photo provided George Washington Farrar, served aboard the USS Leviathan during WWI.

At the time of his enlistment, Farrar was single, working as a railroader with the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company. He boarded at the Nolan Lumber Camp in Masten, Sullivan County.

Reporting for duty at the Brooklyn Ship Yards, Farrar was assigned to the USS Leviathan. The sailor, having experience as a fireman on the railroad, would stoke furnaces, providing steam to power the ship’s engines.

At 950 feet in length, the ship was one of the largest in the American fleet. When war was announced, the military confiscated all foreign ships in US harbors. The luxury ocean liner, known as “Vaterland,” had been constructed in Hamburg, Germany, a mere three years earlier. Retrofitted, it became a troop transport ship crossing the Atlantic from US ports to Brest, France.

Thanks to a four-page newspaper, “The Transport Ace,” the small porthole allows us to view events during Farrar’s two-year stint. The paper was printed on board daily while the Leviathan was at sea. Three post war issues retained by the Farrar family include one each from May, June; and July 1919.

photo provided Daily while at sea, “The Transport Ace,” was printed aboard the USS Leviathan. News of events on ship as well as the nation, kept sailors and passengers informed. Note the latitude and longitude reported at noon each day. The coordinate system pinpointed the transport’s location.

Among the pages, the greatest number of persons on board was revealed as being 14,300 souls during its 16th trip home on June 11, 1919. This total eclipsed all previous records, including those of July 1918, when the pressure for troop movements to France was at its height. The fastest crossing was made in 15 days, 11 hours and 34 minutes.

As a side note, it had been July 7, 1918, when at Hoboken, New Jersey, there boarded 168 Lycoming County soldiers of the 314th Infantry Division. Is it possible that Farrar, a resident of the same county, knew his neighbors were among those headed for France?

Additional items chronicled were that 67,592 pounds of food stuffs were required for a single day. For relaxation, movies were shown. Keeping up with news from home, baseball scores for the American and National Leagues were reported.

Items in the July 3, 1919, issue, noted the movements of President Wilson; and also a canine on board. The latter, a Belgian police dog named “Duc,” was accompanying Lieutenant Francis Goodhue to his home in Philadelphia. Having served together, both had been wounded, and for six hours, dog and soldier shared the protection of a shell hole. When recovered, Duc’s duty was to precede stretcher bearers carrying two kegs of water, bandages and iodine. Both received the Croix de Guerre, having served first with the French Ambulance Service in 1917.

Again on July 3, and in anticipation of Independence Day, President Wilson was to be part of the festivities. A vanguard of six destroyers passed by the Leviathan as part of the Atlantic Fleet taking up position to welcome the president, who would arrive aboard the USS George Washington.

How much Farrar was aware of the aforesaid is unknown. However, the sailor did share with his son that for a short time, actor Humphrey Bogart was on board.

Moving forward to 1942, after WWII had begun, many of those serving in the Great War were of an age to be drafted. At this point, Farrar was age 48, residing at 39 N. Fourth Street, Hughesville. He was employed at the Mellon Furniture factory in town. He also had a disability, as polio left him with a distinctive limp. Additionally, the veteran had dependents; wife Ethel Ranck, originally of Montgomery, and daughters Doris and Jean.

Farrar retired after 16 years as a machinist with Sprout-Waldron of Muncy. Activities enjoyed during civilian life were fishing, and playing cards with neighbors Art and Bertha Houseknecht.

G. W. Farrar was born Nov. 24, 1893 in Ralston, Lycoming County, PA. He was the son of Herbert and Harriet “Hattie” (Campbell) Farrar. He was the namesake of his maternal grandfather, George Washington Campbell. George’s siblings were: Orrin, Edith, Ward Preston, Lorena, and Ralph. The sailor and all three of his brothers served and survived WWI.

G. W. Farrar died May 8, 1974, at a hospital in Farmville, Virginia, while visiting the home of his daughter Doris (Robert) Schodt at Crewe, VA. His remains were returned for burial in the cemetery at Picture Rocks.