The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-30
HOW THE FLEET
JARED IN FRISCO
Continued from Page One,

memDered py all the men who received
the flowers
One of the entertainments given by
the Sightseeing Committee was a trim
to Stanford University and San Jose.
which was attended by over two hun
dredi offlcers. On all these trips cigars
and cigarettes were passed at inter
walls by uniformed boys, even including
the observation ear trips for the en-
listed men, and this act met with uni
versal appreciation.
While the officers were being enter
tanned at luncheon and on an automo-
bile ride around San Jose, the women s
clubs busted themselves with decorating
the train with flowers from the head
light of the engine to the rear plat
form of the last car. Strings of flow
ers were hung along the engine and the
sides of the cars, and in each seat was
placed two bouquets of sweet-peas, a
postcard with local illustration, and
a small sample box of prunes. The sur
prise of the officers when they returned
was worth the time and effort expend-
ed, and in very few instances were the
flowers left behind at the end of the
journey. They were carried aboard
ship that they might be enjoyed by
the less fortunate officers.
The automobile ride around San Jose
= was marred only by the clouds of dust
which was stirred up by the long line
of machines, but it taught a lesson,
and in other places where anto drives
were given afterwards the roads were
watered, wherever practicable, about
two hours before the machines went
over them.
One mistake made by practically all
the Coast Committees was in planning
entertainments for more officers than
would be allowed to leave the fleet at
one time. Commander A. W. Grant of
the Connecticut, chief of staff, has
charge of all feet arrangements for
allowing officers ashore, and as soon as
he learned the plan of entertainment
he urged the entertainment committees
to remember that ships duties must be
carried on even under the most abnor-
NAL conditions, and that it would
therefore be impossible to allow more
than 200 officers to leave the ships at
any one time. The committee there
fore modified their arrangements, and
were well able to entertain the guests.
1t might be well to add that when 200
officers were invited, only for the first
balls and entertainments did the full
quota come; but for other entertain
ments from $50 to '175 of those in
vited came.
Without knowing what the plans of
the Honolulu entertainment committees
are, or what they have already done, it
might not be out of place to suggest
that the list of entertainments be fully
made up long enough before the fleet
arrives to send copy to Commander
Grant and Admiral Sperry, with the
idea of having them approve the pro-
gram or suggest changes. Should there
not be time enough to get letter back
the fleet officers might be instructed to
use the cable for a reply. Certainly
time and trouble will be saved if this
is done, as the official orders are then
issued by Commander Grant before the
vessels arrive, detailing the number of
officers and men from each ship to at
tend the different entertainments. 1t
is important also that when arrange
ments are once made they should not be
changed except for the most urgent
reasons Unfortunately this had to be
done in one or two instances, but it
caused the fleet officers untold trouble
as new orders had to be sent to each
vessel of the fleet There was delay in
some instances in transmitting these
orders, owing to press of official busl-
ness, and as consequence officers ap-
peared when they were not expected or
did not appear at all.
Practically ali arrangements were
made at San Francisco for. entertain
ments in time to send the program to
Monterey Official orders, copy of
which is included in this article, were
then issued before the vessels left Mon
ferey, and were seen by every man on
the fleet before the vessels entered San
Francisco harbor; and Che men knew
what they could do.
Some criticism was heard at the
southern ports owing to the fact that
no arrangements were made for enter
tanning the ladies of the fleet, the wives
of the officers and their families who
follow the fleet about, and many of
whom will 90 to Honolulu ahead of the
fleet. San Francisco remedied this mat
ter, and arranged a trip up Mt. Tamai-
pals for 200 officers and their ladies. |
This trip was one o. the most success |
iful undertaken, and the ladies were
especially appreciative of the courte- |
sizes shown them. While the Sightsee |
ing Committee had charge of this trip |
in a general way, it was directly IN |
charge of a committee of twenty-five |
society ladies of San Francisco, and |
much of the success of the trip was
due to their efforts.
For all these trips including the OBJ
sservation ear trips for the enlisted men,
tickets were printed on which was the
time of departure and forwarded to
Commander Grant in time for distribu
tion to the vessels, and this fact facili-
dated arrangements and saved time
While this article deals with the en-
tertainment of the officers, the enter
tainment of the enlisted men being TAX
en up in a subsequent article, it should
be noted that the several branches of
the service had special entertainments
given them. Although % officers and
$50 enlisted men journeyed TO Santa
Rosa together for a flower festival, as
a general rule the entertainments were
~ so Rosa the Of