Evening star., 1937-10-24
D. C. Yard Prepares to
Greet 100000 Visitors
on Wednesday.
KING NEPTUNE'S COURT
AMONG new FEATURES
Fighting Planes to Soar Over
City-Boats to Take Part in
Land-Sky Battle"


United States requires "a Navy second
to none," Secretary Swanson yester-
day invited the American people to
become better acquainted with their
Navy, and the local yard made prepa-
rations to receive upward of 100000
visitors on Wednesday-Navy day.
Rear Admiral George T. Pettengill,
commandant of the Washington Navy
Yard, and his colleagues, both naval
and civilian, are arranging a gigantic
show, with added attractions for this
years visitors. For the first time
here, King Neptune and his court
will appear; massed buglers of the
Marine Corps will give the various
calls of the service and boats will
participate in the sham battle with
land and aerial forces.
One of the high lights of the Navy
Yard show will be the aerial aero
battles of the planes of Squadron 2
of the Fleet Marine Force from Guam
tico, and fighting planes from Carrier
Division 2, based at Norfolk. The
Navy planes are attached to the new
aircraft carriers U. S. S. Yorktown
and Enterprise.
Great Variety of Talent.
A variegated show will be witnessed
during the entire day, from the time
the curtain goes up at am, until
it falls, with the sounding of "Colors"
at $50 pm. Marines, bluejackets and
Coast Guardsmen will stage a series
of parades; several band concerts will
be given by the Marine Band, the
Navy School of Music Band and the
post band from the Marine Barracks at
Quantico; pourings of molten metal
will be released in the giant furnaces
hammers will shape steel masses as
the red sparks fly.
Naval enlisted men from the Diving
School here will give exhibitions of
deep-sea diving, demonstrations and
drills will be held by Marines from
the Marine Barracks here and from
the Fleet Marine Base at Quantico
and they will participate in the sham
battle in the afternoon around 4:30
o'clock, with Marines and bluejackets
participating.
The gunboat U. S. S. Erie, the |
destroyer U. S. S. Leary, the Coast |
Guard cutter Bibb and two patrol |
boats will be at the local yard for |
Navy day. They will be open to the |
public. A Coast Guard life saving !
crew from Chicomacomico, N. c., |
will give capsize and other drills, |
while aboard the Bibb, collision and |
gun drills will be held
Planes to Be Catapulted.
A number of times during the day |
planes from the Naval Air Station at !
Anacostia will be catapulted from
the Yard catapults
From 9 am to pm. the Naval |
Observatory will be open to visitors
generally, while those who apply for
and receive cards of admission for
the special program will be admitted
from 7 to IL pm. At the night
session persons will look through the
telescopes and-if the weather be
clear-will have various heavenly
bodies explained to them. On writ
ten request to the Naval Observatory
a limited number of cards for one
hour periods will be issued, officials
said today. Visitors should state
whether they desire the cards for the
40-inch, 26-inch or the 12-inch tele-
scopes, in their application, official
explained.
Visitors to the Observatory will see
the library, the time service, the 12-
inch equatorial, the 26-inch equa-
torial, the 9-inch transit, the clock
vault, the 40-inch equa torial, the
Photographic zenith tube which
measures the wabble of the earth on
its axis; the astrographic building,
with its collection of photographs of
sun spots, and other interesting fea-
lures.
Capt. j. Frederick Hellweg, super
intendent of the Observatory, will
have scientists on hand to explain
to the public the various phases of
the Observatory's work.
Admiral Hamlet to Speak.
Rear Admiral Harry c. Hamlet,
United States Coast Guard (retircd),
will deliver the principal address at
the ceremony to be held at the John
Paul Jones Memorial at the foot of
Seventeenth street, in West Potomac
Park. From 1915 to 1890 pm. on
Wednesday the Marine Band will give
concert at the memorial and the .
exercises will start at 1890 o'clock.
The exercises will be under auspices
of the Military Order of the World 1
War and the Advisory Board of the /
Masonic Clubs.
More than score of veterans and !
patriotic organizations will participate. [
Capt. Sydney K. Evans, the. former !
chief of naval chaplains, will deliver
the invocation. Comdr. Norman B.
Hall will give a short talk on the
life Of John Paul Jones. Presiding ,
will be Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox, COM
mander of the Military Order of the
World War. while the master Of cere-
monies will be Maj. Edwin S. Bettel-
helm, jr.. president of the board
Wreaths will be placed on the monu-
ment by the Navy League of the [
United States, by its president, Nell
Son Macy; the Military Order of the
World War, by Gen. Cox; the Ma
tional League of Masonic Clubs, by
Victor A. Blanc, its national presi-
dent; the Advisory Board. by Maj.
Cheney Berthof; the National So
ciety, American War Mothers, by Mrs.
Irving Fairweather, national 1resi-
dent; National Sojourners, by Maj.
Charles F. Roberts, its president;
Heroes of rs, by Lieut.. James Otis
Porter, the commander; National So
ciety, Daughters of the American Revo-
luton, by Mrs. William A. Becker,
president general; Fleet Reserve As
socistion, by Alexander Steele, Sec
retary of Branch Four; National So I
ciety, Daughters of American Colo
nists, by Mrs. Maurice A. Blake, ma
tional vice president; National So
ciety, Sons of American Revolution, {