New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-01
Throngs Greet
First of 9th
Fighters Home
Colonel Vanderbilt Among
Those at the Pier to
Welcome 22d Engineers
Praise for New Leader
Former Cuardsmen Go to
rival of Rest of Division

The first units of the 9th Division
70 return from France came home yes
terdsy on the Rochambeau. They
form part of the old 22d Engineers, of
which Brigadier General Cornelius
Vanderbilt was colonel. The regiment
IL now the 1o2d Engineers.
There were 1,1S8 enlisted men and
twenty-nine officers Of the regiment on
the Rochambeau. They debarked last
evening and were taken to Camp Mills
where they will await the arrival of
the remainder Of the division.
The Rochambeau had not been ex-
pected to dock yesterday until radio
was received from her shortly after
a. m, consequently the greeting ex-
tended the troops was more or less i'm
promptu, but nevertheless hearty. The
steamer Correction had been chartered
to take relatives of the men down the
bay and many boarded her at the Bat
terry at noon.
The glimpse they got Of the Rocham-
beau emerging from the heavy fog
showed deck-rails lined and shrouds
clustered with as gleefu.. cheering a
lot Of doughboys as have sailed into
New York Bay since the homeward
movement began.
Cheers for Vanderbilt
When the Rochambeau entered her
slip at the foot of West Fourteenth
Street they picked out from the throng
at the end of the pier tall uniformed
figure known and loved by all.
Murray for Vanderbilt" shouted
hundred lusty voices from the deck
and the cry was taken up from stem
to stern.
General Vanderbilt smiled broadly
and saluted.
They're fine bunch of fellows" he
commented. Pm only Sony l could
not have remained overseas long
enough to come home with them"
The general was in command of the
regiment until his promotion. Suisse
quently he was invaded home.
w >.
row was in command OF the regiment,
having succeeded Colonel A. H. Aker
on January Conrow, who was a dep
uty surveyor of the port before the
war, served with the 1o2d throughout
its hardest service in France, when his
unit played an imsartant part in the
offensive which cracked the linden
burg line at Bellicourt, Nauroy and
Beny on September 20. His home is at
$50 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn.
Lieutenant Colonel Conrow was Sc
verely gassed at St. Souplet on Oc-
tober II, and, though he refused to be
sent to hospital, he did not fully re-
cover until after the armistice was eff
fected.
Led Force Under Fire
Major W. E. Lane told about Con-
rows bravery and calmness under fire
on this occasion. The lieutenant
colonel led detachment of the 1920
to sunken road one thousand yards
beyond the La Selle River, far in ad-
vance of the American machine gun
positions, to extend the lines of COM
municaton.
1t was 3 o'clock in the morning when
they advanced, and they were sub
lected from the start to an intense
enemy machine gun, trench mortar
and artillery fire.
Lieutenant Colonel Conrow was the
calmest man in the party said Major
Lane. Il recall during the heaviest
hring his observing nervous enlisted
man, who seemed on the point of be-
coming panic-strckcn. Get pick
and shovel, SON. Conrow quietly told
MIN, and dig a hole for yourself.
You'll be so busy then you won't have
Time TO worry about what's going on
around you.
AT o'clock in the afternoon he
started back alone to rcgimental head
quarters at Busigny. The artillery
hre was still most heavy and the
whole urea was delugcd with poison
gas.
In crossing through the woods, Con
row stumbled in she'll crater and
70" his mask. He was so badly gassed
took him four hours t. walk the
remaining three miles TO headquarters.
General Vanderbilt commented IN
the high morale and discipline to
which the regiment had been brought
under the leadership Of Lieutenant
Colonel Conrow.
Sixty five members Of the regiment
we're killed in action or died Of wounds,
seven are recorded as missing and be-
tween 500 and 600 we're wounded. This
" considered high percentage OF cas-