The San Francisco call., 1909-09-26
CITY PREPARES
TO ENTERTAIN
PORTOLACROWD
Committee Expects to Provide
Rooms for l00.GG0 Visitors
During Celebration
Unusually Good Program Ar
ranged for Benefit Per-
fOrmance at Garrick

=
week to accommodate those who at
tend the festival The biggest crowd
that ever gathered at the Golden gate
is expected and il is estimated that
here Will be at least 100. 600 visitors.
The comfort and convenience of the
visitors VIII be one of the main cares
Of the festival committee. The hotels
Of the city viii be unable to house
the crowd and to provide accommoda-
tions for the extra thousands the en-
tire city viii be turned into a mann
moth hotel. II viii be a hostelry with
so 900 rooms. The offices viii be at
the city portals-the information
bureaus in the ferry building and at
Third and Townsend streets. Instead
OF elevators conveying guests from
floor to floor streetcars, automobiles
and carriages will transport guests to
their quarters. Instead being under
one roof this monster hotel viii spread
over miles of territory.
LIST OF ACCOMMODATION
To secure accommodations for the
crowd the Portola informa ton bureau
has advertised for $4,000 rooms
Apartments reported available for fes
tiVal visitors are listed in much the
same way as a big hotel keeps track
OF its accommodations. Agents of the
bureau investigate the character Of all
the accommodations reported as avail
a bic for Portola guests.
BY applying at any of the informa-
tion bureaus visitor viii be able
10 secure accommodations with little
more trouble than at any regular hotel
in normal times. He will be told the
character and location of the quarters
and the price he will be expected TO
pay He Will be directed TO the rooms
he selects and may rest assured of
the respectability Of places to which
he may be directed by any of the
Official bureaus. The bureaus viii not
make any charge TO visitors.
MANY COMFORTS PLANNED
All the big downtown hotels report
4 deluge Of applications for reserVa-
tions for Portola week Nearly all
viii attempt TO accommodate only their
regular patrons. and strangers will
have to seek the smaller hotels.
Not only viii the festival committee
endeavor to see that all visitors are
qusrtered expeditiously. but their care
and comfort while in the city will be
looked after Extra details of police
VIII prevent any disorder and any at
tempt at rowdyism VIII be promptly
suppressed.
Emergency hospital stations will be
B. PROVIDED 10 supplement- lic NttS 4AoS-
pital service in the downtown streets.
During the parades these stations will
be used TO care for injured pending
their removal to hospitals.
Rest stations viii also be provided
in the downtown district. The Naval
Y. NJ. c A is making preparations to
care for the sailors from the war YES
sells when they are ashore. place will
be fitted up with cots in which they
may sleep.
After wednesday seats for the Por-
tola benefit at the Garrick theater Will
he on sale at all the local theaters-
The great demand for seats assures
the success Of the benefit. The enter
tainment IS to be the best of the kind
ever given in this city Some of the sea-
sons favorite stars Will assist. Billie
Burke from the Van Ness. will give a
scene from Love Watches" Evelyn
Vaughan viii appear in the title role
OF Sweet Kitty Bellairs,' the Valencia
VIII he represented by a scene from
'Madamoiselle Mischief and Kolb and
Din viii render some of their farcical
Dutch comedy. Manager Morrissey is
arranging to furnish some of the Or
pheum's finest features. All who are
present should wear at least a touch Of
red and yellow in honor of the biggest
Of the pre- Portolaian events.
FUNDS FROM ALL CLASSES
The prospect that the necessary fund
viii be raised in time to carry out the
elaborate plans for the Portola fes-
tival is extremely gratifying to the
finance committee. in whose hands
rests the responsibility OF supplying
the sinews of war to the various com
mittees which have charge of the de-
tails OF the program.
Every day brings further proof of
the enthusiastic spirit of cooperation
alI oil
Many who subscribed promptly on the
first call for funds have sent in a sec
ond contribution and others who had
signined their intention of giving a
certain sum have given more when the
collector called. AS the festival dra ws
nearer the enthusiasm grows and there
is little fear that sufficient fund will
not be raised.
The contributions indicate the peo-
pies attitude toward the festival. and
as the active interest and enthusiasm
of all is required to make the celebra-
tion success, the number and proper
tiOnate amounts OF the contributions
from those OF moderate and small
means, demonstrates that the support
Of every one who can contribute will
be forthcoming.
The official postcards are selling
rapidly, more than quarters of a
million cards having been sent away
already In this way the festival has
been advertised extensively.
THREE FLOATS FOR DRUIDs
The United Order of Druids will
make a big show in the Portola parade
Three floats viii illustrate the work of
the Druids from the early days until
The present time. and there will be 500
Druids clad in robes of white in the
Druidic division, in addition to the off,
GERS. who win be attired in the colors
Of their robes OF office, which are red.
blue and green.
The first float in the Druidic division
viii be that OF Supreme Arch julius S.
GfOdeau OF this city, who will be seated
under the shade of a large DruIdic oak
entwined with the symbolic mistletoe
and he Will be surrounded by an an
cient bard playing on a harp, and cos
TUNED white bearded Druids around
a sacred fire burning on a Druidic
altar.
The next float will represent the
local groves. At one end will be an
ancient Druid unsheathing a golden
sword. showing the manner in which
the Druids declared war against the
Romans in the Anglo Saxon countries
AT the rear OF the float will be an arch
within which will stand a member of
- \, sf.