The San Francisco call., 1908-04-26
SANTA BARBARA
BRIGHT ANDGAY
GRE[TS. ARMADA
Thousands Throng Seashore
When Sixteen Ships
Drop Anchor
Fleet and City Are Rivals at
Night in BrilIiance of
Illumination
capsizing of Pleasure Craft Only
Incident to Mar Per-
feet Day I.
~ = Z - J. 8 Z
By w. Russell Cole
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALI

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
SANTA BARBARA, April zs.-
Santa Barbara tonight is, the city of
dream. In the waters of her bay lie
the 10 battleships of the Atlantic feet,
twinkling in their. dresses of light; on
her seashore there is music ningling
with the thunder and splash OF the
surf; the hotels are gay with briiliance
and the music, and the thoroughfares
of the city twinkle under myriad Jap
anese lanterns. Everywhere there are
people, gay, joyous and happy, giving
glad welcome to the officers and
men who have made the trip from
Hampton roads and brought the naval
power of the nation to the city's gate.
A perfect day and night OF pure en-
chantment have Joined to make the
greeting all that heart could ask.
Thousands of people watched with
fast beating pulse as one by one the
great white ships trailed out of the
dim mist of the southern horizon this
evening, sweeping forward in oneslong
line until from smudge they could
be seen as units, and then turning In
the channel and growing larger and
larger as they advanced In line of
squadrons TO an anchorage nue from
shore. Tonight the same thousands
are lining the beach and reveffng In
the wondrous beauty Of the illunat-
mated vessels, or else are swinging
through the dance at the Hotel Potter
and fnaing new friends In the oficers
who have come ashore. 81
WHISTLES SOUND SIGNAL
The shrek of whistles at 3 o'clock
this afternoon announced that the fieet
had been sighted and for the next hour
and a half every eye was turned sea
ward. In column formation they came:
the flagship Connecticut pointing -..e
way in a line parallel to the shore and
several miles at sea. until. when op-
posite the city. the leaders OF the two
squadrons changed direction to the
right, the individual ships turning a
moment later and sweeping again into
line. but this time with their prows
pointing toward the land. Eight
abreast they moved majesticaIly into
the quiet waters of the inner channel.
and at 2e minutes after o'clock a
signal fiuttered from the Connecticut's
after bridge and 16 anchors spiashed
simultaneously into the bay. Again
the whistles shrieked. for the feet was
here and FIVE days of festivity were
ushered in
"Oh-h-h-h-h,' on the first stroke of
o'clock tonight the exclamation broke
like sob from every lip. Suddenly
the city of lights that had dotted the
bay since earliest. twilight flashed into
ment it hurt. The battIeships were
illuminated and the. .searchlights had
begun their play. With masts. yards.
superstructures, stacks. deck lines and
prows and sterns fimned with Incan-
descent glow, the ships burned their
outline into the jet background of sea
and sky. The illumination did not
grow from single point of fire. spread
ing on the individual ships from stem
to stern, sor running trails over masts
and yards. but burst forth complete on
the instant, as though every light had
touch of a single button Over the
shore, the city and back to the foot
hills of the Santa Ynez range the pow
erful searchllghts shot the nrst OF their
long white rays of light as the iiiumi-
nation began, and then there followed
the fantastic weaving OF pattsrns
against the sky From every vessel
two. three or four of the beams criss-
crossed with others from nelghhoririg
ships in quick kaleidscopic change of
black and white, and again there came
the repetition OF that expressive
oh n h. h."s.-s
CROWD BRIGHT AND GAY
Long before the hour at which the
first ships of the neet could possibly
come into sight this AFTERNOON the
shore. the boulevard, Castle Rock and
every point of vantage for a stretch
of several miles was alive with. human
ity. and it was not crowd that gave
a somber touch to the scene. but a
crowd bright and gay. with the summer
gowns of women and the duck suits OF
men adding much to the color and
vivacity of the picture Several
steamers left the city at noon. carry
ing huudreds of sfxhfsaers eeva~~y
miles out to meet the fleet. and these
vessels accompanied the battIeships
into the harbor. Only two things were
missing that would have made the day