The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-16
Members Of the Cabinet Will Be
Presented With Some of
the Game.
GREAT BUsTLE UPON ARRIVAL.
Now That Mr.. Cleveland Has Satisfied
His Thirst for Sport, He Will
Attend to Business.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 15.-Presi-
dent Cleveland and his shooting COM
panions retured to Washington to-day at
2:30 P. NJ. on the lighthouse tender Maple,
laden with ducks and deep brown color.
There was but one thing to mark 8 differ
ence between Mr.. Cleveland's arrival to-
day and those of former similar occasions,
and that was in the weather. Heretofore
the Presidential voyages have ended at the
wharf in the midst of falling snow or wind
at "half gale" To-day was warm and
pleasant, and the balmy atmosphere must
have seemed strangely unfamiliar to the
tanned-faced hunters after their unpleas-
ant experiences in the Hatteras storm of
last week.
The telephone message sent by Mr.
Cleveland from Indian Head said that the
Maple would arrive at her wharf here at
O'Clock. Some time before that hour
Steward Sinclair and one of the White
House servants drove down to the wharf
in a covered wagon intended for baggage
and game. A little later came Mrs.
OReilly, the wife OF Major O'Reilly, the
army surgeon who has attended the Presi-
dent on his other trips to North Carolina
waters.
Owing to the presence of several vessels
81 the icewharf where the Maple usually
ties up the little tender could not land her
passengers there and was obliged to run in
at the pier of the River View excursion
boats. At 2:20 o'clock the Maple was
sighted coming around bend in the river,
and Private Secretary Thurber, who had
arrived about half an hour previously in
IA praSi cd OF tha Of
the icewharf, unconscious that the landing
would be made some hundred yards below.
But the quick eyes of the score or more
newsboys, bootblacks and wharf.loungers,
who had surmised from the presence of
the White House coupe that Mr.. Cleveland
was near at hand and had gathered on the
END of the wharf, saw that the Maple was
turning into the River View pier and made
a rush down the street in that direction.
Mr.. Thurber followed, driving over the
rough cobblestones at rafting pace.
The young gate-keeper was at first in
cllned to view the private secretary as a
Newspaper man and to refuse him admit
lance, but Mr.. ThUrber finally managed
to pass the portals OF exclusiveness through
the efforts of Commander Benjamin Lam
berton, the Navy and Lighthouse Inspector
for this district, who, with Commander
George F. F. Wilde, the naval secretary of
the Lighthouse Board, were the other COM
panions of the President on his shooting
trip. Paul Lamberton, Commander Lam
berton's son, was with Mr.. Thurber.
Those who were not admitted to the
wharf peered through the wooden palings
of the gate and watched the debarkation
with interest. The President wore silk
hat and beaver overcoat. He appeared to
be in excellent health. For ten minutes
or so the President and his friends and
Captain French of the Maple chatted on
the wharf and then the party marched to
the gate with Mr.. Cleveland and Mr.. Thur
Der in the lead. DR.. O'Reilly drove away
with his wife. Commander Wilde, Com
mander Lamberton and his son took the
streetcars and the President and Mr..
Thurber entered the coupe and were
whirled off 10 the White House.
Meanwhile Steward Sinclair, his assist
ant and the sailors of the Maple were car
rying to the White House wagon the
Presidents guns and traps and the game
that had been killed. Altogether there
were sixty ducks, thirty-two cartridges,
five geese and four brant. There were no
swans in the Presidential game bag this
year. The longevity of these birds is
proverbial. Last winter Mr.. Cleveland
shot several of them, and one of them in
the general distribution fell to the lot of
Private Secretary Thurber.
Glow did you like that swami" Mr..
Cleveland asked few days later.
Haven't been able to taste it yet" Mr..
Thurber replied.
"Why SOP" asked the President.
''Well, SIR replied Mr.. Tburber, latter
boiling it for three whole days l wasn't
able to get my teeth through one of its
centennial tendons." With this expert
ence to guide them the Presidential party
decided this year to let the swan remain,
in the classical language OF the Eton Latin
grammar, 'rara avis in terra"
The President and his com panions kept
a small portion of the game killed and the
of the memb ers of the Cabinet, Assistant
Secretary Hamiin of the Treasury Depart
ment and Private Secretary Thurber.
A member OF the shooting party said
this evening that no alarm need have been
felt for the safety of the President and his
companions during the terrific gale that
ragged at Cape Hatteras while they were IN
that vicinity The tender Violet, to which
the party was transferred from the Maple
at Norfolk, was well sheltered during the
gale in the Cape Channel. She did not
drag her anchors and everybody had
good time, he said. The trip in the Maple
from Norfolk to Washington was without
noticeable incident.