The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-05-04
Fifteen Hundred BIuejaCkets are PiIoted Through
The Big Trees By Fair Guides
Jackies as Guests of City of Santa Cruz Go Up
In Mountains In Special Train
By Arthur Price
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

I and explained the various virtues and
merits of each specimen, how many
hands high it might be and whether it
had sunny or sullen disposition. as
groom might do at the horse show.
They're tallest things I've ever
seen" cried truthful tar from Rhode
Island, and they are growing every
day, too"
They'll be taller yet when our
grandchildren come out in a hundred
years to look at them" added another
soberly. Other jackies expressed their
approval in terms equally loyal, but
with less prophetic fervoy.
From the giant the path of the
guides lead to the General Fremont,
time during the Mexican war, accord
ing to the legend of the Santa Cruz
mountains. Later General Fremont re-
turned with his family and posed for
his photograph before his evergreen
namesake
In the line of march lay General
Sherman, the Roosevelt and number
OF other .dignities. Some humorous
but irreyerant jackies from the Rhode
Island selected small birch tree and
dedicated it with JUNCTION to some UNI
popular officer of that vessel
AS General Fremont had had his
photo taken before the huge redwood
so did the sailors. There was the usual
quota of newspaper artists at the ex-
cursion and they found in the jackies
willing models for all sorts of fancy
pictures. The sailors sported among
branches when the cameras were look
ing and played about in the russell
needles which have accumulated in the
centuries since the trees began to have
foliage.
From their guides the sailors learned
that the trees had begun their ca
reers before Solomon designed his
temple or the Phoenicians invented
CURIOUS AND POPULAR
In the park there is curio merchant
who sells various articles made from
redwood bark and wood and picture
postcards showing the trees. He found
ready market for his trophies of the
forest among the sailors. The table
where the cards may be addressed and
mailed was always crowded with
groups of filial bluejackets letting
home and mother know of their ad-
ventures in the golden west After
the sightseeing came the feeding. The
ladies of the Rebekah lodge came out
in their summer dresses, but quickly
draped themselves in serviceable aprons
and met the mouths of the sailors with
all the dellcacleS stoves could bake
Among the ladies who took part in this
work were: Mrs. Ethel Rostron, Mrs.
w. H. Crow, Mrs Jessie Fargo. Mrs.
A. n. Stikeman, Mrs. j. Vroom, Mrs.
Ida Davis. Mrs. E. Armstrong, Mrs. T..
Armstrong, Mrs. J. S Evario, Mrs. l..
H. Wessendorf. Mrs. S. l. Morris, Mrs.
M. Kendall, Mrs. NJ Gates and Mrs.
L. Hegel. Every sailor was given a
bouquet of flowers. One mother told
with pride Of the foresight of her lit
tie girl.
Ethel told me to be sure and bring
a paper of pins along. for she said that
the sailors had no buttonholes for their
buttonhole bouquets said the woman,
as she waved the pins she had brought
|. The sailors took the flowers and the
pins, too.
With a combination of roses, poppies.
lupin and birch bloom one Jackie had
a merry widow fringe to his hat that
aroused the envy of every damsel in the
grove. After the lunch the Younger
of the ladies who had served the Jack
les became escorts for them in second
tours of the grove. BY the time the
boys left the park they had twists
in their necks from constantly try
ing to espy the tops of the monsters of
the forest.