History of the 151st field artillery, Rainbow Division, by Louis L. Collins, lieutenant governor of Minnesota. Edited by Wayne E. Stevens, PH. D. Pub. by the Minnesota War records commission.

THE HOME-COMING

183

two meals a day, but every one was happy. Captain Kellogg won
the gratitude of officers and men alike by his generosity in giving
the men the entire freedom of the vessel and by the unfailing courtesy with which he and his officers treated their passengers. Both
naval and army officers on board did everything in their power to
occupy the soldiers during this trip, which at best must have
proved a tedious one to men whose every thought and dream was
now of home, family, and friends. Prize fights were arranged,
vaudeville performances staged, band concerts given daily, and a
newspaper published. News and concerts were received by radio,
including a band concert from the President Washington, then
approaching France. On Easter Day, a beautiful day at sea, services were held on deck in the morning and an excellent concert
was given in the afternoon. In spite of crowded conditions, the
discipline continued to be so excellent that on several occasions
it elicited high praise from the officers of the ship.
On Friday, April 25, eight days after leaving France, the men
caught sight of American soil. Their emotions at this moment,
after an absence of eighteen months, packed with the experiences
which only war can bring, are more easily imagined than described.
The ship was two days ahead of its schedule, but this made it no
easier for the troops to bear with patience the delay which occurred
at Sandy Hook, where they were obliged to lie for a number of
hours because of inclement weather.
Finally the sea became calm once more, the Huntington resumed its journey, and on Saturday morning it sailed into New
York harbor. As the transport steamed slowly up the harbor a
very small launch made its appearance and circled around the ship.
On it was a man who began to shout and wave his hat as the
launch approached. It was some time before the man was recognized as O. P. B. Jacobson, a member of the Minnesota Railroad
and Warehouse Commission and the father of a 151st soldier.
Mr. Jacobson, who in his earlier life had been a sailor, was the
first Minnesotan to meet the incoming vessel, and when his identity
was established the men on deck gave him an enthusiastic greeting. Senator Frank B. Kellogg, Colonel William H. Donahue,
James F. Ells, Leopold Metzger, Donald E. MacLennan, and other