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1904Souvenir ProgramLaunching the Armored Cruiser"California" This is the 1904 souvenir Program for the launching of the Armored Cruiser "California" under the auspices of The Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW) at the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, April 28, 1904. The California became the flagship of the Pacific Fleet.The program is unpaginated, but is approximately 82 pages in length, plus stapled illustrated wrappers. Profusely illustrated from photographs and drawings including many photographs of United States Navy ships. 16 pages of advertisements, some with illustrations, plus inside the covers. 6 7/8" x 10 3/8".The event's program included remarks by Hon. Joseph R. Knowland (father of California's U.S. Senator William Knowland), Governor George C. Pardee, MajGen Arthur MacArthur (Father of Gen Douglas MacArthur), Hon. James D. Phelan, and San Francisco Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz.The Ship was launched by Governor Pardee's daughter.The text includes histories of the Native Sons of the Golden West and Native Daughters of the Golden West; details of the U.S. Armored Cruiser "California"; "California's History in Brief"; material concerning the Union Iron works (where the "California" was built); History of the City of San Francisco (with photographs of former Mayor James D. Phelan and then-Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz and the recently completed SF City Hall, which collapsed two years after this program appeared, in the Earthquake of 1906, exposing corruption which led to Mayor Schmitz' removal); The Navy; The Army, A Short History of the Mexican War; The Pioneers; and, the Program. Many US Navy ships are pictured, including Hartford (Admiral Farragut's flagship), Pike (submarine), Farragut, Paul Jones, Oregon (Battleship), Monterey, Marietta (gunboat), Ohio, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Independence, and a Japanese cruiser,Chitose (also built by the Union Boat Works of San Francisco). The story of the launching is available from the New York Times archive at http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9802E6DB163EE033A2575AC2A9629C946597D6CF&oref=slogin. The foregoing does not begin to tell the full story of this unique and scarce piece. I could not find a copy described anywhere on the internet. Condition: Some edgewear and soiling from handling; spine chipped, but VERY GOOD+ or better overall. This is a NO RESERVE auction with our customary $9.00 starting bid, to allow you to set the value of this piece.
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