then, too, 1t wou
Oh undoubtedly be considered by the 81