Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-25
LOS ANGELES GIVES
SAILORS A SENDOFF
One Stirring Week of California
Hospitality.
HAVE a STRENUOUS LIFE
Hosts and Guests Finish Strong, But
All Are Tired.
"UNIF0RM LOOKS GOOD TO US"
Unanimous Sentiment Of the Golden
State-Tars Prove Confidence
Well Placed.
HAVE a STRENUOUS LIFE
Hosts and Guests Finish Strong, But
ALI Are Tired.
"UN1F0RM LOOKS GOOD TO US"

Last night might have been called deco
ration night or transformation night. If
anything was needed to announce that
the flower festival was at hand and that
the United States battleship fleet would
arrive in the channel today the decora-
tions in progress on the boulevard, in
the Plaza del Mar and elsewhere told
the story. The whole water front is a
mass Of colors. Pennants, lanterns and
banners were all arranged to make a
charming picture and setting for the
fiesta.
Great crowds docked to the city. Cities
and villages for hundreds Of miles around
sent practically the entire population.
There will be a vast multitude watching
the fleet as 1t comes into the channel at
4 O'Clock this afternoon. All the stores
are closed in celebration of the occasion.
There will be still greater crowd at
the parade Monday. as that day also will
be a general holiday.
ofacial Greeting.
The first to greet the fleet as it drops
anchor and extend official greeting in the
name Of the city will be Mayor E. ].
Boezke and members of the executive
committee of the Civic League, including
the following: Admiral Bowman McCalla,
U.S.N., retired; Francis T. Underhill, J. r.
Fithian, A. 8. Peterson, G. A. White and
Stewart E. White.
For every morning, afternoon and even
ing during the stay of the feet there are
entertainments and social functions. Ad-
miral McCalla, Commodore and Mrs Bull,
Mr.. and Mrs. Francis T. Underhill are
among those who win act as hosts of the
admirals and officers Of the fleet. The
Civic League. which has done all the
work connected with the festivities, has
endeavored to provide a good time for
the men and officers of the feet. All
preparations for the welcome, artistic
motfves. have been made dominant. 1t
Will be fiesta, not q carnival.
Last Of Los Angeles.
Los ANGELES. CAL, April 25.-This
town went almost without sleep Thursday
night SO as to be up early yesterday
morning for the last day of the fleets
stay in the neighboring ports. Crowds
upon crowds swamped trolley lines all
day. Every kind of boat that could be
impressed into service was used to take
out those who had been unable to get to
the ships before.
The biggest thing in the way of an
automobile tour of the city yet under
taken was given yesterday, when 5000
sailors. the last of the liberty parties.
were taken for an automobile ride about
the city. Upward of 500 machines had
been pronered for the purpose by the citi-
gems of Los Angeles.
Decked With Flags.
The automobiles were decked with flags
and every sailor carried flags and horns
Bands from the ships played national airs
amid the cheers Of the crowd As fast as
the machines could be loaded the men
were started OF for the country, and for
an hour or more the streets were a mass
OF cheering people. The boys were taken
miles upon miles into the country. They
visited the orange groves, the mountain
resorts. the clubhouses and were whirled
through town after town, village after
village. waving flags cheering everybody
and having grand hurrah time.
The machines didn't begin to straggle
back into town until about dark. Every
load got its quota Of cheers from the
people. who seemed to have waited all
day just for another look at the sailors
THAT uniform looks good to u.s. was the
one comment.
Hospitality Overwhelming.
The admiral told his guests that the
hospitality here was simply overwhelm-
ing and that not one man in the fleet
ever could or would forget it to his dying
day.
The fleet reassembled this morning in
Santa Monica bay at O'clock The troll
ley companies are making arrangements
to start out their fullest service at 4
am. There promises to be a bigger
crowd there than at San Pedro when the
feet came in.
The fleet will be put through evolutions
for about an hour. The desire to see the
ships swing and turn and cut rings in and
about one another Is such that tonight
bids fair to be another sleepless one.