Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-19


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An army of tourists is about to in
wade Los Angeles. The influx began
yesterday; it will be far greater today
and by the end of the week there will
be an inundation.
The special round-trip tourist rates
are partially responsible for the rush,
which will test the carrying capacity
of the railroads to the utmost and
bring in thousands of tourists with
mountains of baggage.
The baggage masters at the Santa
Fe, Southern Pacific and Salt Lake
stations are making preparations to
handle, as expeditiously as possible,
the congestion of baggage.
Yesterday it was Kansas City To-
day Chicago will empty thousands of
eager tourists into Los Angeles
All the big hotels are now crowded
to their upper stories.
Tourists will perforce seek lodgings
in the smaller hotels and apartment
houses and search through the city
for furnished room signs.
Exceed Last Years
There is no accurate estimate as
yet of the hordes that are on the way
to Southern California. The number
will far exceed that of last year.
Some traffic managers assert that
nearly quarter of "a million people will
take advantage OF the cheap rates,
which went into effect February 10,
and pour into California. Fully two
thirds of the tourists will seek South
ern California and most of them will
pass through Los Angeles. 1t will be
an epoch in transcontinental railroad
annals. 1t will eclipse all previous
traffic by many thousands.
Los Angeles today is one of the best
advertised cities in the country, and
thousands of tourists are coming out
here to look for homes.
Low Rates Help
The cause of the coming of SO many
to Los Angeles this spring is primarily
the low rates from all points east of
the Mississippi river, which went into
effect on February Is and will remain
effective until April Z.
The railroad officials have shown
cleverness in establishing these low
rates at this time of the year. Here
tofore, the reduced rates have not be-
come effective until later in the year
That they have been wise in the
choice of time cannot be doubted on
that have already been made in the
east for passengers.
The thoughts of sunny Los Angeles
and of the California hills clothed in
green and bedecked with many colored
flowers could not appeal to the east
erners more strongly than in the month
CT February, With it's SHOWS and dis
agreeable weather, and in early March,
when the raw winds make the days i'll
the east unpleasant that are already
rot so on account of snow and slush
of today and the cold rain tomorrow.
People of moderate means then be-
gin to dream of the place where it
never SHOWS and the weather Is like
May at home all of the year round.
When they can travel 1000 miles or
more for the sum of $780, they take ad-
vantage of the low rate, even II their
limited means will only allow them to
stay month or two, but who can deny
that this short respite from the east
ern bad winter is not a welcome chang 2
and one that is worth a great deal.
Only the Beginning
The number of tourists who arrived
yesterday was not large, but the trains
were better filed than for several
weeks. People from the far east have
pot as yet had time to reach Los An
geles since the reduced rates went into
effect.
The railroad officials say that the
crowds who arrive will daily increase
and that they expect that before the
end of the week all of the trains will
be heavily loaded.
Not altogether responsible for the
coming flood of people are the rail-
roads. Every year California becomes
better advertised through the east by
the people who have been here and re-
turned to their homes to tell their
friends of the wonders that they have
seen.
Nevertheless, tourists by the thous-
ands are coming. Soon after their ar
rival another large body of people will
arrive. The dedicating of the Scottish
Rite cathedral the second week in
April will attract several thousands
alone.
Then will come the largest throng
that will arrive at any one time. The
number who will attend the Shriners'
meeting and fiesta here is daily grow
ing larger.
Los Angeles will be very capable
hostess and will be able to furnish all
who come with quarters at reasonable
rates.
From Kansas City
At the Santa Fe station the advance
guard of tourists arrived yesterday. The
passengers are mostly rom Kansas 3
City and way points. The first ira in
arrived about S:25 i'm the morning and
another came in at IL O'Clock.
The baggage master was surrounded
by trunks piled ten feet high.
To-day there was big crowd of
Kansas City people" he said to The
Herald Tomorrow we will get the Chi
cago bunch. 1t means a lot of extra
work for us. We will have good many
more people than last year. The seats
in the archway between the baggage
room and the waiting station will be
removed and surplus baggage piled
there ana watchmen put on guard day
and night. In addition TO our regular
force of baggagemen, squad of freight
handlers have been taken out of the
freight house TO work on trunks.
TN one train today, there were 200