The Cherry Tree Rebellion underway. A group of approximately 150 women, led by Patterson, seized shovels from workers, re-filled holes, and prepared for a stand-off against workers and bulldozers in order to help save the trees. President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed that Patterson, and other Washington newspapers were exaggerating, and stated that just 88 trees would be destroyed in the construction. Meanwhile, the Washington Post quoted a park official as saying, 'For the past two weeks we have been removing trees in the Tidal Basin area for transplanting. None have been chopped down nor will any be.' However, in the course of construction, some trees would perish. According to one account, the women were ultimately convinced to stand down after being served lunch by Assistant Secretary of the Interior Michael Strauss. After neverending cups of coffee, the ladies' need for restrooms hastened their decision to remove the chains. Roosevelt then had the rest of the trees removed in the middle of the night to avoid any further conflict.
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