146 



AMERICAN l<()KI<:srRV 



York, and it was a brief one, for sentries at the head of 

 tlic pier prevented any visiting ashore. Less than a half 

 dozen friends of members of the regiment were on hand 

 to wave "goodbye." The decks had been ahve with men 

 all day, but as the ship backed out into the stream, every- 

 one was ordered out of sight, and she steamed down the 

 liarbor apparently an ordinary freighter. Farewells 

 were waved to the Statue of Liberty outlined against the 

 last glow of the sunset sky. 



"A two-day run brought 

 the Carpathia into the beau- 

 tiful land-locked harbor of 

 Halifax, where there was 

 a nine-day wait for the as- 

 sembling of the convoy. 

 These were impatient days, 

 for all wanted to be on the 

 way. Although the men 

 were not allowed shore 

 leave, it was permitted to 

 lower the ship's boats and 

 to row around the inner 

 harbor ; the principal inter- 

 est of these days was in 

 the boat races organized be- 

 tween the companies of the 

 loth and with the boats 

 from other ships. Finally 

 the convoy was ready, and 

 on September 21, thirteen 

 merchant ships, some of 

 them transporting Ameri- 

 can, Australian and Canad- 

 ian troo]3S, wound slowly 

 through the narrows and 

 down the outer harbor past 

 slii|)s of the British Navy. 

 There was no hiding be- 

 low this time ; all were on 

 deck to send back cheers 

 in return for the fine 

 nuisic and cheers from the 

 navy. At dusk the convoy 

 passed in single file through 

 the submarine net guarding the harbor. As night came 

 on the regular convoy formation in three columns was 

 taken. We found ourselves under the escort of a cruiser 

 so fantastically camouflaged that she was promptly nick- 

 named the 'scrambled egg.' 



"There was a certain grimness in the arrangements on 

 the Carpathia which gave a not wholly unpleasant indi- 

 cation of the possibility of adventures ahead. Small 

 boats were swung out over the side ready to be hastily 

 launched. Piles of life rafts encumbered the decks. Life 

 preservers were much in evidence, especially after the 

 danger zone was reached. The ship followed a zigzag 

 of courses, changed every few minutes. Everything was 

 dark at night; even smoking on deck was prohibited. 

 There were the frequent station drills, when at the warn- 



.MAJ. DAVID T. MASON 



ing from the siren, every one in his life jMeserver moved 

 quietly but rapidly to his station for abandoning ship ; 

 at first it took twelve to fifteen minutes from the time the 

 alarm was given for all to reach their stations, but later 

 careful training reduced this time to about five minutes. 

 There was a thrill one thick, stormy night when the 

 alarm sounded ; in the fog, the 'scrambled egg' had 

 nearly rammed the Carjaathia. A small storm which 



lasted for two days sent a 

 good many to their bunks; 

 later in censoring letters, 

 those of us who had the 

 censoring to do were 

 amazed to lind some sucb. 

 remarks as this in almost 

 every letter : 'It was a gre.it 

 storm ; everybody was sick 

 but me. Ha! ha!' The 

 decks were filled nearly all 

 day with the dilTerent com- 

 panies up in turn for their 

 physical drill. One after- 

 noon everyone was delight- 

 ed when the group of ten 

 specks that climbed 'over 

 the hill' to the southeast 

 drew nearer and turned 

 out to be our destroyer 

 escort to take us through 

 the 'danger zone.' The 

 destroyers spread out in a 

 ring around the convoy 

 and darted back and forth 

 in a very businesslike man- 

 ner. We realized then that 

 there had been a little ten- 

 sion and that it was good 

 to have the destroyers for 

 company. 



"After two days in the 

 danger zone the convoy 

 divided. Part went into 

 Liverpool ; the Carpathia, 

 with several other ships, 

 headed for Glasgow. In the early morning of October 

 2 the hills of Scotland were first sighted. The 

 destroyers turned back as the mine fields at the mouth of 

 the Firth of Clyde were entered. A little later the con- 

 voy passed through the gate in the submarine nets at 

 Greenock, and there waited for the tide before going on 

 up the river. The sail up the Clyde is a vivid memory. 

 There were glimjjses of "tank"-manufacturing plants, of 

 famous German submarines captured and brought to 

 port. The river, lined for miles on both sides with ship- 

 building plants, is so narrow that the new ships have 

 to be launched at an angle to prevent their striking the 

 opposite bank. Steaming slowly up the river, we were 

 heartily cheered by the thousands of shipvvorkers along 

 the shores. They were near enough to see the expres- 



