The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-23
'LEVIATHAN BEATS
IMPERATOR IN RACE,
Giant Sister Ships Arrive Here
With Nearly $4,000 From
War Zones.
8 VESSELS BRING 27,31O
Vice-Admiral Gleaves on Win
ming Transport Helps
Feed the Furnaces.
8 VESSELS BRING 27,s1O

The Atlantic's two meyntiest shipa the
Leviathan and Imperator--sisters but
not twins-got in yesterday afternoon.
docking within about an hour OF each
other at the same pier they used In
the roseate days when they were peace
fully earning big revenues for the Ham
burg-American Line. 1t was the first
time In their careers that they made
fast In opposite docks, just one pier
between them and SO close that, in the
salty parlance Of the clipper days, you
could toss ships biscuit from one
skyscraping set of decks to the other
And they had had a glorious race, ac-
cording to the soldier and naval folk
aboard the winner, the Leviathan. Al
ways in sea speed fights the boat that
loses does not race. But officers and
soldiers bet on the respective ships that
carried them when they were In the
port Of Brest, and later at sea renewed
the wagering as to which would get to
Hoboken first.
The Imperator brought twenty Ger
man officers and men, including her
old commander, Capt. THOMAS Kier. pdt
down on the ships log as Commodore"
the designation of the ranking off!c -
Of what is left OF the Hamburg AmSri.
can feet. and he refused to talk to the
ship news reporters, but did say in.
teresting things to American naval Off.
GERS in charge of the liner. skippered
by Capt. ]. X. Robson Commodore
Kier came in an advisory capacity
solely. He was rather free in express
ing himself, dwelling with regret or
the pleasanter days when he had Col.
Roosevelt and other distinguished Amer
leans as passengers.
One of the officers TO whom the Ger
man Commodore unbosomed himself
said he realized that Germany had been
badly beaten, that she wanted no more
of monarchy, and that 1t would have
been bad for the world IL the German
Imperial Government had won the war.
He said he had been before the war
an honorary member of the New York
Yacht Club that he had many men OF
financial and social prominence among
his friends In America, and he hoped
that when commercial relations were
and America that the Americans would
give his country encouragement.
German Omcers Friendly.
Assisting Commodore Kier was Capt
Fritz Ferdinand nuse. who said that he
and the other German officers were
proud to cooperate with the American
naval officers In the running OF the ship
Capt. Kruse Is we'll known to American
seagoers, having been twelve years ir
service between Hamburg and this port
and piloted the Hamburg American liner
Cleveland on her trip around the world
He was quite willing to talk and indi-
Gated that the policy Of German officers
hereafter arriving here would be one OF
friendliness He said Commodore KieI
had been commanding Transports on the
Danube and also mine sweepers and
that two of these had been blown VI
under him.
Capt. Kruse put emphasis on the as
sertion that neither he nor his commo-
dore had taken active part in the fight
ing at sea. Capt. Kruse's duty was
chiefly on mine sweepers and he paid
tribute to the lavishness OF mine laying
in the latter part of the war by the
Americans and British. The German
mine sweepers could not keep the mines
out OF the channels and fairways, which
would fill up overnight Many mine