Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-18
CITIES GAY IN HONOR
OF VISITING WARSHIPS
CRESCENT BAY TOWNS BRIGHT
WITH COLORS
Cousin of "Fightlng Bob" Evans In
Charge of Municipal End of the
Work-Resident Deco
rate Dwellings
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
OCEAN PARK. April 1.-THE sister
cities of the crescent beach today put
tire in anticipation of the arrival here
late tomorrow afternoon of the third
division of the great battleship armada,
consisting of the Maine, Ohio, Missouri
and Minnesota.
Navy code flags, blue and white PEN
nants and the Stars and Stripes hung,
draped and festooned in a thousand
artistic ways. are In evidence along the
beach front and business and residence
streets from Venice to Santa Monica.
Stores, shops, hotels and private
dwelling houses vie with one another in
the splendor and originality of their in
dividual adornment, while the chief
thoroughfares and public amusement
places are decorated as they have never
been before.
The members of the Santa Monica
bay fleet committee. under the energetic
leadership of Chairman David Evans,
cousin of Fighting Bob" have worked
early and late to make the decoration
feature a success, and now that this
part of their labor is finished they are
justly proud of what they have done
toward dressing the beach in its hOli-
day clothes.
Many Streets Gay
Windward avenue, Venice, is strung
with blue and white lights, pennants of
the same color festOons of red, white
and blue, and a liberal sprinkling of
pictures of Admiral Evans. The dane
ing pavilion on the Venice pier has been
fitted with $1,000 worth of new incandes-
cent lamps, which will transform the
interior into a splendid maze of multi
colored hues. with the stage and arches
outlined in glowing radiance.
Pier avenue. Ocean Park, is lined on
both sides with strings of blue and
white streamers. hung from the electric
lamp posts, while each post is sur
mounted by two crossed American
flags, the whole making a novel and
beautiful effect.
The Casino dance pavilion will be
banked from floor to arch with a brave
array of brilliant bunting and fragrant
garlands, augmented by beautiful and
unique electric lighting system. The
stage will be made over into the side
elevation of man-of-war, on the deck
of which the orchestra, dressed in sail
ors' uniforms. will play. The sides, tur-
rets, masts and superstructure of the
ship will be outlined in incandescent
lights which will be left burning when
the rest of the lights are lowered for
the dark waltzes"
Oregon Avenue Decorated
Oregon avenue, Santa Monica, pre-
sents a gay picture of many -colored
bunting. red, white and blue pre-
dominating. The new city hall is fair
" covered with fl ering flags and
streamers of all sizes, colOrs and
shapes. the various code flags of the
navy interminglng with the national
colors.
on the arrival of the ships Mayor
Dudley of Santa Monica and G.. M.
Jones, president of the board of trustees
of Ocean Park will go aboard the flag
ship Maine and formally tender the
men of the armada, while 200 women
under the escort of Commodore h. w.
Armstrong and DR. j. NJ. White will
decorate each officer and man with
neat buttonhole bouquet as a fragrant
remembrance of the fleets arrival in
Southern California waters.
The new landing stage on the Venice
breakWater is in readiness for the hand
ling of 100000 people a day during the
fleets stay here. A minimum of dam
ger Is assured by the fact that boats
passing to and from the breakwater
will not have to cross each others
paths but will arrive and leave In a
continuous stream.
On the morning of Saturday, April
%. just before leaving for northern wa
ters, the entire armada of sixteen bat
tleships under the command of Rear
Admiral Thomas will assemble in Santa
Monica bay and viii maneuyer in these
waters for a couple of hours.