Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-18
AWAITS OPENING
or THE PORTOLA
BAY CITY GAYLY DECORATED
FOR COMING FESTIVAL
Warships of Five Foreign Powers and
U. S. Vessels to Take Part in
Observance of Founding of
San Francisco
[Ry Associated Press.l


SAN FRANCISCO Oct. 17.-With the
warships of five foreign powers in the
bay and the streets of the city more
elaborately decorated than they ever
have been before, san Francisco is
awaiting the opening of the Portola
festival Tuesday, when the discovery
of San Francisco bay by Gaspar de
Portola and the placing of the Spanish
standard on the site of the city OF st.
Francis will be celebrated fittingly for
the first time. The festival will follow
the carnival idea for the five days it
continues. The streets will be brightly
illuminated by night, hundreds of thou
sands of electric lights having been
suspended over the main thoroughfares,
and bands will be stationed every block
or two.
Already the spirit of the festival is
noticeable along Market street, where
virtually every big building is draped
in intertwined American and Spanish
cofors. Every day sees large additions
to the crowds on the Streets as tourists
and sightseers are pouring in from all
over the coast.
Along the sidewalks the usual crowds
are given a holiday air by the display
of red and yellow ribbons in button
holes, and the uniforms of the foreign
sailors lend an additional touch of
color.
! Warships In Harbor
On man o. war row, in the bay, six
foreign ships of war are riding at
anchor to the south of the ferry fair
way, while to the north the American
cruiser st. Louis, flying Rear Admiral
Thomas Phelps flag, heads the fleet
under the Stars and Stripes. The lead
colored cruiser is flanked on each side
by the gunboats Yorktown and Albany,
still in the white and buff paint of the
old white navy" Around the larger
vessels is scattered a line of seven tor
pedo craft, like a fringe Of skirmishers
guarding the main columns.
Heading the line of the foreign ships
| is the Japanese cruiser Idzumo, and
next in order lie the British sloopS
Shearwater and Algerine, while at the
end of the line looms the gray shape
of his majesty's cruiser Bedford. In
the second line lie the German cruiser
Arcona, the Dutch cruiser Noord Bra
bant and the Italian cruiser Calabria.
The celebration will be begun Tues
day morning, when the king and queen
Of the festival will be escorted to Union
square by a military parade greater
than any ever before seen on the streets
of San Francisco.
To Be 10000 Soldiers In Line
There will be 5000 of Uncle Sans
regulars-horse, foot and artillery-in
line, and half as many American jackies
and marines from the ships, while the
marines and probably the seamen from
the foreign warships also will land
under arms to join the parade.
Nearly 5000 national guardsmen will
march with the regular lighting men,
and it is estimated that the military
spectacle will contain more than 10000
men.
From beginning to end the celebra
tion will have no dull moment. 1t is
the purpose of the committee in charge
to make the visiting public realize that
San Francisco has been rebuilt; that
the care-free, joyous spirit for which
the city was famed before the disaster
of 1906 has not been lost, so every
moment of the celebration will be
marked by some interesting event.
In striking contrast to the days of
1898 when the city was thronged with
soldiers gathering for an assault on
Spains possessions in the Pacific, the
color scheme of the festival is the red
and yellow of the Spanish royal stand
ard. The downtown streets are gay
with flags and bunting of these hues
mingled with American flags, and San
Francisco has forgotten the days of the
war, as it has put into the past the
trying times of the earthquake and fire