The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-05-28
DEPARTURE0 OF
A. E. F. STAFF
MARKED TODAY
tJust> 10 Years Ago, Army's
Vanguard Set Out For
France and War
WY \
COULDN'T KEEP SECRECY
Pershing Nearly Lost Life in
Boarding Vessel, Re-
port Reveals
COULDN'T KEEP SECRECY

Washington, May 2S-tP)- iTen
years ago today some 200 men,
clothed as civilians but distinguished
by an ineffaceable military bearing,
began memorable movement out of
New York City.
They constituted the general staff
Of the American Expeditionary
Force, with it's retinue Of assistants
and clerks. They formed the spear
head of an American army of nearly
100000 men which was to turn the
tide Of battle in France, and at their
head was General John J. Pershing.
J. Secrecy Guarded Departure
Supposedly secure secrecy guarded
the departure of the group. BY
tugboat and ferry and by various
routes they converged upon Gov
jcrnor's Island. A dark morning and
wind-blown rain seemed to add their
cloaks Of obscurity to the movement
but members Of the party recalled
today how two important slips set
at naught the whole machinery Of
secrecy.
Baggage of some of the officers
was piled at pier end, awaiting a
luggage until suddenly there arrived
several pieces stenciled with the name
of high-ranking officer and the in
formation: I'm care of General
Pershing's headquarters, American
Expeditionary Forces, Paris"
The secret was definitely out a
fe1 moments later when a younger
officer arrived in uniform in viola
tion of the injunction to wear
civilian garb.
Never Published in u. 8. Papers
The fact of the ptaff's departure
never was published by American
newspapers, but the war department,
fearing repetition of the sinking
of Lord Kitchener's ship in the Irish
Sea, explained |the situation to
Pershing by wireless, suggesting a
change of ships at Halifax but leav-
ing the matter to his own judgment.
Pershinx's judgment was to con-
tinue on. stopping at Halifax only
long enough to pick up British
naval escort: The voyage was with
out incident, but it was made gener-
ally known today for, perhaps the
first time that for the space of a
split second the life Of General
Pershing hung by a thread before
he ever boarded his ship off Gov
ernor's Island. His own quick think
ing and agility at that moment saved
him.
Pershing's tug had arrived off the
island to await larger boat to take
his party to the steamer. When the
tug arrived it could come no closer
than three or four feet because Of
the rough water. To change boats
the party had to climb the rail of the
first tug and jump into the other
through an opening in the hull, about
the size of a small doorway, directly
opposite.
Makes Daring Jump
Leading the way Pershing balanced
himself on the rail and made the
{ leap. As he did so his tug rose on
wave crest and the other dropped
INTO the trough. The general, in
lnid-air, drew up his legs and ducked
his head. He landed asprawl square
" in the doorway, but its descending
top missed his head only by frac-
ti1n of an inch.
The shin that carried the Pershing
staff to France was the S. s. Baltic.
The unitive expedition had num-
] bered about 10000 men. As soon as
Pershing had his first closeup view
Of the situation in France, however,
he called for one million men to be
landed within the year. He had
nearly three million when the armis-
tice was signed.