Semi-weekly herald., 1913-06-09
QUEEN CITY or THE NORTH.
.''siA ~ r WEST. sa = e


'D Tacoma, Wash, May 81, 1918.
Editor Herald: si rsv'ed .tsdlfs7
Wonder il you folks would like
'ine from one who, having spent the
better part of his life in Durango, the
peer of them all, in the shadow days
yielded to the wander-call, and sought
now fields? Durango, the hub Of
vast basin of wonderful resources held
in reserve by nature for that ia
vored section when she was bestowing
her greatest gifts with prodigality,
need not fear any comparison with the
grahdest of other cities; and SO I
know her people will listen with COM
piacency ii not interest to- the beauties
Of far-away sections. Some things we
have here you don't and can't have
in Durango. One thing we are so
far north that this time of the year
Day gets up at 2 or 3 o'clock in the
morning and don't go to bed until
after at night, 80 when wo get
tenderfoot and can hire him by the
lay we've got the dead cinch On him.
See? We have neither extreme heat
nor cold here, the sea breexes temper
the winds to thsalhole in a man's
seeks, So to speak. 5i4g8 nAi s1ldaA
ntla!piia is not only the homl hut
the ssJquarters ofitss pref. rs tls.w-
ers in the world (and say it slow but
distinctly, is next to Durango in pref
ty womenlll u adaaio'} 3yelist
What took my. pen, in hand on
this special occasion for, however, was
to tell you what I sawin Tacoma May
20 and to tell you, that it is ,impos-
sible to see the same magnificent sight
in any other city in the world. I'M
possible because no other city in the
world has a stadium with seating
capacity equal to that of Tacoma's;
impossible because no other stadium
the world is located with the open side
of its arena impinging upon the mar
gin of Puget sound or any other body
of water that will buouy up the COM
bined warships of the world. Tacoma's
pride, the stadium, consists OF horse
u
| shoe-shaped athletic field, large
enough for baseball, football and the
massing Of thousands of children or
soldiers and for large numbers of
| spectacular parades and floats. Ce-
| ment seats rise tier upon tier from
the field with seating capacity of
10000 persons. Above the seats are
slopes which afford room for several
thousand more persons. The horse
shoe arena opens upon Commencement
bay. where ships lie an anchor or
Move around, affording pleasant
view TO those watching the other
| events. With this description Of the
| place you may understand at once that
| what saw there the day before yes
terday can not be duplicated even in
tre wonderful basin Of the great San
Juan or any other place in the world.
| Thirteen thousand school children as
sembled there in the arena engaged in
giving the flag drill, the wand drill,
tine free hand drill; Maypole dances,
race running, athletics and all manner
u
Of field exercise. Thirteen thousand
children singing America, the Coast
Naval band discoursing music, with
thirty thousand or more interested
spectators shouting and clapping their
hands in happy appreciation. Then
right in the midst Of it all the war
cruiser st. Louis came steaming in
and anchored few yards away from
the open side Of the arena. with her
flag flirting with the winds and her
guns dreaming Of peace. William Gill
sr. Of the Italian mine near Pagosa
Junction, was here at the time and
being present declared it the grand
est sight he had ever witnessed, and
so say we all.
The Montamara Festo the latter
part of June will be worth a trip out
here to see. All of you get your glad
rags on and come a-running.
l o. s. GALBREATH.