Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-26

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Governor Dorshemer of New York
Many and many royal wassail took
place on board the Pollywog, as
Col. Baker was a bon vivant of the
Dan Freeman order in those days, and
kept stock of choice wines always on
tap at his Santa Monica or Los Angeles
residence or at the Pollywog. His
hospitality was always reliable at any
of those places to all who had any
claim on 1t and often to those who had
none.
About fifteen or sixteen years ago
lot Of wealthy Angelenos had a project
Of building harbor at this lake. With
this purpose in view they constructed
lock into the ocean at considerable
outlay confident that they would there
by provide fine port for the commerce
Of the Pacific. These gentlemen per-
suaded the managers of the California
Southern, which was really portion of
the Santa Fe and was afterwards incor-
porated in the company, to build
branch down to their great harbor,
which that corporation afterwards
thought it expedent to abandon. The
completion of the lock and the building
Of the railway were duly celebrated by
a grand blow out" which was attended
by thousands of the gay and festive
from Los Angeles and every man, wo-
man and child in Santa Monica, Ocean
Park and Redondo, being just in their
beginnings, and Playa del Rey not even
having been heard of. A vast shed had
been erected for the banquet and the
honors were done in grand style.
I cannot refrain from relating an
adventure full of boyish fun in which
I participated on this momentous occa-
sion. The Baron Rogniat was at that
time a denizen of Los Angeles and a
very popular one. He and 1 were stop
ping at the Arcadia hotel at Santa
Monica and both were booked for the
celebration. He was starting off in his
wife's phaeton for the scene of the fes-
tivities and invited me to go along.
Everything went smoothly till we
came to the edge of the lake, but, 10
and beholdl the slab temple in which
the celebrants were gathered was on
the other side Of the water. AS had
been the recipient of Colonel Bakers
hospitalities on board the Pollywog
many a time and oft, and knew his
servitors, l called to one of them to
bring his boat over, which he did, row.
ing US to the stand where the speaking
and feasting were under way. .s.s
After the grand gala event was over
we started to go back to the Arcadia.
AS nearly always happens at set cele-
brations of this kind there was a con-
tretemps which resulted in giving the
people of Los Angeles and Santa Mon
lea no end of fun with the baron.
A Joke on the Baron
At the height of the festivities, when
the lock ought to have been on it's best
behavior, it became obstreperous. A
high tide was running at the moment
of our return and the waves were ca
reering boisterously over the little lake.
They were mud colored, and for any
thing the baron knew, they might have
been twenty fathoms deep.
AS we approached the homeward
shore the boat was slapped about as if
1t might be submerged at any moment.
All at once, without saying word to
the boatman, who would have put him
on to the facts, the baron, hat, CATERS
and all, took header into the tumul-
tuous waters and into the mud, it being
not three feet deep from that point to
the shore Tho fol
realized that the joke was on him,
walked to the shore, shook himself, un-
hitched his horse, Bichet, invited me to
get into the trap, drove back to the
Hotel Arcadia, quickly divested him
self of his glad rags and went to his
couch that night sadder and a wiser
man.
OF course I could not forego the op-
portunity of exploiting such a famous
SCOOP" which l enjoyed all to myself,
and the baron's mishap was duly ad-
vertised in Europe and this country,
set off in the mock heroic vein.
At every stage Of it's history Los
Angeles has always been a very cos
mopolitan place and men like Baron
Rogniat have been located here for
longer or shorter periods. This gentle
man combined in his person the bluest
blood of the ancient and the Napoleonic
regimes. He was the nephew of the
prime minister of Charles x and was
connected with the duke of Montebello,
the title conferred by Napoleon I on
Marechal Lannes.
Both he and his wife were exceed
ingly popular in Los Angeles society.
They built themselves an elegant resi-
dence at the head of Downey avenue,
where they dispensed a noble hospital
ity. His chef de cuisine was
a most accomplished artist, and
the repasts served up on
his mahogany were culinary
dreams. Though he permitted himself
TO be the agent of the champagnes of
his cousin, the duke of Montebello,
which have given many an Angeleno
heart splitting headache. he never