The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-05
MANY MAKE A RUSH
FOR OUT OF TOWN
TO ESCAPE FOURTH
Union Depot Officials Declare
the Crowd Was a Record
Breaker-Lake Resorts Were
Lightly Patronized.

"The biggest day this Union depot
ever knew" said Depot Master Farrell
last night; yes. sir. the very greatest
she ever knewi"
1t is estimated by the depot officials
that over 10000 people passed through
that building yesterday for points out
of the city; many special trains. left,
packed SO full that passengers were
hanging all over the steps and plat
forms of the cars.
"The crush was something awful at
this wicket" said the relieved ticket
agent in the evening. IF one had got
out of here and got into one of those
bad street-car jams they talk about
he would have thought himself in
heaven"
AT 8 o'clock a. m. the Great Northern
commenced getting out its specials.
and then at SIS, 10 and the North
ern Pacific dispatched specials for
White Bear lake. Two more were sent
out at 9 o'clock on the roads for Tay-
lOrs Falls and another was run over
the Minneapolis & st. Louis for Min
netonka. In that manner the entire
crew of the depot worked to the utmost
up till 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
No specials were run into st. Paul
from the outside, and it is impossible
to estimate the number who arrived
in the city from other towns; but they
were many and the service of the street
car company was taxed to it's utmost,
Notwithstanding the fact that every
car was in commission.
Lakes Lightly Patronized.
The wet and cold weather was re-
sponsible for the continued and heavy
traffic on the street cars; hundreds
would alight at the different parks,
and, finding it too cold for enjoyment,
would take the street car for another
place of amusement. In this manner
the cars were kept constantly crowded.
with little or no patronage of the
parks.
Possibly the best patronized place of
all was Wildwood, though the day was
much too cold for bathing or swim
ming. There the musical programme
was greatly enjoyed, and the crowd
fingered longer than at any other re-
sort
At Como the breezes from the lake
were actually productive of chills, and
the charming place was practically de-
serted until $3.50 o'clock. Up till that
hour there were not more than 500 per-
sons within the precincts Of the
grounds at any one time, according to
the estimate of the guard stationed by
the street car company on the Como
depot PLATFORM About 4 o'clock the
cars began to come in rather more
crowded; but no sooner had each per-
son taken a turn about the park than
wild rush would again be made for
downtown, Even the carefully pre-
pared programme rendered by the
Minnesota State band did not possess
sufficient charm to persuade the WISH
tors that the weather was not too cold
and the chairs were mostly empty in
consequence. The park officials at
Como expressed themselves as being
greatly disappointed, and Custodian
Nussbaumer said that he had never
seen such a poor day-to say nothing
of it being the Fourth of July-since
the opening day. The greenhouses,
usually filled with a jostling crowd,
were deserted, and the park police
walked their beats vainly looking for
the bad boy with the pistol who is
given to firing at the goldfish in the
lily pond. ah
More visited the Indian Mounds park
than Como, the greater number COM
ing through motives of curiosity. hav-
ing read of the ruined fish hatchery
road, which was recently washed out
by the heavy rains. But even there
the many points of interest could not
keep the crowds for long and the cars
were kept busy unloading and reload
ing for fully twelve hours.