New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-07-27
VANCOUVER HAS
fine HARBORS
Enthusiastic Citizens Of Island
City Call II American

washington, D. c., July 27.-"Yan-
couver, where President Harding Is,
one of the few presidents to pay a
friendly visit to city beyond the bor-
ders of the United States, has one OF
the half dozen safest and most COM
nodious harbors In the world says
a bulletin from the Washington, d. c..
Headquarters of the National Geo
graphic society.
Indeed the Vancouver citizen will
tell you that it is the second finest
harbor In the world generously leav-
ing yon to pick the first for yourself.
Shipping news of Vancouver often Is
shipping history as when, recently, the
Empress of Canada cut down the
trans Pacific running time to new
low record, and her crew was feted
by the city for their performance.
1.-THE Vancouver enthusiast pro-
claims his city American'-and it is
Just that in respect to enterprise, zest
and civic spirit. In loyalty, though.
1t Is extremely Canadian and 1t typi-
fies the spirit of modern Canada as
wildly as our own Kansas City, st.
Louis, and Omaha represent our Wig
orous Mississippi Missouri valley
Near In Time, Tar In Customs.
vancouver is five hours from Vic
toria by boat; but the two are five GEN.
turtles apart in some of their customs.
Their feeling toward each other isl
not one Of jealousy-they are too diff
ferent for that. Victoria regards Van
couver as a growing boy, exuberant,
spirited, and bit too flushed with
his own achievements; Vancouver
looks upon Victoria with the respect
and tolerance one bstrows upon al
gentle maiden aunt who is a bit old
fashioned. Victoria is frankly Vic
torian; Vancouver is aggressively
modern.
Vancouver considers her CONNER
cial rival the third city of this un-
usual water-bound civic triangle,
which Is Seattle. She tries to con-
vince the thousands of summer tour
lists, the great majority from the
States that she has sights to offer as
well as Victoria; and she seeks to
show the business man that she af-
fords the best shipping facilities north
of San Francisco.
Vancouver-City and Island.
Vancouver has her troubles with
nomenclature, as has San Francisco.
When you say Vancouver you mean
the city, is the gist of the idea she
seeks to impart If you speak of Van
couver Island, Vancouver would have
you, as would the yictorians, simply
say the island 1t troubles Vancouver
bit to have the capital city of Brit
ish Columbia located on the island
but occasional suggestions of a change
have never been taken seriously.
"A railroad made Vancouver. Any
one who spins across prairies and
mountains on an express from Mon
treal or Toronto to Vancouver must
marvel at the vision and skill of the
men who 'bridged two oceans and
linked four continents
With all the comforts of your
club you are whisked among snow
capped and unclimbed mountains.
across dizzy canyons. through five
mile tunnel, and If you would stop
over to see some orld-famed natur-
al beauty spot. such as peak dotted
Banff or azure and altitudinous Lake
Louise. the railroad has built you a
hotel and even has thoughtfully pro-
dded ponies for your children to ride
"At your continental trails end
vancouver, as in other cities you en-
counter another nation building cor
poration, the Hudson's Bay company
For that historic company which still
trades supplies for furs with the re-
mote Eskimos at ice-bound posts now
operates a chain of department stores
where tweeds golf balls. earrings and
o thousand ultra-modern articles are
stocked.
''vancouver's Stanley Park. with its
giant cedars and frs is renowned and
its lure attracts the sea-borne visitor
as he passes the first narrows' of the
cttys harbor. The city has preserved
its trees and flowers though they oc-
cupy a peninsuar waterfront site
where real estate is at premium.
COLLINS Of the Beach.
Its clean streets. new Office build
ings. modern apartments, brisk traf-
nc, all are a part of its modernism.
It's distinctive recreation facility is its
English bathing beach where, until a |
few years ago, the women kept pretty
much to one end of the beach and
men to the other. That time has
passed. But the custom of wearing
ones bathing robe to the edge of the
water survives; and when 1t is re- I
moved II would seem that the actual !
swimming costume is meant, from its I
brevity, for swimming. It is not vol
luminous enough to hamper the SWIM
mer. There is no parading the beach
In these costumes One goes to the
English bathing beach to get in the
water.
THE beach withholds its most pic
furesque aspect until nightfall. Then
many driftwood fires are built along
the shore at which bathers dry them
selves before going home in automo-
biles. With eerie figures dancing I,
around many fires one may recall the /;
days before Simon Fraser padded !;
canoe along the river now named for I:
him. and George Vancouver arrived =
to find Indians tending beacon fires !;
along these very shores to signal the .
homeward way to their fishing can q