The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-30

overlooked by the regular committees
The teet will have stopped at over a
dozen ports along the Coast before If
departs for Honolulu, and the officers
and men viii have been entertained by
at least twenty-five Pacific Coast towns.
Honolulu must vie with the best efforts
of all these towns and cities. and her
entertainment will be compared with
all the rest. There are those who sing
| the praises of every port visited so far,
but there are also many on the fleet
who have visited Honolulu in the past
| and it speaks well for Honolulu 8 pre-
vlous efforts that these men remember
with pleasure their visit to the islands,
and look forward to another stop there.
If Hawaii can furnish as good enter
talnments now as she has in the past,
she will rank with the best of the ports
in their entertainment of the Atlantic
fleet.
ENTERTAINMENT OF SAILORS.
Ten years ago, even five, the citizens
of any town visited by feet as large
as the Atlantic fleet, would have look
ed forward to the coming of the sailors
with their shore leave, as an event
necessltatlng as many arrangements for
protection and safety as though adj
vance notices had been received of the
coming of a cyclone or the upheaval
of a volcano.
Ever since the fleet left Hampton
Roads last December stories have been
read about the visits of our sailors to
foreign ports, and of their excellent
conduct while on shore leave. Most of
these stories were taken with a grain
of salt, or considered to be the polite
fiction of the fleet correspondents or a
graceful diplomatic message sent out
by the foreign officials, who, when the
fleet had departed, spent some days re-
facilitating the town.
The time came when the fleet arriv-
ed. thousands of sailors swarmed
ashore, spread over the city, and re-
turned to their vessels, leaving the pop
ulation open-mouthed in establishment.
All those stories were true after all,
and instead of the old time rollicking,
whiskey drinking tar, there appeared
in his place a sober, clean-faced, intel
ligent "jackie,' who enjoyed himself
as anyone would be expected to do
when he came ashore from journey at
sea. There>is no intimation here that
JdNhAC hdSS SOuA0S VI up
pers of water as soon as they landed,
but it is putting it very mildly to say
that it is very unlikely that $4,000 men
could be suddenly thrown upon a
strange town without there ensuing
far worse time than occurred when the
"jackieS' came ashore.
Perhaps much of the credit for main
tanning order should go to the patrol
from the ships which spread out over
the town and kept close tab on their
shipmates, and promptly escorted them
on board ship when a sailor was dis
covered cruising toward shoal water, or
his sails were futtering in the wind.
Most of the credit, however, must go
to the men themselves, the great ma
jority of whom behaved themselves to
the satisfaction of the most carping
critic.
On the trips about San Francisco it
was noticeable that many of the sailors
carried kodaks and busted themselves
taking Snaps and learning all they
could about the place they were visit
ing, or if they didn't have cameras
they bought illustrated postal cards,
and bought them to such an extent
that the San Francisco postoffiee sold
10000 one cent stamps while the feet
was staying here.
With all the entertaining that has
been going on for the officers, the sail
ors have in many ways been the lions
of the hour, and the entertainments
given for their benefit were certainly
more interesting, and even more excit-
ing than the more formal affairs given
for their superiors.
Of all the arrangements made for the
sailors, the Naval Club House, situated
within two blocks of the waterfront,
was by far the best part of the
% iackies' entertainments and so sue
eessfully was it run that the place was
crowded with sailors every part of the
day and night, and that it was appre-
ciated by the officers themselves is
shown by the fact that Admiral Sperry
took the pains to send an aid to Walter
Macarthur, chairman of the committee
in charge of the club house, that he
might convey to him his personal
thanks for the entertainment provided |
and the good work done.
The Club House was a three-story |
building. comfortably fitted for the ex-
elusive use of the sailors. On the low
er floor were reading and writing
rooms. with plenty of magazines and
and paper and envelopes for
writing purposes. There was billiard |
room, and tables where cards could be
PLAYED. a lunch room and lunch coun-
ter where Jack" could get a square
meal at cost. There were more reading
and writing rooms up stairs, and meet
mo rooms where sailors took their
friends. And last but not least 250t
beds. cots they were, but they were
,lean. and the sheets and pillow eases
we're brand new and fresh every day,
md it cost a sailor 25 cents to spend
he night there, and during the two
weeks the feet was here there was
never a bed unoccupied. The entertain-
nent committee spent considerable time
here. and willingly gave all the infor-
nation they could upon every eoncelv-
lble subject, and in exchange listened
o many a good story spun by the men
rom the sea- If ever there was a
,lace TO see the freedom of the sailor s
hore life.s and enjoy his frolics with
i'm this was the place and it was by