April 20, 1908: Great White Fleet Draws Huge Crowds, Overwhelming Capacity

April 20, 1908: Train service to see the Great White Fleet

Recall from yesterday that crowds hoping to see the Great White Fleet overwhelmed the city’s transportation systems. Those who managed to get to the wharves at Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo Beach and Venice overtaxed the ability of boats to take them out to see the ships, The Times said. Even after 5 p.m., when the ships stopped letting visitors aboard, the crowd bought boat tickets merely to a closer look at the fleet. Because it was Easter Sunday in 1908, the fleet’s Rear Adm. Charles M. Thomas, an Episcopalian, attends services at St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral in Los Angeles and takes Communion at the rail.

April 20, 1908: Crowds trying to see the Great White Fleet jam the wharf in Long Beach.

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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