The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-11

Exodus From Washington
About to Begin.
TRADE IN TRAVELLING GOODS
More Money Spent Than Ever Before
for Expensive Trunks and Bags.
Novelties in This Line.

According to the predictions of those
who have a fair opportunity to judge.
this is going TO be a travelling summer
for Washingtonians. Preparations are
making for a wholesale exodus when
the really warm weather begins. Many
of the most prominent social leaders
have already departed for their coun-
try homes or for Europe
Next TO the railroad man. there is one
merchant who can probably tell more
| about how many people are going to
| travel than any other of his kind This
man is the dealer in trunks and travel
ing bags. He may have a shop of his
own, or he may be connected with one
of the big department stores In each
| case the fact is the same. He finds
! that large sales of trunks and bags in
variably indicate much travelling in the
near future. The sales this spring, and
particularly in the two weeks just ended
| have come very near breaking records.
Trunk Trade Getting Lively.
For ten days the sidewalks of Penn
sylvania Avenue and parts of F Street,
and the other thoroughfares on which
most of the shops are located. have been
more or less INSTRUCTED with trunks.
Big and little trunks have been trans
ferred to railroad depots by the wagon
load. and wagons and carts have been
busy delivering at homes trunks which
| have not yet made the trips to the rail-
road stations.
The travel which has already started
with the exception of the social leaders,
has gone in all directions most of It
| being the families of Senators. Repre-
senratives, and others who get out If
the city after the adjournment of Con-
| gress. The regular summer exodus is
| expected 10 begin in two weeks and con-
tinue until the last of June
Il have been selling trunks for thirty
years in Washington" said Pennsyl-
vania Avenue dealer today, land in
| all of my experience 1 have not sold
as many trunks in as short a time as
| this season. The call, too, seems to be
for the most costly goods. Money seems
TO be in plenty. AS a usual thing also
the purchaser is a woman, the mother
needed to pack away the family fnery.
She seldom buys less than three trunks.
Receptacles of All Kinds.
This year we have a number of nov
elites, and the fashionable man or
woman no longer considers himself or
herself in proper form unless possessed
of trunk for hats. another for skirts
! oil
more for golf sticks and other athletic
paraphernalia These are in addition to
| the regular wardrobe trunks. 1t is also
more than probable that the fashion
able traveller will have one of the dress
er trunks which are so made that when
they are set up On end and opened they
| display a dozen or more convenient
drawers containing the thousand and
one articles necessary for the dressing
of the fashionable woman.
In addition to the trunks mentioned
we have a dozen different patterns for
| different kinds of travelling. from the
fat and compact steamer trunk, for
which the traveller has to find space in
a narrow stateroom. to the young cot
tage that goes to the seashore
THAT the novelties have filled long
felt want is evinced by the calls we
have for them. Those who can afford TO
do so are buying the special trunks.
THE old time paper trunks seem 10
be things of the past. Very few of them
are sold nowadays. Even the negro has
come TO see that the trunk is part of
him. kind of Indicator of his class in
the social scale, and he spends more for
one now than he did ten years ago The
wealthy, of course. have always had the
best. All other classes are now buying
as they do.
Cheaper Than Ever.
Trunks are much cheaper than they
| were five years ago. A good one can
now be bought for from s. to IS. Then
the prices range up to 500 and over In
the special makes, the hat trunk which
IS generally made Of sole leather. costs
from SIS up.
The bureau trunk, the one with the
drawers. cannot be bought for less than
$50. The best sell at about $50. For q
fashionable man or woman 10 prepare
for a social campaign at Newport. Mar
ragansett Pier, or in Europe, it is nc
uncommon thing 10 eXpend $1,000 ii
trunks and bags alone
Inquiry at the Pennsylvania, Balti-
more. and Ohio, and the other railroad
stations brought out information which
sustained the statements made by the
trunk merchant The agents said the