The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-09
CAME ON EXCURSION TRAINS
FIFTEEN THOUSAND VISITORS
IN ST. PAUL YESTERDAY
Brought In Two or More Specials
The Depot n Reminder of the
G. A. n. Crush-SOme Unable to
Get Out to Camp Ramsey, Their
Objective Point.

Between 10000 and $1,000 strangers
came to st. Paul on the special excur-
sions run from all parts of the state by
the different railroad companies termi-
mating in this city.
Nine special trains reached the city,
and all Of the regular trains were
crowded. All Of the specials were in
before noon, and it is estimated that
$4,000 strangers We're within the city's
gates during the afternoon.
The excursion trains began arriving
shortly after 8 o'clock, and from that
hour until the last special had started
on the return trip last evening, 1t was
a busy time for the officials at the union
depot. Naturally Camp Ramsey was
the magnet attracting most OF the Wis
itOrs, but hundreds were unable to get
aboard the street cars to the fair
grounds and spent the time about the
CITY,
The special trains came in from all
directions. The Omaha road brought in
four trains from it's territory. The
train between Rochester and Kasota
was composed of twelve coaches.
crowded to the platforms, while the
other three trains, of ten coaches each
from other points on the system, were
equally we'll patronized. Estimating
seventy passengers to coach, figures
furnished by Superintendent Mcmillan,
Of the Union Depot company, 1t is not
difficult to see how the total number of
strangers was made up. Two Of these
specials were over the Chicago Great
Western road from points west Of
Kasota.
The Milwaukee road ran three excur-
sion trains, two over the Iowa & Min
nesota division and the other from the
section travelled by it's river line. The
I. & M. trains, Of ten coaches each,
bringing passengers from Faribault,
Rochester and intermediate points,
reached the city, the first one at 1O:4o
and the second at 11:30. Both trains
were filled with passengers occupying
every available inch of space, even to
standing room on the platforms.
The Milwaukee special over the river
day, being composed Of twenty-one
coaches. 1t was in reality two trains
which had gathered up excurs1onlsts
from the entire river route section and
had been consolidated for the direct run
to ST. Paul.
The Great Western road brought in
two specials. One carried passengers
while the other had aboard those In
the section east Of that station. The
first special got in at 1920. and five
minutes later the second train arrived.
The Minneapolis & ST. Louis road
ran three excursion trains, which went
direct to the fair grounds. Each train
was composed of twelve coaches. 1t
is estimated that the three trains car
ried 1000 passengers. These trains
came to the city after the stop at the
fair grounds, and number of the eX-
cursionists continued their journey to
ST. Paul.
During the day the Great Northern
read ran trains to the fair grounds
from the depot every hour and half.
The receipts for tickets showed that
1000 people had gone out to Camp
Ramsey from the depot.
When the eXcursionists began to
! gather at the depot to return to their
homes the scene recalled the hurry ana
turmoil Of G. A. r. week year and a
| half ago. AS early as 4 o'clock many
Of those who had been unable to reach
Camp Ramsey, wearied with tramping
about the city, had returned to the
depot, and half an hour later the wait
ing rooms were crowded to suffocatlon.
When the street cars began to come in
from the fair grounds the rush to the
depot became general stampede.
Long before the first return train was
sent out people could no longer get into
the depot, and the crowd began surging
| around into the sheds from the foot of
| Sibley street.
| Supt Mcmillan was on hand with a
corps of extra assistants, gatemen.
| callers and porters, but twice as many
| monographs as there were excursion
| lists could not have answered the ten
| thousand and one questions leveled at
every one possessing the slightest sus-
! picion of authority in his appearance.
! detail of extra policemen, augment
ed by the presence of half dozen de-
tectives, were on duty at the depot all
| day, but dozen more patrolmen We're
sent to handle the crowd at o'clock.
In cases where more than one train
was to be run over the same road
there was an overwhelming rush to get
aboard the first outgoing train. The
visitors were weary with the days
sightseeing and anxious to get home.
AS fast as one special was loaded an
other pulled into the sheds, and for
three hours there was a steady exodus
through the gates. With all Of the
crowd and excitement, however, the
! management Of the depot officials was
unusually efficient, and the excursion
| lists were all started homeward without
accident and on time.
| The last special left over the Great
| Western at $40.