The Washington herald., 1920-07-09

mencing to tremble. There was a
trace of extra wet in his eyes. He
came up clc Sc to me and whispered
sol that the other boys would not
hear:
When you get Oft you surely are
going to see my mother on the
pier?'
The assurance was givtn.
We'll. you-u w-won't m-mind
asking her TO stay on the pier and
wave just as long as she can see
the boat?" said Stephen.
nodded.
When 1 came of the Pocahontas
there was no quaver in his voice,
and he was smiling brightly. That
was the way he looked in among
the other boys on the rail of the de-
parting chip when last / saw him
from the end of the dock. He had
said that he did not want to let his
mother see that he felt so bad about
leaving her. but he wanted to see
her as much as he could In the
time that was left.
Good luck to you, Stephen.
The sailing of the Boy Scouts out
from the historic embarkation of
Hoboken, somehow in miniature.
brought into the mental foreground
a picture of vast events. In July,
1917, one of the first conveys carry
ing combatant troops slipped down
the bay in the gray of the early
morning hours with the upper decks
empty of. troops. Yet on the lower
decks of the transports were packed
over 10000 officers, enlisted men,
nurses and civilians. Other conveys
f0Il 4.
organized.
In the sixteen months of Amer
ica's active participation in the war,
l.s32.7sS fighting troops sailed out
of New York harbor. To move
these troops and their personal bag
gage required 2.504 trains, COM
posed of $3.50 cars, which. IL made
into one train, would have reached
from New York to Cleveland.
From the commencement OF war
up to nine months ago, when the
homebound rush practically ended.
l2l,lOS sick and wounded soldiers
were returned from overseas
through the same Hoboken tunnel
and taken to the fourteen hospitsls
in or near New York. And now
from France are coming the first of
the collins containing the remains
of some 10000 odd soldiers who
have been sleeping under the poppy
fields since before armistic day.
Hoboken Now aust Hoboken.-
Sightseeing buses do not include
the army docks" of Hoboken in
their encourage. Guide books say
nothing of them. Queer. And
will leave II to any enlisted man
who crossed IL the emotions OF our
part in the great war were not To-
Gated more there than at any other
place on this side of the ocean.
Today the United States has
about 1900 troops doing "occupa-
ton duty" around about Coblenz,
Germany. These include four bat
teries of the Sixth Field Artillery
and the Fifth. Eighth and Fiftieth
Infantry regiments. To meet the
requirements of these. last remain
ing overseas troops the War De-
partment maintains a fortnightly
ferry between New York and Ant
werp. There is also a twice-a-
month service to the Panama Zone.
Without toe thrill of war ana
the shuffling of many hundreds OF
soldier feet on the stone tagging
OF the piers with the ever loading.
loading. loading. day and night, or
our citizen soldiers into dozens ana
dozens OF transports. to be followed
later by the weeks and weeks OF
unfolding. Hoboken had become
again just Hoboken. Then came
the Boy Scouts with their Denver
band. and for half q day Hoboken
was once again the scene OF big
moments, tremendously big to
Stephen Tiley and the other lads
in khaki he 10 going TO write about.
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