The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-24
JAM At DEP0TS LIKE
VARSITY CANERUsHES
$4,000 PERSONS HAVE LEFT MIN
NEAPOLIS FOR HOLIDAYS.
Everyone Puts Ticket Buying OFF Till
the Last Minute and as Result the
Crowds Nearly Tear Away the Gates
at the Stations-Packed Trains on
All Roads.

Late shopping maze lou OF JTOuDle
for the railway companies yesterday
morning and delayed a good many one
day in their departure for the holiday
vacation. .~- 49,. ....
Many made ticket buying their last
purchase for the season and in this way
caused a great congestion and much
trouble. Fortunately the students and
the teachers, who secured tickets on GER
tifcates, were forehanded enough to
buy at the city ticket Offices and to
buy early. So many left the purchase
Of their pasteboards for the last minute
that the union station ticket office
force was swamped. One train had to
be held seventeen minutes for strag-
glers who kept coming thru the gates,
and then a lot Of them were left.
Pandemonium is the word which
fairly describes the scene at the ticket
wickets and the gates. Five men were
kept busy pounding the date stamps
and handing out change until they
nearly dropped in their tracks. A small
army Of employees Of the Union Station
company was busy for several hours
directing the travellers to the proper
trains, but they were jostled hither and
thither in something that resembled a
football scrimmage.
. Good Nature Prevailed.
Good nature prevailed, but everyone
wanted his ticket and wanted it right
off. The ticket ONCE grasped firmly, a
rush was made for the gates, where a
condition prevailed that, called in its
mildest term, was congestion. Other
stations were the scenes Of similar
, scrimmages.
At least $4,000 persons had left Min
neapolis over the various roads, for theil
holidays, between the beginning of the
sale Friday and last night. This is E
careful estimate of the business which
started from Minneapolis, not counting
thru business from other points.
The traffic was divided between regu
lar patrons of the road, students ant
teachers, and the general public tool
advantage of the low rates for shor
trips. A large part Of the latter bust
ness was thru to points beyond Chicago
The student population was general,
booked for local points and much Of tn
other traffic was for points within 30
miles. -' ...-a..
ZIP All Roads Get Share.
The complexion of the traffic varie
/ with the different roads. The stron
lines to Chicago carried thru bushes
in larger proportion, while the longe
roads to the east derived their revenu
chiefly from local business. The trans
continentals made fine records. Grea
Northern men figured that the syste1
took 1000 passengers out of Mime
!. apolis in the two days. The Norther
Pacific estimate was about $500, an
the 500 line had at least 1000 on ii
trains. The st. Louis road gathered u
something like $500. The Wisconsi
Central did local business of $50 {
! more. The Burlington captured som
3 500, most of them sleeper passenger
!, ticketed east, or to the southwest TIL
Rock Island estimates about $50 and til
= Great Western at least 1000. TT
! North Western line, with it's ramifyin
! branches, was able to pass tickets o,
5 to some 5000 and the Milwaukee li1
u came close with about 5000.
9 The travel figures were based on ca
J, eulations as to train capacity, as tick
Q reports have not yet been made up, ar
y the city ticket and station offices ha
r, not compared notes. The roads we
/ pressed for sufficient good equipmel
and all trains carried heavy loads
sleepers.
8 The sale Of tickets continues unit
q Jan. l. The return limit for the reg
y lar excursion tickets is Jan. 2. TT
& fare averages one and one-third the re
ular one-way rate.