The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-02
CAME By THOUSANDS
TREMENDOUS INFLUx or VISITORS
AT CAMP MOUNT.
Railroads Brought I'm Long Special
Trains Loaded to the Guards
with People,
ABOUT $4,000 STRANGERS
STREET-RAILROAD SERVICE WAS
GREATLY O~vERTAxED.
Eager to Get o Glimpse of Army Life
How the Great Crowds Put
IN the Time.
ABOUT $4,000 STRANGERS
STREET-RAILROAD SERVICE WAS
GREATLY OvERTAxED.

But once or twice before in the history of
the city, according to officials of the Union
Station, has there been such an influx of
visitors to Indianapolis in a single day es
yesterday. During the day there were
twenty-four special trains, bringing In 24
coaches crowded to their utmost capacity.
Counting eighty passengers to the coach,
this would indicate that the number OF pas
se1gers hauled on the special trains was
1880. beside which the regular train of the
day brought in enough more, 1t Is believed,
to make the total number of passengers en-
tering the city yesterday $4,000.
Camp Mount was, of course, the point to-
ward which all visitors turned. The only
means Of reaching tho camp was by the
street cars, as many learned to their sor-
row. After waiting for hours for an oppor-
tunity to board street cars at the Union
Station, many were compelled to give up
the pleasure of visiting the camp for fear
Of missing their trainC for home. Many
of those who did get out to the camp came
away much sooner than they otherwise
would, remembering from their experience
on the big day Of the fair last fall that
there was no certainty how soon they could
get to the city. AS it was a good many
missed the special trains and more would
have been In this predicament but for the
fact the trains were SOW in getting out.
Some Of the roads recognized the special
excursion tickets on the regular trains
home.
According to official figures the special
trains yesterday were as follows: Big Four
Decline and Michigan division), five sec
lions, 81 coaches; st. Louis division, one sec
ton, IA coaches; Chicago and Cincinnati d.
vision, four sections, % coaches; L. E. & W.,
nine sections, 102 coaches; c., H. s. D., one
section, z coaches; l., D. g. W., one section.
10 coaches; Vandalia, two sections, "a
coaches, and p. & Z. division. Big -Four.
two sections, 80 coaches, making a total of
24 coaches on the twenty-four special
trains.
MASSES OF PEOPLE.
The jam of incoming passengers began
early in the morning, and was perhaps
heaviest when the various sections of the
L. E.. & w. were coming in. About II
o'clock the crush was so great as to almost
overpower the Union Station officials. The
streams Of people pouring in through the
great iron gates was almost like an ava
lanche in its force. People who had sta
toned themselves in the areaway between
the building and the railing were borne out
by the force of importing passengers. A
great stream poured through the center
doors of the station, but after a time the
station agents succeeded in dividing the
crowds and starting part towards the Illi-
nois-street exit and the others toward the
McCrea-street exit, so that the throngs
were moving in three solid columns. Both
sides Of Illinois and Meridian streets were
packed. AS it was near noon most Of the
visitors look about for q place to get din
ner, while others swarmed into the street
cars Tor tried to-, intent on getting out to
the white City," the tented fields Of Camp
Mount, as soon as possible. This class car
ried with them great baskets full OF cold
chicken, jellies, cake, fruit, boiled eggs and
other delicacies for the boys in blue who
were spending, many Of them, their first
Sunday away from home. Down town the
restaurants were crowded to their utmost
capacity, and long lines of hungry people
waited their turn for q place at table.
After dinner those of the throng who had
time to kill visited the Statehouse, soldiers
monument and other places of interest.
There were many who anticipated the
N0A4 ~ 80 eSNS&AA6 L&A Gk
the restaurants, and these brought with
them their luncheons tied up in old news
papers. They very ccmplacently sat down
in stairways and other public places to re-
fresh themselves. The street sweepers this
morning will have a lot Of rubbish to haul
away that will be a variation from the
usual accumulation of straw and scraps.
These scenes, Of course, were diverting for
fha fnWnGno0pIa uhn ufa yo1 In kha oanfar
of the city, not caring to experience the
crush of the street cars to get to Camp
Mount.
May day. 1898, will be set down as O red
letter day by those who were at Camp
Mount. Men who nave had some expert
ence in sizing up crowds variously estimate
the people in the camp yesterday at from
$1,000 to 10000. Perhaps 5000 would be a
fair estimate, considering that most of
those there were from other cities. Besides
the scores and hundreds and thousands
that came on the special trains, an inesti-
mable number Of country folk from near
by towns drove to the camp in carriages.
Then many young people rode to the point
of common interest on bicycles.
TWO ACCIDENTS IN THE CRUSH.
So far as could be ascertained last night
but two accidents of any consequence re-
suited from the crush. a man was killed
on the street-car loop and a woman suf-
fered a broken arm. The man killed was
William Archer. He was standing on the
crowded rear platform of a motor car. 1t
left the track and in humping along over
the ties Archer was thrown over the DASH
board in front of the trailer and was killed.
Those who witnessed the accident blamed
the street-car company. claiming that they
had not made adequate arrangements for
handling the crowds. This is corroborated
by the police, who said that but two road
officers were on hand to warn people crowd
ing on the platforms OF danger. On all sides
there were protests against the street-car
company. At the offices of the company it
was said that every arrangement possible
had been made to handle the large traffic.
Cars were run on the College avenue and
llinoiS-Street lines on an eleven-minute
schedule and on the Central avenue line on a
seven minute schedule, making an interval
of q little over three minutes between cars.
beside which il was claimed thar MANY ex-
ira cars were run. To those waiting at the
Union Station the intervals seemed much
car and trailer to each, ran around the loon
west Of the station and before they got
back to Illinois street they were as full as
they would hold Of people who M
aboard while the cars were in motion at The
risk of life or limb. For hours there was a
string OF women a half block long standing
four or five deep waiting to find room on a
car. They, unlike the men, were fearful of
scampering down TO the west end OF the