The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-16
CONVENTION OF
 SHRINERS OPENS AT SAN FRANCISCO
Delegates and Visitors from All Sections of Country Are Vel cOmed.
By ELLIS H. MARTIN

N J
 San Francisco, Jure 16 - Trans formed into a veritabIe Arabian will Ia@e on the sands of the desert by the most elaborate scheme of decoration San Francisco today welcomed the arriving hosts to attend the forty eight imperial session of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mobiles of the M-stic Shrine and also it's golden jubilee.
 S special trains have been rolling in all week and regular trains have con tributed their quota Today the height of the influx was reached and officials estimated by nightfall 100000 Shriners and 200, ,o00 visitors would be in the city for the weeks lcolorfuGl events,
 No expense has been spared to make the golden jubilee the most brilliant and successful in Shrine his tory. More than a half million dol lars has been provided for the enter tainment of the visitors.
 last but three days. the festivities in connection with them will occupy an entire week. The arrival of Imperial .Potentate Ernest A. Cutts on a spe- scompanied by patrols of Alec Temple 7 Savannah, Georgia and Al Sihah Temple, Macon, Georgia, will formal ly inaugurate the weeks programme l The other big event of the opening day is the annual national session of the Royal Order of testers. =f JO1n1nS Tn the CIVIC WelCOIno aSC- ! corded the visitors, the great battle ships California, Pennsylvania, Mis- 2 Sissippi. New Mexico, Tennesse, Idaho New York, Texas, Oklahoma, and , command of Admiral Eberle, lay at anchor in battleship row in honor of the great national gathering. A huge Shrine emblem on the ferry building greeted the visiting Shriners, flanked by two large mtna- rets on the Embarcadero, Huge Hers emblazoned in Shrine colors, formed a novel feature of the street decorations.
 Camels Enter Picture
 A series of 20 kneeHng camels on pedestals with fanking banners guard the approach of the Arabian village into which the civic center park has been transformed With the civic buildings in the background the en- tire center will picture a bit of Arab Ia. Battlemented walls and minarets in Orinetal color, pavilion with gilt tering domeS, obeIisks with heirogly- phic decorations. gorgeous silken can Opied tents and all attenuaIns car e- fully costumed with transport the cis- itOrs into Araby.
 The civic buildings f1anking the park are decorated in kind. The tire iron tage of the city hall has been transformed into a magnificent throne. The facades of the State building and the civic auditorium present a bril- liant assemblage of colors.
 The same lighting effects which made the San Francisco exposition fla nous will be displayed tonight for the first time. The dome of the city hall will exhibit the same effect as the exposition tower of jewels. Groups of colored captive balloons lighted by searchl1ghts are another night fea- ture.
 Approximately 125 special trains will have arrived tonight from all parts of the United States. Each train carries from 15O to 1000 persons Many of the Shine parties will live on their trains, which are being parked on specially built tracks on the Elm barcadero. Other thousa nds came on chartered ocean liners, their tempor- ary home while here, and on which they will go to Honolulu to accom- pany home James S. McCandless, I'm 5perial Deputy POtentate, who will be sinstalled as Imperial Potentate before lthe close of the imperial session : san Francisco hotels in preparation flor the convention spent approxi- mately S1,00O,00O in improvements and decorations. Because of the un- usually large number of hotels ample accommodations were ready for all corners.