GAY NIGHT IN CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19094, 12 August 1925, Page 16

GAY NIGHT IN CITY.

QUEEN STREET THRONG. GREAT CROWDS ASSEMBLE. wheel traffic jammed. LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS. "Believe me, I never saw so much traffic in my life," remarked an American sailor as he elbowed his way along Queen Street iast evening. And so it was. Between 7 and 8.30 p.m. Lower Queen Street was jammed tight with humanity, buses, trams and motor-cars.

All the world and his wife and tho children, too, seemed to have come out to see the men of the fleet, tho ships, the illuminations and the crowds they themselves helped to swell. Queen Street for two hours became far more populous than it was at mid-day, when the fleet was expected and in fact more crowded than on any but the great festive nights of the year. Four thousand sailors were on shore, but thay made but a sprinkling in the throngs that jostled on and off the payement.

The vehicles that brought this mass of people into Queen Street began to bank up ehortly after seven. The Customs Street intersection was the sticking point and without the one single constable specially detailed for point duty a complete tie-up would have been inevitable. As the "stop-go" signal was useless by night, the constable used hands and arms to control the flood converging on him. Congestion in Streets.

Even so there "ire times when lines of incoming trams, buses and cars banked up to and beyond VVyndham Street. Every private motor-car in the suburbs seemed to have come to town and naturally every bus and tram was out to reap the passenger harvest. The blocks and delays were the best vindication the City Council could desire for its policy in restricting the class of traffic that may use this bottle-neck in busy hours.

Another point of congestion was Quay Street, at the Ferry Buildings. Masses of pedestrians were crossing here to the wharves, tile motor show or to take passage on an excursion steamer. Meanwii le a circus baud crashed out popuiar tunes, lions were roaring and an uueuding line of buses attempted to pass back into Queen Street. To this confusion two fire engines with sirens shrieking were added and excitement ran high for a few moments.

It was a relief to escape from this bedlam to the comparative quiet of Queen's Wharf. Even here there were lines of pecrplo coming and going, but it was possible to take breath in contemplation of the beanty of the scene. Looking From Queen's Wharf.

To the west the long low sheds of Prince's Wharf were a blaze of light, white, yellow, green and red. Part of the illumination was due to the Motor Olympia and the Y.M.C.A. hostel for Bailors,' but the feature was that part undertaken by the Harbour Board. Its scheme was as effective as it was unique. Each of the seven elec.rical cranes were outlined in lights. The base was strongly picked out, above that was the square control house, and then, stretching up into the firmament, were long antennae, single lines of light, bracing the upward sweep" of the jib. Standing against the dark western sky, these strangely effective designs in light were at once ihe most novel and most admired of the city's decorations.

But the questing crowd pressed on .to the wharf's end intent to glimpse the mighty engines of war cradled in the Waitemata. The eight was very still and dark oat there and little showed'of the eight, battleships that between them carried the population of a large town. There were a few ridhig lights, the blaze at a gangway and the blinking of Morse talking from ship to ship and to the shore, but nothing revealed the great bulk of guns and armour-plate that rode opt on the quiet waters. The scene was impressive more by suggestion than by sight and something of a hush crept into the mien and the voices of the spectators. Successful Colour Scheme. From this it was sharp contrast to return to the blare of Queen Street. Guarding its entrance was the chief post office in full panoply of flags and lamps .and lan'erns. The employees of the Public Works Department responsible for the decorative scheme deserve credit for the way in which they worked out their ideas. Apart from the flags the colour 6cheme was a skilful blending of orange end lemon shades. The architectural features of the building were picked out in white lights, the mottos in orange, while festoons of lanterns reached over the pavement in lemon strings. The, effect, was to cast a golden glow over street and buildings and on all the moving crowds and vehicles —a warm and striking scene.

Hieher op the street the Town Hall and the HsßAtn office were distinguished for the care taken in their decoration. Many other public and private buildings were gay with bunting or bright with lights, giving an aspect of carnival to the whole busy thoroughfare.

A FORMIDABLE TRIO. MIGHTY SISTERS. To the uninitiated the eight battleships will look very much alike, but three of them—the Maryland, West and Colorado —are larger and more modern. They are " sisters " but seen beam on, it will be difficult to distinguish them from tho flagship, California. All have masts of identical type, she outstanding features being the enclosed " fighting tops " and the citadel foremast and bridge structure. The Maryland, West Virginia, and Colorado are the latest, largest, and most formidable vessels in the United States Wavy, arid they will stand as the country's last word in battleships, it least until the United States begins to replace some of the older vessels under the Limitation of Armaments Treaty. They are in excess of 32.0C0 tons displacement; 6Coft. over all, 97ft. 4in. beam, and they draw approximately 31ft. of water. All are electrically-driven ships. They have a speed in excess of 21 knots, developing 33,590 shaft horsepower. The largest calibre guns afloat are carded by these ships, being eight I6in., 45-calibre rifles, in four turrets of two gur-s each. These guns will outrange those ol any other battleship. There has been a great deal of agitation towaid in-cie-sinr the elevation of tho guns of the old' ships to equal that of this class. The toipedo defence batteries are similar to t! o e (>! the California, being 12 five-inch 61-cali!).s, and the anti-aircraft batterv i 3 .bo si.nilar, eight 3in. 50-calibre antilira aft guns., It is intended soon to rop tee tts battery by sin. anti-aircraft, feuns.