Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-20
SAN FRANCISCO
MAD WITH JOY
STREETS ARE JAMMED WITH
MERRYMAKERS
CROWDS INDULGE IN WILD
ABANDONMENT
Great Portola Celebration Opens with
Large Attendance and Market
Street Is Rooted with
Lights
lBy Associated Press.l


SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 19.-San
Francisco is JOY mad tonight. It's
streets are jammed with a shifting,
changing horde of merrymakers, laugh
ing, singing, cheering, with all the glad
abandon for which the city was IA
nous in the days before the fire.
Across Market street and the main
cross thoroughfares of the city a roof
Of electric lights has been drawn.
From every building in the business
section flags fly and long strings OF
glowing light bulbs swing.
In the streets themselves car traf-
f1c is almost at standstill, so thick
are the merrymakers, and the automo-
biles and buggies form lines several
blocks in length, waiting their chance
to pass under the tWo-mile arch of
light and color
In the bay ride ships of war painted
in colors of fire. They represent six
great world powers and each vessel is
outlined in electric lights with the flag
of her nationality a blaze of colored
lamps at the stern.
The greatest carnival crowd the city
has ever known is parading the streets.
The sidewalks are jammed to over
flowing and the crowds spread into
the streets themselves.
Tons of confetti litter the pavements
with patches of brilliant color and are
scattered over the hats and shoulders
of the constantly moving crowds.
San Francisco has outdone itself on
the first night of the Portola celebra-
ton. Never in the history of the old
city whose pleasure loving habits were
byword around the world was a
crowd of the size and spirit of the
Portola merrymakers known.
Discovery of Bay
The festival commentaries the dis
covery of the wonderful bay by which
the city stands, but more than that,
it was planned to let the country and
the world know that san Francisco
is rebuilt; that 1t has recovered from
the fiery trial OF 1906 and is ready to
join in fun and frolic with all It's old
abandon. The scars of the disaster
have been wiped away along the route
of the carnival crowds.
There is not a heap of ruins to be
seen, but for block after block the
blaze of electric lights reveals the out
lines of great buildings rising many
stories into the air.
Three years ago the section Of the
city that Is tonight a scene of mirth
was a waste of ruins. 1t was with
difficulty that the street cars were
operated between solid walls of broken
brick and twisted iron, so narrow was
the passageway cleared for them.
Tonight the street Is broad and
smooth. It has been repaved through
out its entire length and millions Of
electric light bulbs strung across it,
high in the air.
At the foot of the street the Ferry
building is outlined from the ground
to the top of the flagpole on the dome.
At the intersection of Kearney Third
and Market a great bell of lights,
- 3y,INn
shines above the crossing, while north,
east, west and south the streets reach
away under the roof of lights.
Fireworks Display
In Union square, on which the st.
Francis hotel fronts, was given the
fireworks display of the night and
above the din of the streets the crash
and roar of the bombs could be heard
through the evening hours.
The center Of the festivities was at
the hotel, where King Gaspar and
Queen Virgilia held a royal reception
to welcome the city's guests.
The uniforms of the officers of the
foreign warships in the bay and of the
United States naval and military men
lent q brilliant touch of color to the
scene within the great hostelry.
The socially elect of the city were In
attendance and the gowns of the wo-
men added to the picturesque scene.
The carnival will continue until Sat
urday night and tonight is but fore
taste of the days to come. The wealth.
er cleared today after a gloomy morn
ing and the great military parade was
held under skies as fair as those of
Italy, while there was no winter chill
to nip the enthusiasm.
Good weather is predicted for the
rest of the week and if it remains fair
San Francisco will take advantage of
every minute.