The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-04-25
SAILORS Own TOWN
WARM WELCOME Is GIVEN At
LANTic FLEET BY LOS AN
GELES CITIZENS.
Officers Benquetted While Sailors En-
Joy Wild West Shows, Baseball
Games, Barbecues and Boxing Con-
tests-Program to Be Repeated Four
Times.

Los Angeles, April 21.-A long day
of merrymaking by the sailOrmen OF
the American battleship fleet, boxing
matches, barbecues, baseball games
and Wild West shows included in the
entertainment provided by the city,
was brought to close last night
with. two big banquets-one to the
petty officers, at the largest cafe in the
city, and the other to the admirals and
commanding officers of the fleet and
members of their stats. The latter
function, the most elaborate and costly
ever held in this city, was provided at
the hotel Alexandria, the official fleet
headquarters, and was made the occas
ion of the formal welcome to Los An
geles. Mayor A. c. Harper and Gov
ernor J. N. Gillett were among the
speakers. Rear Admiral Charles M
Thomas, in command of the fleet, re
sponded to the address of welcome
A vacant chair marked the place
originally assigned to Rear Admiral
Robley D. Evans. The latter, though
absent because of illness, which keeps
him at Paso Robes Hot Springs
shared in the tributes of the evening
One Fourth Land.
One-fourth of the men included in
the entire enlisted force of the fleet
came ashore to take part in the festivi
ties planned in their honor. There
were $500 sailors and marines in the
liberty parties landed from the four
divisions scattered at the various ports
a score of miles away. Once on the
beach, they found free trains and troll
ley cars awaiting their commands, and
arriving in the city they found all nina
ner of comforts and cOnveniences
freely placed at their disposal. Mos
of the sailors made at once for the
pleasure grounds at Chutes park where
an amateur boxing boxing carnival
managed and refereed by Champion
Jane j. Jeffries himself, was the frs
attraction of the day. Boxing is fav
orite sport among the sailors, and theil
enjoyment of the Jeffries carnival was
unrestrained. The enthusiasm reached
it's height when the lightweight cham
pionship of the fleet was decided un
der navy regulations, Lulinski, of the
New Jersey, winning from Meyers, OF
the Ohio, in eight rounds.
Sailors Own Streets.
The barbecue and Wild West show
which followed the boxing tournament
added immeasurably to the good times
ashore, and last night the blue jack
cts of the sailors and the tidy, soldier
like uniform of the marines had full
possession of the gaily illuminated
streets
The days program for the enter
tainment of the enlisted men is to be
repeated today, Wednesday and
Thursday in order that all of the
sailors may have equal share in the
city's reception plans.
The banquet to Admirals Thomas,
Sperry and Emory was replete with
surprises, picturesque features and
beautiful effects in floral decorations
of lighting. 1t was attended by many
of the most prominent officials and
men of affairs in the city and state
and was as elaborate feast as the
ingenuity of the committee in charge
and the culinary experts could make
it. The menu was a secret affair,
each course attended by a surprise.
The big gilded dining salon of the
hotel Alexandria had been closed to
guests for four days while the decor
atoms for the banquet were in pro-
gress, and it was in reality a bower
of roses and vines. The air was
deeply laden with the perfume of
the mingled blooms. The entry was
an arbor of flowers entwined lattice
work.
Room Resplendant.
Above the tables seating 260 guests
trellis work had been constructed,
and in this way side walls and cell
ing were all covered with roses, pop
pies, geran1ums, lilies and the myriads
of flowers that abound in southern
California. Fountains playing in vari-
| colored electric rays and two score of
canaries singing amid the vines were
among the features.
The snowy linen of the tables was
banked with American Beauties,
Three thousand incandescent bulbs
2-PATENT-21
of red, white and blue were scattered
in artless profusion among the flow
ers, and the effects of the combined
decorative features was one of rare
beauty. Lieutenant-General Chaffee
presided at the banquet, and Joseph
Scott, president of the Los Angeles
board OF education, acted as toast
master.