The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-01
TOwnsfoIk Cheer First Unit Of
9th Division from Bay
to Chelsea.
GEN. VANDERBILT AT PIER
Regiment Fought in British
Sector and Won Unstinted
Praise Of Haig.

street, where the superlative, quadruple
screw turbine French liner Rochambeau
berthed last evening. never has bios
somed with more bunting, chiefly the
Star Spangled Banner, and more vapor-
Gus applause from greeting steam craft
IN the brief but vivid history Of home
coming scrappers
There were some distinguished folk
in olive drab down at the end Of the
pier. including Major-Gen. Cornelius
Vanderbilt, original commander Of the
1920 Engineers, who could not resist the
impulse TO take day of and see the
boys no had helped to train and to COM
mand in the splendid days when he
shared their perils and their joys. He
stood modestly on the upper deck of the
pier when the Rochambesu. helped By
slack tide. sailed screnely into her berth
like a mere ferryboat With him were
Lieut.-Col c. II. Smith and Major w. r.
Lane, also OF the Engineers.
The Rocha mbeau headed in from mid
stream with all her shrouds forward
studded with big fellows in olive drab.
Down the bay they had been cheered by
the Police Band aboard the Patrol and
more than ESQ patriots, including Rod
man Wanamaker. Col. II. II. Treadwell,
Major Macarthur. who was the advance
agent of the Engineers, and Col. Will
lam Wood Of the police reserves. and q
lot of friends OF the Engineers aboard
the steamboat Correction.
Acclaimed From AIoft.
The men in the shrouds--more than
mander from the crowd on the pier end
and shouted "There's Gen. Wander
bilt, Three cheers for Gen. Wander
bilt ~ And the General was embar-
raised by the noise that split the air all
tie way to the indefinite circumambiert.
enclosing all enthusiastic Americans. He
snid later that he would not have missed
II for all the stocks and bonds Of his
ancestors. and the commander Of the
Engineers, that is the Philippine vet
cram that brought them overseas. Lieut.
Col W. s. Conrow. Immediately recog-
nized at Quarantine as Il former efficient
deputy surveyor by the ship news men.
ea Id that II he had known that he and
his men were goirg TO be received 20
gloriously he would not object - going
back TO France and doing il all over
again.
The men with the motion picture ma
persuaded the welcomers and the wei
coined TO show how much they really
thought OF their fellow citizens by forcing
them, gently of couree to pose before
the cameras, and then they swapped
stories about their adventures. Col
Conrow said he would have to let some
body else tell about his closest shave
Major Lane said he would be the goat.
Said the Major:
Under Fire on the selIe.
I'VE were 1000 yards from the
Selle when .he Germans began
raining everything on us. from ma
chine gun bullets TO gas never
heard such an earthquake thunder.
Col Conrnw-he was not the con-
mander Of the regiment then---was
the coolest man In our sector Some
of the youngsters were a bit nervous.
One In particular rather got on his
nerves, II may say the Colonel had
any of that sort OF thing. The Colo
nel looked at him alphabetically q
moment and said: Say, boy, get a
pick ard shovel and dig a big hole.
In a minute you won't notice the
shells and things coming your way
THAT boy, filled with the spirit Of
discipline, just did he Vas told.
- ,.'. - -, ~, NJ,
Go,aro,.. a. no. 80 va -, ~. -
80, AZ ,bs,. ,.o,Id 60. ,,,a, W..
w.ra IN danSar ma T., 20 ,,,stt',
good dec +"
tn ,nc,dart that oornsIIsd 15.r, 70,
conrow m 90, ont ~ Inc game tsmno.
rariIy came along on October II when
hf,een men OF his Immediate comman nd
were wounded. He left them 10 report
to headquarters at Bussieny, going
through n zone saturated with gas. He
stumbled into a shell hole and his gas
mask fell off. He gulped In. nc s1id.
more gas than all the dentists OF Brook
lyn. where he lives IN peace time could
administer to him In n thousand years
He staggered back TO his lines, covering
three miles in four hours, and asked the
medical ofhcers please 70 heip him get
INTO shape so ne could go back and d"
something the next day lie did not
know the deadnness or German gas II
was NOT until inc arnlstice mad oeen
signed mat ne was anie 10 re1oin ms
command. lie learned men that he had
peen promoted 10 mead the Engineers
w., -. u
/ What the Engineers did otherwise IN
! the war is ancient history OF the most
interesting sort. As constructive non
combatauts they made their title pre-
/ MYSTERIOUS. They were rs coIrbative as
and when they found the Germans press
! ing them they gobhled M rifles thai
ausnActed that they were licksd-untiI
, they ran up against the sturdy Ame-i-