The Washington times., 1902-10-05
Estimated $4,000 People Ar
rived Yesterday-Unless
Weather Conditions Are
Unfavorable 100000 Will
Attend Encampment.

The first of the G. A. R. visitors TO
campment were greeted with a drizzling
rain, which steadily increased rs the
night wore on into a steady downpour.
Though weary, the most of them. from
long and tedious journeys, the .eterans
were light -hearted, and felt again the
magic touch of youth as they trod tie
streets of the Capital, which forty rears
ago they defended Some decorations
suffered considerably from the rain, but
the welcome accorded to the vanguard
was as cordial as if bright skies and
baln,y weather had attended the .ecep-
ton.
Within the next forty-eight hours the
population of Washington will be temp
orarily more than doubled. Already the
vanguard of the vast army of peace. the
veterans of 81 and their sons and daugh-
tiers. are beginning to arrive and pitcn
their tents. 1t is estimated that upward
of $4,000 people came into Washington
encampmeut of the Grand Army. This
number is but a little more han one
twentieth of the total number Of visi
tors estimated by careful calculation
who are coming here.
1t was figured yesterday by the rail-
road officials and the we'll informed
members of the public comfort commit
tee, of which Mr. NJ 1. Weller is chair
man. that about 100000 people will be
brought to Washington by reason Of the
encampment. There will, however, II is
expected. be a falling off of from fifty
to seventy-five thousand people in case
the weather continues bad. This is The
experience which the railroads and
transportation companies have had in
the past, and is the basis of the esti-
mate.
$50 Rain Has Little Influence.
Those who will be kept away by in
clement weather will be chiefly persons
residing in nearby States, who will be
influenced by local weather conditions,
and who, by reason of their accessibility
to Washington, will not be as much dis
appointed as persons coming from afar.
Those people who live at a distance and
have made arrangements to come will be
here regardless of the actions of Jupiter
Pluvius or any of the other weather
gods.
Mr.. Barry Bulkley, the secretary of
the citizens executive committee, was
informed last night by Mr.. Colin Stus,
the general passenger agent for the
Pennsylvania road and Mr.. S. b. Hege,
occupying the same office with the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad, that the traf-
fc pressure upon these two transporta-
/. ttep lines WIS without precedent Never
before have they been obliged to turn
away passengers for want of accommo
dations, but such is now the case, al
though the roads are making every pos
sible effort to bring all those who de-
sire to come.
No considerable movement of passen
ger traffic was anticipated until Sunday
morning but travel begun to be heavy
yesterday and no cessation is looked for
until the middle of the week. An ex-
ample of the thousands who are now
pouring into Washington is afforded by
the experience of the Pennsylvania train
leaving Chicago yesterday morning and
scheduled to arrive here at $50 o'clock
this morning 1t is now moving on 10
Washington in thirty-six sections. with
an average of nine cars to each section.
1t will bring upward of 10000 people.
who will be coming in all day.
. Another instance is offered by the
Chesapeake and Ohio train leaving Gin
cinnati Friday night. and which came IN
yesterday afternoon. 1t ran eleven sec
tions, and total of la cars, bringing
in about 1000 people. The Baltimore
and Ohio trains are having a similar ex-
perience.
Freight Is Sidetracked.