Arizona republican., 1919-05-23
FIGHTING BETH COMES HUME IN
 BIC LEvIATHAN
Imperator Docks at Same Time-Two Huge German Ships Bring Original leu ton Commanders -27, ,0O0 Troops Arrive In One Day In New York
rRepubuean Al Leased wireI

NEW 1OEShs MAY AI.--4 " culS seven thousand troops of the American expeditionary force stepped ashore .here today from eight transports, which had brought them home from France. This is the greatest number of dough- boys to debark at this port on any one day. Virtually all states were repre- sented among the personnel of these ar rivals. Aside from the casuals, units comprised parts of the 2Sth, 29th, 32nd, 33rd, 41st, 7Stn, Sand, S3rd and 89th di- visions, the first five made up of for mer state national guard organizations and the other four comprising draft troops.
 Chief interest attached to the Levia- than and Imperator-the former be- cause it carried nearly one-half of all the troops arriving today and the lat ter for the reason that her appearance here was the first since prior to the war. Both vessels, the two largest steamships in the world, were once Germany's crack merchant marine lin- CTS. and they made the present voyage almost side by side, from Brest to New York. The other troop carriers dock ing were the cruisers Seattle and Charleston and the steamships Yale, Manchuria, Ohioan and Mexican.
 Levisthan Leads Race
 The two great transports came up the bay with the Leviathan leading by less than half a mile, and then docked at the same pier they used when under the German flag. The ships left Brest Thursday, May 15; the Imperator at 1 a. m. and the Leviathan at g.: 30 p. m. There then developed a race with the result that the latter vessel overlook and passed the Imperator early Tues day morning.
 On the bridge of the Imperator was her former commander, Commodore Thomas Kier. With him was Captain Fritz Frederick Kruse, who formerly commanded the Cleveland. These off cers, with others, were sent along to assist the Americans in handling the ship. The vessel was under command of John k. Robinson, U. s. N. Both Commander Kier and Captain Kruse appeared to be delighted to come again into an American port, even though it was not as in former days-in supreme command of the finest ships of their country.
 Tells of Captain koenig
 During the war, Captain Kruse was attached to the German naval reserve and put in most of his time mine sweeping in the North Sea.
 Kruse spoke of Captain Koenig, the German officer, who brought the Deutschland to America on two trips He said Koenig left the submarine shortly after America entered the war and she was taken over by the navy department. The Deutschland, renamed made two additional trips to American waters, and scattered mines off the Vir- ginia coast
 While here, the Imperator will be al- tered so that larger number of troops can be accommodated while she is 1T the transport service.
 The Leviathan came into port flvir,e the flag of Vice Admiral Gleaves, com. mander of the cruiser and transpor force of the Atlantic fleet, returning from a trip to France, Belgium anC England
 Two Largest Ships
 The arrival of the two largest ship: in the world on one day, together witl several others of lesser tonnage, madt the busiest day the debarkation off. cers here have experienced. Approxi mately 27.000 men were landed anC started on their way to debarkatior camps.
 
 Leviathan were members of the S9tl division Major General Leonard Wood who trained the division, Governor Al. len of Kansas and officials of the Rock Mountain club were present to welcom, them.
 The S9th's official war record start, with the divisions entry into tn, trenches along the Foul sector on Aug ust I, 1918, and is filled with a serie. Of achievement running up to ~armis tice morning November IT,
 The S3rd participated in the St. Mi hiei offensive, the Argonne offensive il October and the Meuse- -Argonne of fensfve in November.
 Rated by the German military intel ligence department as a strong comba division the S9th took many prisoner and lost but two.