The sun., 1919-03-07
JOYOUS SILENCE
AS MAURITANIA
WARPS TO DOCK
No Cheering or Music in the
First Hour as Big Ship
Battles With Tide.
1862 MEN LAND AT LAST
Brig. Gen. Pierce Praises New
York Heroes-Lt.-Col. Roose-
welt Glad to Be Home.

The New York veterans of the Twenty
seventh Division, mostly happy young
sters. who arrived last evening by the
Cunarder Mauretania we're not received
tumultuously at the liners pier at the
foot OF West Thirteenth street. partly
because the military band that greets
troopships had been requested not to
make a noise while the liner was dock
ing SO her officers might have a chance
10 transmit orders from bridge TO fore
castle head and partly because OF the
tense interest of folks ashore In the
varying In. which took all OF an hour.
Across the dock to the north was the
liner Caronis, which arrived in the morn
ing. still warlike, camoufiaged and
carrying her guns forward and aft, and
the giant Mauritania had to squeeze in
between the southern side OF the dock
that lie. the water space between the
two piers) and the Caronia-
Capt. Rostron had a hard task clearing
the stern OF the Caronia, A strong ebb
tide urged the Mauretanis southwark
and the army tugs, the only sort avail.
able because of the strike, were not
numerous or powerful enough to hold
the great bulk OF the after part of the
Mauretania against the fierce tide.
Heavy manila hawsers were stretched
between the forward starboard side of
the giantess and her winches gripped
them and windlassed them inboard. One
hawser snapped with a sound that must
have suggested machine guns to the
veterans Then there was another bang
and the bow OF the Mauritania fell of
toward the stern of the Caronia. The
army tugs snorted valorousy and the
officer in the bow shouted orders through
his megaphone that caused the Maure-
tania to start her own engines and
back away from the threatened star
board quarter Of the Caronia.
Another hawser snapped and handy
boatmen rowed alongside the great ship
and received a brand new rope. which
they conveyed to the pier. that resisted
all subsequent strain. AS the Maure-
tania, In pre-war paint OF black and
tunnels Of red. just like her old time
self in peaceful days, Strengthened out
and came parallel with the pier the
military band let loose and the men in
olive drab broke into cheer. Before
that. in the MUSCLES silence, Capt
Archie Roosevelt, on the pier. had noted
his brother. Lieut.-Col. Theodore Roose-
Welt. standing at the rail of the main
deck about amidships and had exchanged
him. Other folk on the pier also had
recognized friends aboard and soon there
was a general upthrusting of hands and
MASKING of smiles across the gar be-
tween pier and ship.
Lieut-Col. Roosevelt had not had a
glimpse Of the unique skyline OF Manhat-
tan since he went away two years ago.
He went to, France, with the first expe-
ditionary forces, commanding the First
AZ he nd ~
the Twenty sixth Infantry. which he re-
tanned until the cessation OF hostilities
His first thought, after he had fed or,
The marvellous toplofticsl architecture of
the town for several minutes as sort OF
architectural cocktail was OF his fam
lily. He said:
ITS great to be coming home. Think
OF II! ! have not seen my three children
for two years. They were babies then
hut babies have a distressing habit OF
growing up. ! am just crazy TO see
them. I was with the Twenty-sixth in
every battle II fought until July. when ]
was wounded. and when I got well ]
tcayed with them until the finish.
brought them up and saw their baptism,
OF FIRE. In their FIRST big fight at Sois-
sons on July Is they were put in with
the French In Foch's counter offensive
and they showed their mettle. / am de-
lighted with their record. trust that
IN the future we will bear In mind that
much could have been saved us II we
lad realized the value of preparedness
in time.
Roosevelt Sees BENEFITS.
"My impression OF the great conflict
so far as It concerns America Is that II
has been tremendous help. No younl
man can go through the military expe
lave gone through and not benefit b,
t. This. think, is well illustrated by
my own battalion
Col. Roosevelt added that lie woult
muster out just as soon as he could. a:
he strongly desired TO, return to civilian
lfA
Brig. Gen. Palmer E. Pierce OF tn,
J'iftyfourth Infantry Brigade was II
command of the 100 officers and ass
men In the Mauretania His brigad,
comprised the 1osth Infantry. most o
whom belong TO the Twenty-seventh Di
vision, which came In by the big liner
lie trained them on the Somme RnC
Knows them pretty we'll. He said:
New York has every reason TO b,
proud of these men. They compare IA
rably with the best that fought IL
France. This is borne out by the com
mendatlon they received from such brav,
tiiu StdSOlltu HSli' CTS as INC
with Nf1om they foue~s side by src' ais,
by the respect their enemies had fo
them. The art OF war cannot be learned
on the drill field, and 1t was pleasing T.
me to note the aptitude these mer
showed In grasping new and difficult sit
nations.
I'VE tackled the Hindenburg line, on,
Of the toughest propositions of the war
and from then on the Twenty-Five
Jegiment covered itself with glory.
iclieve the Twenty seventh and Thirtietl
divisions took one-eighth of the entr,
lTmber of prisoners captured by tn.
americans during all the war. Wha
Impressed me most was American disci
J,ine. We have heard lot about Ger
nan discipline, but our soldiers displayed
4. better type. II was fully as effective I
rot more so. than the German brand
The men. instead OF serving under al
!ron rule, were naturally and voluntarll.
Imenable to rule"
Col. Edward s. Jennings. commando
of the 10Sth. who lives in Auburn. tlli
STATE. in peace time, said his regimen
vas made up mostly of upstate men
They call US the apple Knockers" h
raid. because so many ot MS come fron
ear the orchards of Buffalo and SYRIA
6Vse. We did not Ike It at first, bu
VOW NO are rather proud OF the dis
;'uctiou. We were the first regimen
s.. line at Mount kinmcl, and Oh tina
s-~v. July Is, we happened to be tn
r"ly line bctween the Germans and tn
\ sea. II the Germans had broken throug
en- II would have heen very bad 70