The Indianapolis journal., 1903-08-17
Excursion Business Was Largest of
the Season, Save One Day,
Railroad Men Say.
AL FREsCo LUNCHES AT PARKS
BRIGHT SUNSHINE ENJOYED IN
CITY's BEAUTY SPOTS.
Bana Concerts at Riverside, Brook
side and Spades PIace-Fairview
and Broad Ripple Popular.

Fifteen thousand people from Ohio. Ken
tucky. Illinois and the cities and towns in
Indiana spent Sunday in indianapolis.
Three thousand men, women and children
left the city yesterday on the excursions to
Cincinnati, GreencastIe and Terre Haute.
Rochester and Michigan City. and Decatur
and Springfield, III.
With the exception OF one or two Sundays
early In the season yesterday was the big
gest Sunday excursion day Of the summer.
Officials Of the Union Railway Company
say that fully 10000 people passed through
the gates Of the Union Station. including
the people who came TO the city and left
on the dozens Of regular trains.
I'VE would have had the biggest Sunday
excursion of the season to-day If the usual
number Of excursions had been run out of
Indianapolis" said the station master at
the Union Station yesterday afternoon.
But for some reason or other the railroads
ran fewer excursion trains out of here to-
day. That is the only thing that kept the
day from being a record-breaker of the
summer
The largest number Of excursionists came
from Louisville and the Indiana cities and
towns along the Pennsylvania line between
indianapolis and Louisville. Several thou
sand people came in from CINCINNATI on the
two c.. II. & d. excursions. The Monon
brought a big crowd from Chicago and
Hammond. Following were the excursions
to Indianapolis: Pennsylvania lire from
Louisville, three trains; Vandalia from
Terre Haute and Greencestle, L Z. & w
from Michigan City and Rochester, Big
Four from Champaign. ILL.,, c., II. & ID.
from Cincinnati. two trains. Monon from
Hammond The excursions out of the city
were Big Four TO Cincinnati, Big Four to
e. and TeTe Hagte tx l. e. and
IL. * ID. 10 Decatur and Springfield.
SEASON STILL RUNNING.
The Sunday excursion season is not near
the end yet, as one might be led to believe
by the immense crowds that come to In
dianapolis these August Sundays. Rail-
road companies have theory about ex-
cursions, the substance OF which is, When
there are trains there are plenty of people
who want to go places" One might think
that since hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie have come TO the Hoosier capital this
summer and since almost every town and
city in the State has sent its Sunday crowd
here, there would be no more people to
patronize the Sunday excursions. But rail-
road history bellies this assumption. Every
year sunday excursions are run to and
mer until late in the fall, and railroads
do not run trains for fun The crowds to-
ward the end of the season are usually just
as lar as those in June and are larger
than 4 crowds of the middle of the sum-
mer.
Twenty thousand people are handled by
little delay and almost as easily as the
ordinary busy weekday crowds The i'm
without accident or confusion. The busiest
part of Sunday Is from 10 o'clock until noon
: when the excursions are arriving, and from
! until 7:s0 in the evening when the trains
are leaving. Through the afternoon the
Union station attendants and guides and
train callers have time to rest up for the
evening rush
The largest park crowds yesterday were
at Fairview and Broad Ripple. Fairview
had It's usual band concerts both afternoon
and evening, while the biggest attraction
at Broad Ripple was the river Several
thousand excursionists always spend part
of the day in the parks. and there are al
ways lot OF Indianapolis people who go
TO the parks sunday afternoon and evening.
CROWDS AT THE PARKS
The crowds at Fair View and Broad Rip
pie yesterday were estimated at fully 25,OCO
people. There were also several thousand
people at Riverside Park TO listen to the
concert by Mayors Military Band. Millers
City Band gave a concert at Brookside Park
IN the afternoon which furnished an attrac-
eastern part OF the city. At Spades Park.
one OF the popular small pleasure resorts,
Herman Arndt's band gave a concert
Many of the folk from the small towns
who come to Indianapolis to spend Sunday
bring large baskets of lunch with them
fried chicken and all kinds of buffers and
jellies and other good home cooking. If one
happens to be in any OF the parks at noon
one Is sure to see many of these family
parties from the country with their table
cloths spread the grass in shady spots
lunching- al fresco.
In speaking of what the people from the
rural districts do when they come TO In
dianapolis the Statehouse must not be over
looked. For the Statehouse is always one
of the sights for these people, They uSu-
ally have sort of programme of what they
are going To do in Indianapolis and the
Statehouse Is often one of the first things
on this programme. None of the Offices OF
the museum is open on Sunday, but just tc
walk about the immense building is always
treat TO people who have not been in the
Statehouse before.
n