Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-27
SANTA BARBARA
IN GALA DRESS
FLOWER FESTIVAL IN HONOR
OF FLEET
SUNDAY OBSERVED BY ALL AS
DAY OF REST
Accident to 6attIeship Missouri SerI-
ous--Long Delay May Be Neees-
sary Before Repairs Are
Made
By Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
SANTA BARBARA, April 26.-Ihe
Santa Barbara flower festival in honot
of the visit of the Atlantic battlesnlp
fleet will begin tomorrow, when at
O'Clock a floral parade and battle oil
bouquets will call to the ocean poule-
ward and to the Plaza del Mar prac-
ticallv all of the officers of the fleet
and an outpouring of Californians Tor
miles around. The Santa Barbara tes-
tiyal is largely social affair and lead
ers of society from all sections OF the
state are gathered here.
Today was very much OF Gay Oh
rest, a letup in the whirl of entertain
ing for which the officers were duly
grateful. TOO much nerrymahing, ii
is believed, is going to initiate
against a strict maintenance of the
splendid efficiency gained by careful
training on the long cruise around
South America. Already the men are
beginning to think more of the pleas
1lre nrogram at the next port of call,
according to the officers, than TO the
routine of duties aboard.
Men Eager to Go Ashore
As soon as the ships anchor the men
are anxious to get "on the beach 10
have fling at the amusements the
hospitable people of the coast are so
layishly providing for them. Liberty
is given to as many of the blue1ackets
as possible With practically all OF the
officers detailed to social duties ashore'
in accordance with instructions from
Washington, with immense liberty par
ties decimating the ranks of the Narl-
ous divisions efficiency drills are all
but suspended. Thirty-siX hundred
sailors and marines came ashore TO-
day, but found little to amuse them.
The lighting force on the sixteen YES
sells at anchor in the ocean roadstead
oufnumbers by several thousand the
entire population of Santa Barbara.
The men strolled about the streets,
crowded the boulevards, where the
decorations for the floral fete are al
ready In place, and listened to the at
ternoon concert provided Dy Danus
from the ships.
While the term of liberty was not
over until midnight, most Of the men
returned aboard at a much carrier
hour.
Rear Admirals Thomas. Sperry and
Emory, in full dress uniform, and ac-
companied by the members of their
staffs, came ashore at 10 o'clock this
morning and officially returned the call
of welcome paid to them yesterday by
Mayor Boeseke, Rear Admiral Mccall
la and other members of the local COM
mittee.
This afternoon a tea party at Monte
cito was attended by the admirals and
captains of the fleet and two other Of
ficers detailed from each ship.
Missouri Much Damaged
Aboard the battleship Missouri
careful inquiry is in progress to deter
mine the extent of the damage done
yesterday when the high pressure cyl
inder head of the port engine cracked
and blew out. 1t is feared that it viii
be some time before the damaged parts
can be replaced.
A fire in the plant of the Newport
News Shipbuilding company, where the
Missouri was constructed, destroyed
some of the detailed plans of the en-
gines a year and half ago. it is said,
and this will result in long delay
In the meantime the disabled cylinder
will be cut out of the triple expansion
engine, which will be compounded to
two cylinder basis. This will enable
the Missouri to keep up the required
cruising speed from Santa Barbara to
San Francisco. 1t is possible the Mis-
souri, will be left at Mare Island while
the other ships go to Puget Sound the
latter part of May.
Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, COM
mander in chief of the fleet, who came
up from Magdalena bay in advance of
the fleet to receive treatment at Paso
Robles hot springs. is expected to re-
join the ships at Monterey on Friday
next, May !. He has SO informed Rear
Admiral Thomas, the senior officer
present and acting commander of the
battleships.
1t had been supposed Admiral Evans
would not go aboard the Connecticut
again until Santa Cruz was reached
and anchors were about to be uplifted
for the sail through the Golden Gate
into the hJrhOT Of San Francisco. Ad-
mira1 Evans return to commend will
be of brief duration, as he expects to
haul down his flag for all time two
days after the grand review of the as
sembled feet, May g.
The proposed call at Port Hartford.
on the way to Monterey. has been cut
off the official itinerary of the fleet
and instead of leaving here Wednes-
day night next, the ships will not sail
until the morning of Thursday, the
30th. An all day and all night sail
will bring them to Monterey the morn
ing of May 1.
Plan Big Naval Parade
The details of the entry into San
Francisco harbor and the statistics and
1r.aneuvers of the ships prior to and
at the naval review May s, were an
nounced on board the Connecticut to-
day. The Atlantic fleet will sail through
the Golden Gate alone, but the ships
of the Pacific fleet. the armored cruisers
of the West Virginia class, will join
them at Angel island, just within the
harbor entrance, and the combined
force of forty-six battleships, cruisers
torpedo boat destroyers and auxiliaries
will parade through the bay to the re-
viewing anchorage. The ships will
anchor in four long columns heading
toward Goat island and extending south
in the bay from point off Market
street and the ferry terminal buildings
past Mission rock and onto Potrero
point.
The vessels of the Atlantic fleet will
be at the San Francisco lightship from
the time of their arrival late on the
night of May until we'll along in
the morning of the 9th. 1t is calcu-
lated that the Connecticut, with Ad-
miral Evans aboard, will pass Point
Bonita entering the Golden Gate ex-
actly at noon, May 6. The last YES
sci of the combined fleets is not eX-
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