Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-10
history of the United States rather
than of some other country.

history of the United States rather
than of some other country.
Toast Visiting Guests
r. ]. Wehrle spoke to the toast,
"Visiting Civil Guests" and mace
special reference to the value or the
visits of tourists in great NUMBERS,
stating that 100000 tourists came -
Los Angeles last year, spending APP
proximately 100000. 1t was fitting,
he declared, that much of this money
| should be spent in adding to the at
fractions of Southern California, TO
make it even more pleasant for the
stranger within our gates Ihls
formed an introduction to glowing
| tribute to Santa Monica for the pullu-
ing of the pier.
Mayor Kingsbury of Redlands was
the next speaker He talked in lighter
vein, constantly interrupted by spon-
taneous bursts of delighted applause.
"I thought that pier was fine thing
from the first" he declared, but l
failed to realize its full significance
until I heard Lee Gates talking apoat
it, Then, at last, l understood that
the eyes of the world are upon 1T,
and that its fame is bound to reach
even unto the nolt, pole"
Referring to the preceding speaker S
remarks on the strangers, he said:
| I'm not so very much of a stranger,
but feel myself very decidedly with
our way, too. We say up there that
we have two crops of great value
| tourists and citrus fruits, Down this
way you haven't any citrus fruits to
amount to anything, but you get as
much from the tourists as we get from
| both"
Thomas H. James, city engineer of
/ ta1lxod nf the h1Illdin2
of the pier Fourteen plans were sub
mitted, he said, and carefully exam
ined before one finally was chosen.
He found cause for congratulation in
the fact that the cost of construction
was considerably less than the
amount appropriated for the purpose
by vote of the citizens of Santa Mon
| lea.
A. Stutzer, the contractor, was in
troduced by Judge Hutton, but con-
tented himself with bowling. He was
roundly applauded, for most of the
visitors, as, well as the residents or
Santa Monica knew of the difficulties
| he had contended with and overcome in
the construction of the pier.
Sports Begin
Soon after l o'clock the sports be-
gan. The first event, 100-yard swim
ming race for ladies', was won by
Emma Willis Lyba Sheffield second.
A 44O-yard swimming race for boys
under 16 followed, won by Vic. Hos
letter of Ocean Park, with George
Carey second and Cliff. Bowes third.
The half-mile swimming race for
ladies was won by Dorothy Newkir<,
Lyba Sheffield second and Emma Willis
third.
The next event was to have been a
a1tfarS Of the cruisers
Albany and St. Louis, but it was
found that the cutters of the two ships
were not of the same length. The mile
race was rowed in two cutters of the
ST. Louis, both manned from that ship.
The time was ten minutes fiat
The half-mile swimming race for pro-
fessionals proved an exciting affair.
There were four starters, but only two
finished It was a fiercely-
race. in a choppy sea. In the last
thirty yards the men, who had seemed
to be putting all the strength they
had into the struggle, made last des-
perate squirt and came exhausted to
| the float, F. K. Holborow winning
from George Wilde by about three feet.
The time, considered good in such a
choppy sea- was IL minutes and Ia
seconds for the half mile.
The mile swimming race for anna
teurs, in which a gold medal was the
I'priZe, was Won IN 80 40 Dy 0' hChhih-
nus, with H. Taylor second.
The surf boat race, from shore to
shore around the pier, was won by
Walter Barton and George Freeth.
The last of the scheduled events to
be pulled off was the 100-yard dash,
swimming, for a gold medal, a silver
cup as second prize. William L.
O'Mally won, G. Watkins second.
Fireworks End Celebration
The celebration closed with display
of fireworks and a tableau vivant rep
resenting a conflict of Neptune and his
sea monsters against Queen Santa
Monica, in which the former is routed
by the strength of the new pier.
The pier is unique in many respects,
being an innovation both in its man
ner of construction and its ownership
The structure is 1900 feet in length,
with three (Ts) placed at intervals
of 500 feet for strengthning purposes.
The piles average eighteen inches in
thickness and vary in length accord