Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-10
ELKs, DOES, KIDS
ATTEND BARBECUE
AWAKE ECHOES OF SANTA
MONICA CANYON
Best People on Earth Spend Entire
Day In frustrating and Fun
Making Amid Wilde
Of Mountains

Nobody on earth can have moro fun
or make more noise than herd of Elks
when they get together, unless 1t be two
herds, And when you have half doz-
en-, all fresh from browsing in different
pastures. and each herd intent on out
doing all the rest--well. the famous old
welkin. whatever that may be, is pretty
certain to ring long and loud.
That's what happened yesterday. The
Elks, best people on earth, anyhow,
foregathered here Friday from all
Southern California, and got their en-
tAusiasm worked up and their lungs
in training for just the very most up
roarious time that they ever had. And
then they had 1t.
The trouble began early The antlered
brethren met at the lodge rooms on
Spring street, about 8 o'clock and liqui-
dated a few, while tags were attached
to each one to prevent any mavericlzing
about.
Then Moore and his band arrived
and played the Elk hymn. "Auld Lang
syne," and some hundreds fell in line
and marched to the Arcade depot, where
nine carloads embarked on a special
Southern Pacific train. and filled 1t to
the brim. Quite number of docs" were
along, in their pretty white frocks, to
add a gentle tinge and even a few
kids" filed in the crevices. And at 10
o'clock they all Joined in that other
Elk hymn, "Show Me the Way to Go
Home" and the putting engine bumped
itself through town, leaving wake
of smoke and song In it's rear, en- route
to Santa Monica canyon, where the
real doings were waiting.
Such a Time
What a ride 1t was! There wasn't
a quiet woman or man in it. When one
song palled another began. When one
bunch of vociferators wearied another
took up the strain. Up and down the
train they went, in parties, from end
to end, yanking backward ones into
the aisles, till sometimes the trail of
the serpent was over them all and so
was that of song. And by the time the
order to get off was heard, at the can
yon's mouth, half the voices aboard
were in need of rat-tail file and large
quantities OF elixir before their owners
could speak above a whisper.
A tramp up the rocky bed of the dry
canyon of half mile brought the
whole herd to a beautiful spot in the
n I,x oh
of welcome and long tables, with
gang of men about them, told every
one this was 'it'' Wild yells drowned
the band and glad acclaim denoted
that the promised land was reached.
Your true Elk, however, has vein
of patriotism in him that must find
vent and so the flag had to be raised
before anything else was lowered-al-
though the beer wagon did look mighty
inviting after that dusty hike. BILLY"
Hammel was the boss of this function.
A tall bare pole was ready, with the
halyards fixed, and while the band
played "Star-S -Spangled Banner" and
Hammel smiled his best for the score
of photographers, Old Glory went up
amid roar of cheers.
Bacchus and oratory Spout
C.. F. Henking made a fine address
in honor of the occasion, and succeeded
in holding a goodly portion of the as
sembly, although the spouting of the
fountain of Gambrinus at this juncture
caused somewhat Of q stampede. How
ever, w. T. Gillis also managed to re-
ply on behalf of Santa Monica and Ges-
ner williams also got in few words
before Bacchus and his gang monopo-
lized the occasion.
Then Matt Everhardy let out a yell
that the meat was done and the widest
rush of all began. The tables had places
for 700 and they were filed before one
could count ten. The overflow grabbed
plates and sat on prospects and ate
wind while the earlier ones fed. Matt
and his gang of helpers had stiff time
supplying all demands, as the meat
couldn't be dug up fast enough for the
hungry throng, but the antlered tribe
of Santa Monica peeled off coats and
went at it to help him and soon the
regular squad of walters looked like a
few beans in crowded sack. The de-
mand for food increased rapidly as it
was tasted, and it kept every one busy
hustling for himself to keep up with it.
Busy Browsing Times
The barbecue was elegant. The meat
was done to turn. the chilli and fri
joles were great, as well as hot. and
the bread was the only thing shy. Some
900 loaves were in hand when the festi-
vities began, but they melted away
like SNOWFALL in that place to which
no good Elk will ever go. and the sup
ply was exhausted early.
But the amber fluid held. thank for
tune, and when an Elk had scorched
his 'innards"' with all the chill that
he could contain, he made mad rush
for the shrine of Bacchus and cooled off
in the foam that never was on any sea.