But the work of fitting out was not all that had to be done. Men must be fed; and it seemed, from the accumulation of provisions on the dock, that we were being depended upon for the entire job of feeding the A. E. F. Truckload after truckload of stores was piled on the dock, and hoisted aboard, day after day. We soon learned that one trip with 10,000 red blooded men aboard involved the consumption of almost everything we had been piling into the ship’s storerooms and refrigerators. Besides food, there were general stores to be handled, including everything from safety pins to dishwashing machines. Every department was working overtime to get things ship-shape, and the deck force most of all. At last it was rumored that we were about to make our maiden trip under the American flag. This was followed by a speeding up in all departments. It received final substantiation when military equipment and stores began to arrive. The time had come for a real test. We had a chance to test our booms when a five-ton truck showed up as a part of the equipment to be loaded. The booms were of three-ton capacity and it was necessary to strengthen the lifts and rig a purchase in lieu of the single whip. It was taken aboard without mishap. Just before leaving all boat-falls were given a final test. Every boat was rigged out and lowered to within a few feet of the water. A party of sixty-five men then clambered in and the boat was hoisted and lowered ten feet or more. This party was used for all of the boats, which were found to be in satisfactory condition. A few boats not on davits were hoisted overboard and tested for watertightness. One morning in the fall of 1917 we slipped away. There were many conjectures as to our destination, one opinion being that we were bound for Panama for a last overhauling in dry dock. It developed that we were taking 1,500 marines to Guantanamo. Upon our arrival in Cuba, we discharged all equipment and turned our attention to the boats once more. The boat officers were given their first lesson in the handling of the boat winches, and some of the men were given their first experience in a boat under oars. Back again to Hoboken—more handling of stores and provisions. The Marines, although few in number, had managed to put quite a hole in our store of provisions. But the worst was yet to come. Orders sending the ship to France came, and with them 7,500 soldiers. We had one piece of luck in getting off. While the crews of other transports had been compelled to sit and watch civilian stevedores put their stores aboard, the crew of the _Leviathan_ were allowed to handle everything going aboard the ship themselves. There were no restrictions whatever, permission even being given to work night and day at the job. All of the equipment handled by the civilian stevedores belonging to the army. The crew handled all of the naval equipment aboard, including Liberty motors, aeroplanes and S. P. boats.