Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-01
KING CARNIVAL
HOLDS SWAY In
SAN FRANCISCO
BAY CITY ALIVE WITH FUN
MAKING CROWDS
100000 PERSONS HELP TO VEL
COME NEW YEAR
First Celebration Since the Fire of
1906 Is Observed with Mad
Abandon by Joyous
PopuIace
q AN FRANCISCO. Dec s1-Kin,

q AN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31.-Kfne
N Carnival ruled supreme in this city
tonight; ruled over the gladdest
maddest, merriest New Years eve eel
ebration ever known in the city that
has given that night, Of all the year
over to an abandonment of joy fol
many decades past.
1t was not only the passage of the
old year and the birth Of the new that
stirred the vast throngs which jostled
and laughed the hours away on the
busiest thoroughfares; but the thought
that Market street. where the New
Years eve carnival first started Sc
many years ago, is again a shoppine
center, thanked on both sides with big
ger and better buildings than those
winch were destroyed in the fire OF
1906.
Three separate celebrations took place
simultaneously tonight-that on Mar
ket street, which was brilliantly illum.
mated from the Ferry building to Var
Ness avenue, distance of fifteer
blocks; that on Fillmore street, which
has earned for itself the name of the
Little White Way since the fire, and
where a forest of Christmas greens
blazing with electric lights, covered
many blocks; and that on Mission
street, the new business section far out
toward the city's southern boundary.
1t is estimated fully 100000 people
composed the seething, ever shifting
tide of humanity, which wandered rest
lessly and noisily along these thorough
fares tonight.
Market Street Leads In Gayety
The Market street celebration was
perhaps the greatest, although Fillmore
street was packed to suffocatior
throughout the night.
From earliest dark the merrymakers
were gathering, defying the mist and
rain which came with shutdown, the
crowds growing more and more dense
as the hours went by until the opera
ton of the street cars became impos-
Sible and service was suspended.
The main feature of the Market
street carnival was the automobile
parade in which nearly a thousand
cars, loaded down with laughing, care
free men and women took part AS
the cars swept down the lane that was
opened for them between walls OF
cheering, horn blowing, noise making
humanity, a steady bombardment OF
confetti was kept up by both sides and
the streets were soon Uttered with the
tiny, multi-colored fragments of paper
Dance Out Old Year
In a dozen different places along the
street bands were stationed, an6
throughout the night these were sur
rounded by a swaying, laughing crowd
dancing the old year to death to the
tune Of waltz or twostep.
In the big cafes not a vacant seal
was to be found from dark until the
new year was many hours old.
Thousands Of men and women
watched the year out in these brilliant
establishments, and as the last hour OF
the year approached a veritable salvC
of popping champagne corks greeted
the passing Of the old and the coming
of the new.
But despite all the fun and frivolity
Of the night there was little need fol
the host of police officers so carefully
disposed about the streets.
San Francisco maintained its reputa.
ton as city Of good natured crowds
and there were few accidents or un.
pleasant incidents to mar the openins
Of the new year.
1t was a wild, fun-loving spirit thai
animated the throngs as the new year:
eve spirit has always been in Sar
Francisco.