ALAMEDA 



134 



ALARIC 



This is done, but later, when the princess is 

 left alone in the house, she is deceived by the 

 magician uncle, who gains control of the lamp 

 and compels the genii to carry off the palace 

 to Africa. The slave of the ring, however, 

 brings back the palace and regains for Aladdin 

 possession of the lamp, while the wicked magi- 

 cian meets his deserved fate. See ARABIAN 

 NIGHTS. 



Allusions to Aladdin's lamp, both serious and 

 humorous, abound in literature. Thus, Byron 

 in Don Juan makes use of the expression, "Yes ! 

 ready money is Aladdin's lamp." 



ALAMEDA, ah la may' dah, CAL., in Alameda 

 County, is a residential city, situated on an 

 island on the east side of San Francisco Bay, 

 south of Oakland and six miles east and south 

 of San Francisco, with which it is connected 

 by ferry. The Southern Pacific Railroad and 

 electric lines enter the city over bridges span- 

 ning the estuary. The area is six and a half 

 square miles. In 1910 the population was 

 23^83; in 1914 it was 26,330. 



Alameda is the home of many San Fran- 

 cisco business men. There are attractive sub- 

 urban residences, splendid parks and play- 

 grounds, and the city has a Carnegie Library. 

 The fine bathing beaches and municipal bath 

 houses attract visitors during the summer 

 months. In the industrial section along the 

 north shore of the island are large ship-building 

 and ship-repairing yards and important petro- 

 leum and borax-refining establishments. The 

 city has also a packers' association and manu- 

 factories of aeroplanes, motors, pumps and clay 

 products. 



Alameda was settled during Mexican occupa- 

 tion of the territory, was chartered in 1854 and 

 became a city in 1885. In 1913 the commission 

 form of government was adopted. The electric 

 light plant is owned and operated by the 

 municipality. 



ALAMO , ah ' lah mo, the scene of a famous 

 battle fought during the war for Texas inde- 

 pendence (see TEXAS, subhead History), some- 

 times called the "Thermopylae of America." 

 It was originally a Catholic mission, moved to 

 the city of San Antonio from the Rio Grande 

 by Padre Olivares, about 1718. The mission 

 was called San Antonio de Valero and con- 

 sisted of a monastery and church, surrounded 

 by high walls. 



The mission San Antonio de Valero, called 

 "The Alamo," by reason of the grove of cot- 

 tonwood trees surrounding it, was built by 

 Franciscan monks and garrisoned by Spanish 



soldiers. During the war for Texas indepen- 

 dence in 1836, the Mexican General Santa 

 Anna, with an army estimated at from 4,000 

 to 6,000 men, invaded Texas. A company of 

 163 Texans under Lieut.-Col. William Barrett 

 Travis, made a stand in the Alamo in order to 



THE HISTORIC ALAMO 



give Gen. Sam Houston time to organize the 

 Texas army. The border heroes, James Bowie 

 and Davy Crockett, were in the company. 

 J. B. Bonham and nineteen others from Goliad 

 fought their way in. 



The siege lasted from February 23 to 

 March 6. Only one man elected to try to 

 escape, and he was never heard from. The 

 little garrison of 183 died to a man for Texas 

 independence. So it is said, "Thermopylae had 

 her messenger of defeat; the Alamo had none." 

 On March 6, with ammunition practically ex- 

 hausted, they resisted with clubbed muskets 

 until they were all killed. The only survivors 

 were Mrs. Dickinson, wife of one of the officers, 

 her baby, her Mexican nurse and a colored 

 boy. This heroic defense gave General Hous- 

 ton time to organize the Texas army, and on 

 April 21, at San Jacinto, not far from Houston, 

 Texas, he utterly routed Santa Anna and drove 

 his army from Texas. "Remember the Alamo" 

 was the battle-cry that won independence for 

 Texas. 



This historic structure stands in the center 

 of San Antonio. It has been purchased by the 

 state and restored as far as possible as it was 

 left by the siege. It ranks with Independence 

 Hall and Bunker Hill as one of the monuments 

 of American liberty. J.B.C. 



AL'ARIC I (?-410), the famous barbarian 

 warrior who led the Visigothic invasions in 

 Greece and Italy. In his second invasion of 

 Italy in 410, his army entered Rome in tri- 

 umph, and sacked it for three days. Though 

 a, pagan, Alaric generously spared the religious 



