Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21

Few men now active in American
| public life recall that vivid day more
than 81 years ago when Admiral Prince
! Henry of Prussia came to Washington
with all the pomp and state defitting
his royal blood and his special mission
| as goodwill ambassador to the Amer
can Government and people from his
| brother, Emperor Wilhelm Of Germany.
Yet it was a gorgeous occasion. one
that left its stamp on the news reports
of that day, February "a. 1902. The
| Prince and his large. suite were in
| Washington little more than IL hours,
arriving by special train in the morn
ing and leaving again for New York
at midnight. An exchange Of visits
with President Roosevelt, calls upon the
resident Ambassadors In Washington Of
| other great nations, visits to the House
of Representatives and the Senate, and
a state dinner at the White House made
it a full day for the royal guest of the
Nation.
Regal SpIendor."
"A scene of regal splendor, marked
by 1lavishness of glittering gold lace
such as the historic old Pennsylvania
station at Sixth and q streets has
never known before" is the way a re-
porter for The Star described the ar
rival of the royal party. The news
writer was greatly impressed by the
uniforms of Prince Henry's staff. Those
of the American officers attached to his
suite for the visit. including Rear Adj
miral Robley D. Evans and Adjt. Gen.
Corbin, paled to insigniflcance in COM
parison, he wrote, adding:
"All the colors of the rainbow, in
tensified and multiplied, seemed to
have been called into service by the
court tailors in dressing out the sub
jecta of the Imperial Kaiser"
Platforms and runWayS at the depot
had been spread with carpet for the
royal guest. and Cavalry. Marines and
squadronS of mounted police<le the
string of carriages, all new and used
for the first time that day, to the White
House grounds. There the scarlet
coated Marine Band waited to pay
musical honors while a battery OF
artillery doomed In salute from behind
the Executive Mansion.
The visit was brief. President Roose-
welt receiving his distinguished guest In
the blue room and escorting him to an
adjoining chamber for presentation to
Mrs. Roosevelt and to Alice Roosevelt,
now wife of Speaker Longworth Of the
House. Miss Roosevelt was to christen
next day the Imperial yacht Meteor In
New Jersey shipyard as further
mark of the will toward friendship
between the two nations that just Is
years later were to be at war.
Won Tirpitz Was Visitor.
Among members of Prince Henry's
staff the reporters made special note
of Admiral Won Tirpitz, largely because
of the full, black beard he wore, a
beard that was to become known the
world over later in the dark war days
when German submarines reached the
peak of their effectiveness. In Wash
ington newspapers all carried Won
Tirpitz's picture then.
Not much Is told in the old news &C
counts of the verbal exchanges between
President Roosevelt and his guest at
their meeting at the White House, or
later at the German embassy, under
formal guard of American troops, where
| the President returned the call. The
alert eye of the reporters marked, how
ever that when the prince entered the
White House to be greeted with stifi
military salutes by Col. Bingham and
the group of Army and Navy aides
awaiting him In the portico, he ex-
changed with them democratic hand
| shakes, doing so with ease and grace.
| During his visit to the Capitol that
afternoon, Prince Henry sat a while IN
| the House gallery to hear debate on the
| consular and diplomatic bill. He was
cheered and applauded from galleries