Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-12
Unique War Memorial
For College for Women

A unique war memorial, in the
form of a large athletic field for the
New Jersey College for Women, on a
75-foot bluff overlooking the Raritan
River at New Brunswick, will be
dedicated next Friday, October 10Th,
under circumstances which give 1t
peculiar interest to all Americans, as
we'll as to the daughters and parents
of New Jersey who have a more i'm
mediate personal concerr in it.
Antilles Field" is to be so named
in memory of the first United States
transport sunk by German torpedoes
in the World War. The ship went
down. with 81 of her crew, on Oc-
tober IT, 1917, almost six years to
the day from the date of next weeks
ceremony.
In keeping with this connection
with Americas part in the War, the
Navy Department will share in the
dedication. Rear-Admiral Charles
b.. Plunkett, commanding the Brook
lyn Navy Yard. as the representative
of Secretary DENLY, will make the
presentation speech rendering the
field to the College authorities. The
newly christened air-ship "Shenan-
doah" will float over the field, Drop
ping flowers upon it; a detail of U.
s.. Marines from the Navy Yard, in
conjunction with the 500 men of the
Rutgers College military battalion.
Will raise the national colors.
Choice of the name Antilles for
the athletic field is due to Mr.. L.
Il. Loree. a member of the Women's
College Board of Managers since its
foundation, who has met the cost OF
constructing the field on land given
to the College by another OF its
managers, Mr.. James Nelson.
The name recalls a bit of unofficial
war history which attracted wide at
tention in the summer of 1914, when
many Americans travelling in Eu-
rope We're cut off from safe return to
their W country. Mr.. Loree and
his family were then in the French
Alps. They made their way under
difficulties familiar to many other
Americans in Europe that summer,
through Switzerland to Genoa. Find
ing there no ship and no prospect of
ships to the United States, Mr.. Loree
by cable, chartered the Southern
Pacific Company's steamer Antilles,
then in the coastwise service, to
bring home from Genoa all stranded
Americans who chose to go home In
her.
From all over the country cabled
requests came to Mr.. Loree from
fathers and other relatives to take
care of their people marooned in
Europe. Many more applied for pas
sage than could be carried, though
the ship had been re-equipped to
give accommodations to the largest
possible number. But this rush of
applications had the good effect of
stirring up commercial lines to offer
sailings; and though the Antilles was
will crowded with the 252 passengers
she brought back (Mr. Loree anC
half a dozen other men sleeping on
benches in the pilot house,. a large
number found their way home on
regular liners which could give them
more luxurious quarters than the
emergency ship Antilles. After AM
erica's entry into the war, the An
titles was chartered by the Govern
ment as a transport, and served
faithfully until she met her end.
Dedicated first to the Antilles and
her lost men, for whom-ship and
crew-'taps'' will be sounded by a
bugler from Antilles Post 146. Vet
Grams of Foreign Wars, Antilles
Field" as a memorial of faith and
service to the country will then be
dedicated anew to future service by
the young women students of today
and of years to come.
There will be brought together
for the ceremonies the students and
faculty of the Women's College, and
Rutgers College, of which it is q
part; the official Navy Department
participants; officials of the South
ern Pacific Company. former own
ers of the Antilles, with a group OF
the Company's sailors who will raise
the Company's house flag when the
national colors r raised; Captain
Boyd, who commanded the ship
when she was sunk, and who was
rescued after being four hours in
the water; a detail from Antilles
Post; and for perhaps the last time
a considerable number of the pass
engers of the Antilles from Genoa,
whom Mr.. Loree has called together
in reunions since the black summe
of 1914
Not the least. nor last, though in
some sense unofficially, since ever
the large area of the field will be
taxed by the movements of the 1906
persons actively sharing in the cere-