Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-20
RIDING FOR PLEASURE
LARGE PART Of PEOPLE PATRONIZE
STREET CAPS FOR OUTINGS.
Estimated at $4,000 an Evenins-Lons
Trips Into Country Much
Favored.

Street car riding for pleasure has become
such custom In this city that Its various
phases are matter Of a good deal OF gen.
eral interest. As every one knows. this
form of diversion fs nothing new, as even
in the horse car days many people sought
refreshment at the close of a warm day by
taking an outing in a street car. They do
the same thing today, only in increasing
numbers. so that the proportions OF the
people who are nightly found on these pub
lie conveyances Is quite large Exactly how
largo Is one Of the questions that Is fire.
quently discussed and has elected great
variety of opinions. as we'll as vast diff
ference in such opinions. II is natural to
suppose that. with the change In the trans
portation facilities, which have been Of
such radical character during the past
year, there has also come an evolution to
the car-r1ding patronage. The street rail-
road managers confirm this superstition and
further say that the increase in the travel
is noticeable not only in the summer, but
In that of the winter WELL
The Evening Riders.
However. the roads carry more passen-
gers at this season. Of the year than they
do in the winter. and 1t is thought a good
percentage of the former is due to what
may be termed pleasure riding. People
get on car in the evening for the pur-
pose of enjoying the air currents, or the
breeze, as it is called. which is caused by
the motion of the. car They don't care
In particular where the car goes, so long
as it keeps in motion. Then there are
others who. in addition to enjoying the
GOODNESS OF such a ride, also like to have
some place to go to. and hence the latter
class ind their way to the various resorts.
which are usually found at the end Of car
lines. Then there are country rides. as the
travel on suburban roads is called. and
visit to the places of amusement which are
found In such localities. With the facflt-
Ties or a modern street car system which
this city now enjoys 1t is now possible to
take car in the center of the city for
continuous ride to the extreme points of
the system. which now lie outside the
District.
Estimated at $4,000.
An attempt has been made by a Star re-
porter to get from the two railroad COM
panies that now control all the roads in
the District except the one to Mount Yer
non some information as to the number OF
people that make use OF street cars for
pleasure riding. 1t Is. Of course impossible
to secure accurate statistics of this nature
for the reason that neither the railroad
companies nor any one else are able to dis
tinguish between those who ride for pleas
use and those who use the cars for other
purposes. 1t is presumed that the bulk of
those who patronage the lines running to
the various resorts on the cars be-
cause they want recreation or fresh air
and not because they are attending to more
serious matters. On this presumption. and
leaving out Of consideration, of course. the
patrons Of the lnes within the city, 1t is
estimated data Furnished by the COM
panies that ont fair warm evening there
are some lJ,Oaa of the population of the
city that board street cars for recreation
purposes. This estimate is approximate at
best hut still 1t Is not merely Wild guess
Ing, and afforrds a fairly ADEQUATE idea of
the extent which the street cars enter into
the lives Of the people Of the District
means of contributing to their enjoyment