The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-25
The Street-Car Service Was Ample
and Legions OF People Sought
the Fresh Air.
A BIG EXCURSION BUSINESS
STEAM ROADS AND INTERURBANs
CARRY THE CROWDS.
Over Twelve Thousand Persons Were
Handled During the Day at
the Union Station.

Over 10000 men and women and boys and
girls at Fairview park last evening about
o'clock. conceived the idea of returning
to the city at once. This idea seemed TO
seize nearly every person In the park and
there was wild scramble for the cars.
Big black clouds. intermittent flashes or
lightning and roars of thunder that became
more threatening with each peal, served
to give the pleasure seekers just cause for
alarm and to cause them to have the same
thought of hurrying home.
The rain poured in torrents at the park
about $50 and many new hats covered with
ribbons and flowers and hundreds of sum-
mer dresses CT fimsy material were ruined.
Girls laughed and chewed gum as red or
green streams trickled down their cheeks
from the fading ornaments on their hats.
There were no umbrellas in the crowo and
thousands OF persons stood at the street
railway terminal waiting to board cars
Every car that turned the loop was filled
in few seconds with load OF dripping
excursionists anxious to get back TO the
city. There was no disorder, only a little
mild pushing and showing INDUCED in by
| everyone anxious to get on car. The
rain came down so heavily for a while thai
those in the summer cars got very damp.
CAUGHT IN STORM.
Those caught in the rainstorm were most
| ly Indianapolis people. as 1t came too late
! for the out-of-town excursionists who
| fiocked to the park Those who came 10
| the city early In the morning on the various
excursions and went TO the park. returned
| to the city on earlier cars. There were
| few thousand persons who remained ander
shelter at the park and did not attempt
to board car while II was raining. They
| spent the evening in the pavilions and
waited tor a more suitable time TO return
to the city.
The rain spoiled what had been one OF the
best days in the history of Fairview Park.
and the crowd in the evening would have
been nearly large as the record-breaking
! afternoon gathering had the fair weather
| of the early afternoon continued through
| the evening Yesterdays crowd was the
largest of the year and one of the largest
| in the history Of the park
The day opened beautifully, and II seemed
| that about twenty-five thousand residents
of the city made arrangements TO go TO
cert and the exhibitions by the diving
/ horses. besides numerous other amuse-
ments. proved to be excellent drawing cards
| Then, il was day suitable for an afier-
noon outing at the park. Cars 10 the park
| all day were crowded, and when the addi-
tional cars We're put on, at l o'clock, IL
wanted TO board the same car. When the
out-of-town excursions began arriving the
| visitors also seemed imbued with the Fair
view Park fever. and they helped 10 swell
| the crowd. Between and O'Clock IL was
| estimated that there were over twenty-five
thousand persons on the grounds; After
| o clock the crowd began leaving. but every
| car to the park was crowded, and persons
stood on the running boards and the front
| and back platforms
ALL CARS IN SERVICE.
The street-car company put every availa-
BILE car into service. and every conductor
and motorman in the employ of the COM
pany had to make regular or extra runs
during the afternoon and evening. The
Fairview line carried most of the crowds.
but the cars to Broad Ripple. where a band
concert was given during the afternoon.
were all crowded. There were big crowds
at Germania and Garfield parks. south of
the city One of the largest crowds that
| ever visited Riverside Park watched over
three hundred golfers on the links.
| Few persons were on the streets yester-
| day afternoon. Even the monument and
the cascades seemed to lose their charm for
/ son wanted an outing and the hot, giaring
| asphalt streets drove even the Sunday ex-
extremely warm day but the atmosphere
seemed 10 have peculiar influence on the
/ people and they wanted 10 get far away
| from the downtown districts.
At Fairview Park the majority OF the
| crowd gathered around the band pavilion
! and later fiocked to see the exhibition by
| the diving horses. Hundreds hired boats
! and rowed up the canal and many OF them
| We're caught in the rainstorm. The merry
| go-rounds and pony track also attracted
| the old and young.
| NUMBER OF ExCURSIONISTS.
| II was estimated at the Union Station
that fully 5000 excursionists came TO In
dianapolis yesterday and about 5000 took
advantage of the cheap excursions to other
cities. The interurban roads ran cars to
/ indianapolis on half-hour schedules and all
of the lines reported an extraordinarily
| good business. The largest out-of-town
crowd came on the first excursion OF the
season from Louisville. The Pennsylvania
road ran two excursion trains from that
| CITY and both trains were crowded. The
| Vandalia brought in a large crowd from
! Terre Haute and the l.. r. & W. trains
| from Peoria, Sandusky. Michigan City and
! Fort Wayne were well filled. The usual
| large Sunday crowd came TO INDIANAPOLIS
| from Cincinnati on the c.. IL. q ID. excur-
| sions.
The excursions out OF indianapolis were
| on the c. II. & ID. TO Decatur. H.: Monon
| TO Michigan City. Big Four 10 Cincinnati.
| Greencastle and Terre Haute.
| over 1900 people were handled az the
Union Station yesterday. the regular trains
| cerrying large crowds In and out OF the
! city Union Station officials said IL was
| the largest Sunday business this year and
| indicates that the popular Sunday excur-
| sions both in and out OF Indianapolis this
season will be better patronized than ever