Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-29
THE ou1-oF-TMN pEo9LE
NUMBER SAID TO BB-LARGER THAN
e. "a n
IN FORMER FEARS.
Increase Of Travel over Steam Rail.
ro.d.-The local CSeaition. At
fectins Street Gar Traffic.

1t is the belief of many persons who are
in a position to be well Informed on the
subject that there are more people out OF
the city at present than there have been
at any other time during the present sea-
son. In fact, 1t is believed that the stay
at-homes are fewer in numbers than they
were last year at this time. This conclu-
zion is not based upon the same informa-
ton, OF rather lack of Information. which
gives currency TO the familiar expression,
Everybody is out of the city OF course
the latter is at once recognized as a meta
phorical form of speech and is generally
used in that sense for 1t Is we'll known
that a large proportion of the people of
this city, as we'll as Of other cities. either
take no outings at all during the summer
only a brief period. So that 1t happens a
very respectable proportion Of the nearly
three hundred thousand souls constituting
the population of the District are to be
found at home pursuing their usual avoca-
tons during the summer season.
However, there Is tide OF vacation
travel and the steam railroads entering
this city feel 1t very appreciably. The Off
away from the city at this time is unusual
ly heavy, and that a larger number of peo-
pie are going away than ever before at
this period in the year.
The Reverse Conditions.
At the same time, the incoming Is by no
means Insignificant, although, Of course.
not what 1t will be later in the year and
during the months Of spring.
Washington as perhaps may not be gen.
orally known, ranks as about the third
city in this country in respect to the ex-
tent of the railroad passenger traffic. 1t Is
a great excursion point, and people come
in DlAcoS
especially, during the summer months.
While some of this class of business is
done all the year around, yet the excursion
season, as far as Washington Is con-
cerned, is at it's height during the spring
The striking fact in connection with the
present utilization of the holiday season Is
that the travel over the steam railroads is
reported to be particularly heavy. An
Is found in the daily reports Of the street
railroad companies. which begin to show a
falling off in patronage. July Is looked
upon as the banner month of the season,
and then the barometer begins to fall at
the close of the month, the decline con-
tinuing through August. The upward course
then begins. reaching the normal OF the
winter travel and then passing into the
ridge of March. April and May, which are
said to be the busiest period in the year
for the street car companies.
Companion of Figures.
While the figures of the street car patron
age show for each yeat an expansion
over the figures of the previous year. which
is justified by the increase In the popula-
ton, still the percentage 6f the travel for
the summer months is much larger than
that of last year 1t as expected that this
will be the case with the winter traffic.
This marked change is thought to be due
to the improved facilities. for street car
travel which have. in large part. just been
fairly made n 10 a f.
fractions provided -in~thes shape Of sub
urban pleasure resorts. 1t is believed the
increase in street railroad travel of the
pastyyear will be largely IN excess Of that
OF previous years, and that this is to be
characteristic of the futuse business.