The record-union., 1899-08-25
WELCOME TO The
CAL|FORNIANS.
Great Enthusiasm Over the Return
of the Volunteers.
The Sherman Enters G0Iden Gate Heralded
by Thousands Of People.
A Big Naval Parade, in Which
Governor Gage and His Staff
Take Part, Meets and Accom-
panies the Returning Transport
Down the Bay.

pau1eS Cne Mourning transport
Down the Bay.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24.-Jubila-
tIonS over the safe return of the Cali
fornia volunteers are being continued
tonight without any sign of diminution
IN the volume of joyful enthusiasm with
which the arrival of the Sherman was
greeted last evening. 1t had been sup
posed that the somewhat hilarious hap
pinesS of the people would soon wear
itself out, but more than twenty-four
hours of practically continuous demon
stration seems to have abated in no
degree the general excitement.
AS the transport, with the boys still
on board, lies off the dock tonight, she
is the center of a splendid marine IL
Elimination. Steamers, tugs and
launches, all moving masses of light,
are sailing around and about the Sher-
man, sending up rockets and Roman
candles and burning red fire.. while
whistles and sirens maintain continu-
Gus footing. There are simultaneous
pyrotechnical displays from the offices
of the daily newspapers, from the pub
lie buildings and from many points
along the water front. The new ferry
building and City Hall are brilliantly
Illuminated, and there is a universal
rivalry in the effort to make the home
coming of the troops an ideally happy
as well as memorable event.
The streets are so crowded with peo-
pie as to be almost impossible, and
down near the wharves there are tens
of thousands of cheering admirers of
the returning soldiers. Incoming trains
and boats have brought delegations
from almost every town in the State,
and it is estimated that there are 100,-
600 visitors in the city joining in the
popular demonstration.
AS the Sherman came to anchorage
this afternoon, Mayor Phelan, from the
deck of the steamer Monticello, deliv-
cred the official address of welcome to
the volunteers on the transport. The
band of the California regiment struck
up Home Again." and the Mayor was
cheered to the echo.
Governor Gage and the members of
his staff, with some personal friends,
were on the tug Governor Markham,
which had it's place in the naval pa
rade.
With the coming of dawn tomorrow
the Sherman will be warped alongside
of Folsom street wharf and at o'clock
the California regiment will diSembark.
1t will be received by the Executive,
Parade and Reception Committees, rep
reSentativeS of relatives of the volun-
teers and the Red Cross Society. \
brief reception on behalf of the State
and municipality will follow. Then the
regiment will fall in and march to the
Union ferry depot, where the relatives
will be gathered and breakfast served.
At IL o'clock the different civic and
military organizations which are to
take part in the parade will fall in line
with the returned heroes. and the
march out Market street will be begun.
When the Presidio is reached the men
will be assigned to quarters, but in
stead of going at once into camp, each
man will be given a furlough of tWen-
ty-four hours.
The first cars bound for the water
front to-day carried anxious relatives
and friends of the boys, all eager to get
news or to be sure of positions near the
chartered steamers, yachts and tugs
which are to bear thousands of people
out to the Golden Gate to form part
of the pageant which is to welcome the
transport as she passes through the
Gate and to escort her to an anchor
age off the Government transport dock.
1t can be truthfully said that there is
hardly a vessel in the bay that was
not decorated for the OCCASION and the
yachts and tugs and bay steamers that
took part in the naval parade We're de-
lightful to behold. Flags and streamers
flew from every available place, and
every rope had it's bunting.
AS the big transport neared the Gate
the National salute was fired from the
forts in the harbor and from the bat
tleship Iowa. This honor was by cour-
tesy of the Department at Washington.
At a given signal from Commodore
| Spreckels the yachts and tugs formed
| in a designated order and proceeded up
| the bay.
| The order for the tug boats and bay
| steamers to leave their positions was
issued shortly after noon, and one by
one they could be seen moving from
| their docks, their prows turned toward
the Golden Gate.
| The pleasure craft were crowded. Tel
escopes, field glasses and cameras and
| the inevitable flag seemed to be the
| burden of the people. As the fleet be-
! came greater by the addition of each
| new boat the commanders became eau
| tious, and the wanted speed of the yes
sells was cut down to a tantalizing gait.
/ The boats seemed to jostle one another,
and on more than one occasion it ap-
peared to the watchers on shore that
collisions We're imminent. Their human
| cargoes all gathered on the shore sides
of the vessels, and the slant of the YES
! sells toward that side caused some
alarm, but fortunately there were no
/ accidents of any moment.
The boats took their appointed posi-
tions as if by magic. Everything was
done so smoothly and with so little ap-
| parent effort that it looked as if the
| fleet had been schooled to the perfec-
tion point, but in reality the fleet had
| no greater instruction than that con-
! tanned in the printed circulars issued
| to the commanders of the vessels par
| ticipating.
/ The noise created by the steam sirens,
the calliopes, the ringing of bells and
cannon drowned all other noises Incl
| dent to the occasion
/ The passage of the welcoming fleet
down the bay toward the ocean seemed
!. for the moment to appease the watch