The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-16
[LkS' PARADE
IS GREATEST IN
ORDFR'SH|STORY
Fifteen thousand Brilliantly
Uniformed Men March in
Los Angeles
Every State in Union Repre-
scented and Quarter of Million
People View Pageant

California skies, the torr1d
rays OF a summer sun tempered by
cooling breezes. $4,000 brilliantly uni
FORMED men marched today through five
miles of gayly decorated streets in the
great massed Elks' parade, while
oensely packed crowd estimated at a
quarter of a million people lined the
thoroughfares along the route of march
ana viewed the magnificent spectacle.
with brass band at the head of
each or the II divisions of the parade
the thrilling strains of music filed the
ar every moment during the three
lohs hours the parade lasted, and while
the line of march moved along the
appointed route the numerous march
ing clubs and drill teams of thousand
dlirerent lodges lent additional life
ana color TO the scene with their in
trlcate evolutions. Never before in the
history or the order, say members of
the grand lodge, ha~ there been such
gala spectacle.
TWELVE DIVISIONS MARCH
promptly at 10 o'clock the head of
the line moved from Washington
street north in Main; its way swept
clear by Gordon of police. and its
movements led by Grand Marshal Ben
Jamin and his aids. Every state in
the union was represented by the men
who followed the carriages. gaylv dec
Grated with purple and white pam
pas plumes, in which rode the officers
OF the grand lodge.
Los Angeles lodge, with band of
so pieces was at the head of the men
on foot, its famous drill team leading.
All were garbed in spotless white and
carried umbrellas of purple and Write
In numerical order. beginning with lodge
No. l of New York and ending with
NO HIP of Tucumcari, N NJ, the rep
resentatives of the lodges followed.
formed into Il divisions, with a band
or music at the head of each
MANY MARVELLOUS FEATURES
Features of the great parade were
almost countless. Every division had
some unique and notable spectacle to
present and every one of the / 900
lodges represented in the line lent some
new detail TO the picture. while in its
ensemble, viewed from point of want
age, the whole was marvellous and be-
wllderlng. Twenty-Five carriages car
RED the officers of the grand lodge in
the first division. headed by the present
grand exalted ruler, Rush L. Holland.
In blue coats and white trousers. the
members of No. of New York marched
at the head of the second division
Following came Philadelphia. in white
suits with green trimmings. and then
the ladies of the Quaker City in two
tallyhos. San Francisco No. 8. dressed
in gray and carrying parasols wrought
of Poppies, completed this division
Cincinnati No. and Sacramento No
6 were in the third division Some of
Cincfnnatfs members rode in carriages
but the marching club in uniform com
posed of red coats, gray knickerbock-
ers and green stockings, formed one of
the striking picturesque features on the
line. The Sacramento representatives
sang song of Sacramento as they
marched.
DRESSED AS MINUTEMEN
Following the famous Boston band in
the fourth division marched 40 mem
bers of the Boston lodge dressed as
old time ''minutemen," and behind
them was a float bearing Bunker hill
monument in miniature. Twenty four
Boston ladies in tallyhos wore colonial
costumes. Denver lodge members wore
white shirtwaists and trousers, car
ried white umbrellas, with white
streamers connecting each one to an
other.
The white CARRIED members of San
Diego lodge were vigorously applauded
as they passed along. Pueblo, Colo
RADIO and Portland (Ore) lodges were
in this division. Seattle brought up
the rear.
The booming of cannon told of the
approach of the sixth division, which
was headed by Spokane lodge, whose
members represented a company in the
army of Washington during the days
of the revolution. Butte, Mont, wore
white and purple. Paducah, Covington
and Louisville were led by two Ken
lucky gentlemen of the old school in
Prince Alberts and wide brimmed hats
and wearing mustache and goatee.
Baker City, Ore, together with lodges
from northern California cities and
some of the smaller representatives of
eastern lodges, composed the seventh
division.
WITH FLOAT AND MONKS
Santa Barbara, with mission float
and its members CARRIED as monks, led
the eighth division, which was filled
by other southern California lodges
Butte, Mont, in white and purple,
behind the famous Boston and Montana
band and other Montana lodges. formed
the first portion of the ninth, and it's
rear was composed of the orange belt
four-Redlands Riverside, San Ber-
nardino and Pomona-in purple, trim
med with orange.
Iowa lodges, gayly comparisoned, to-
gether with Long Beach. made up the
tenth, while the eleventh had southern
California lodges and those from Rhode
Island.
The wild bunch of Elks from Ari-
zona," al the head of the twelfth divi-
sion, represented numerous lodges of
the territory, and were typihed by a
float bearing a five stamp gold ore
crushing mill in full operation.
NIGHT CIRCUS BURLEsQUE
Lodges from Goldfield and Tonopah.
whose members were dressed as pros
peetors, added to the western aspect
of this division.
The night parade of the electrical cir
Gus proved to be spectacle of dazzling
splendor.
On massive floats, that were ablaze
with the glow from the myriad mean
descent lights, the well known fea
lures of every circus parade were
burlesqued
Cash prizes for the best bands in line
of parade were awarded as follows:
Boston and Montana of Butte, Mont,
first prize. $3.50; Fifty-fourth regi-
ment band of Ottumwa, Iowa, second
prize, $500.
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