The San Francisco call., 1908-11-02
CARNIVAL ASSISTS
SAN JUAN MISSION
Hundreds KneeI on Plaza While
Father Gleason Celebrates
Mass in Open Air
VaquerOs Prove Their Skill After
Monster Barbecue and
Baseball Game
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

SAL JUAN, Nov. LIN the historic
plaza fronting the adobe arcades of
Mission San Juan Bautista, where more
than a hundred years ago the Fran
ciscan friars first met for worship.
hundreds of men, women and children
knelt this morning in celebration of
mass. Drawn up about the sunny
plaza in solid phalanx were half a
hundred automobiles and as many more
buggies, wagons and vehicles of all
kinds, gay with banners and bright
with the colors of women's gowns,
while the flags and bunting Of fiesta
decorations completed a scene such as
the quaint mission town has never
known before.
Kaleidoscope color and the pulsing
, of modern life gave the picture a holi-
day vivacity, yet behind 1t all was an
impressiveness that drew the throng
together with a single impulse. 1t was
| feature of holiday fiesta, planned
to revive the memories and the ro
nance of the old mission days and to
raise fund that will assist in repair
ing the serious damage sustained by
the mission in the earthquake of two
years and a half ago.
Before an altar banked with palm
leaves and decked with some of the
choicest treasures of the mission, the
mass was celebrated by Father Gleason
of Santa Clara, assisted by Father Sc
pharino. Franciscan of Pajaro. Father
Closa, the padre of the mission, who
for "a years has been the spiritual
head of the old church. was not the
celebrant at the open air mass, having
held mass within the mission earlier in
the day. Nearly every carnival visitor
| in San Juan was present at the out
door service, which was participated in
by 200 or more members of the Catholic
church.
Early in the day the baseball mines
of San Juan and Salinas met in a well
played game, which resulted in a o to
victory for the home club, the pro-
ceeds being added to the mission
preserva ton fund.
The crowd of yesterday, which made
things merry until the small hours
this morning, and then taxed every
available building and residence of the
town for sleeping accommodations, was
swelled long before noon by the arrival
of nearly 200 excursionists from San
Francisco and many additional automo-
bile parties. Ordinary methods of feed
! ing the crowd would have been futile,
but ordinary methods were not desired,
for at noon the ancient olive orchard
of the mission was the scene of a
monster barbecue. Whole oxen were
roasted over the trenches and the
throngs gathered around the temporary
tables which were erected for the feast.
1t was in the afternoon, however
that the greatest carnival event was
held 1t consisted of series OF
vaouero races and feats of skill, roping
contests and bronco busting by score
of the best horsemen and horsewomen
in the state. The sports were held In
the big paddock west of the main road
and over a thousand spectators were
present. The program, which was in
charge of Ed Breen. included fancy rid
ing. hurdling, lassoing, bronco break
ing and a Virginia reel on horseback.
The women took q prominent part in
every part of the sport and proved
themselves the equals of the men,
The vaqueros who took part included
the Misses Indart Murphy, Perry, Val
ledoa, French and Ward and Messrs.
Duarte, Crowley, Machado, Norton, CO.
roma, Ware, Fretsen. Indart, Etche
very. Ojeda, Olivera, Bryan and Butts.
| A feature of the day that attracted
much attention from the automobilists
attending the fiesta was the remarkable
record made up the San Juan grade by
1901 model White Stanhope steam
car. The little pioneer among automo-
biles was driven by the well known
racing driver, AL Piepenberg, who
established a record of s minutes for
the grade In 1908 80 horsepower
White two weeks ago. This morning
he took the small Z year old machine
up the grade in 9 minutes and 81 sec
onds.
Many Of the San Francisco autoists
who journeyed to the fiesta yesterday
and today remained in San Juan until
early this evening, making the re-
turn trip TO the city by moonlight.