Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-30
Cool Weather Brings Tourists
Home in Bunches.
MANY RESORTS DESERTED
And Woe Is the Summer Hotel
Man.
RUSH AT THE UNION STATION
New Depot Furnishes Ample Facili-
ties for Handling the
Crush.


The crowds are iocking homeward. Be-
ginning with the first tinge Of cold
weather the folks who have been having
a good time at a thousand summer resorts
in all parts of the country began to pack
up their clothes and consult time tables.
The first cold day last week the Union
station officials noticed an influx Of trav-
elers, and the wave has been getting
larger and larger daily. Even now II has
not reached its full proportions. although
enough vacationers have passed through
the gates to populate a good-sized city.
According to Samuel G.. Blythe, 5000
people visit Yellowstone Park yearly. He
said SO In his last article In one OF the
weekly magazines. Almost that number
OF people passed in and out OF the Union
station yesterday. The stationmaster said
last night he had no accurate method or
keeping count Of his guests. but according
to his estimates 1900 people were under
the big white roof yesterday. Even with
all that crowd the capacity Of the place
was not tested by any means At
o'clock, with several southern trains late
and hundreds of persons waiting for in
coming passengers. there still remained
plenty of open space. Around each gate
was a crowd that would have damned
either of the old stations to the bulging
Crowds From Maine.
The vacationists are coming from all
points. From Maine and down east" a
tremendous crowd has already arrived. 1t
must be about frigid up along the coast.
Heavy trains are running daily with extra
baggage coaches. From New York. Phtla-
delphia and Atlantic City more people are
coming than any one who does not actually
havv Oil he Cnn
gressional Limited pulled in last night.
| bringing flock Of tanned and healthy
| Washingtonians back to their native
| heather. 1t seemed as If the entire popu-
lation of Washington must have been
aboard the train, which looked to be about
mile long. From Atlantic City there came
several trains yesterday. each one bringing
hundreds of people. From up In Penn
sylvania. where wood fires and triple
blankets have begun to pail upon the
appetite. trains are running in double
sections.
And yet it has not reached the limit.
| What will happen next week Is hard TO tell
The Union station. which seems to be big
| enough to accommodate about all the pas
| sengers which the roads can possibly
carry. may be taxed TO Its utmost, but
| no one at the station scenes to worry
about It, Every one seems to be so stuck
on the place that they have the impression
that no matter what happens they viii
be able to get through with the Job All
No Trouble With Baggage.
Thus far there has been no trouble with
| baggage Dwellers in other cities will
have trouble with their trunks. but the
| outlook is good for Washingtonians. The
head baggage smasher said yesterday that
the great floor space at his disposal made
1t possible for him to put each trunk on
the floor. He does not have to pile a
single piece of baggage on another one.
and in that way saves great deal OF
damage. The old mental photograph
which wrecks the peace of many a mind
namely, baggageman on mountain OF
trunks pulling. hauling. graphing with
ones favorite steamer trunk-need not
enter into this years travelling troubles
as far as this city is concerned. The
baggage smasher is a thing OF the past.
and the only thing Washington has In
that line is a baggage coddler, a baggage
coaxer-a man who caresses trunk en-
dearingly and feeds II sugar. The WASH
ington baggage smashers are a very mild
sort. They have to change their overalls
at stated intervals. SO that no trunk can
complain of unkempt smashers.
Twelve hundred trunks were handled
yesterday by the incoming department. AT
no time was there any congestion. There
Is so much room that the trunks even In
such large quantity look lost when ar
ranged upon the floor OF the big baggage
room. One large PLATFORM Is USED 10 nc.
ceive the baggage.
At that point the trunks are weighed.
the necessary papers are made out ana
shot through a pneumatic tube TO the Of
fee. The bulk of the baggage room space
is then used for arranging the trunks IN
numerical order, according to their tag
figures. The trunk which has tag num-
Der S765 .434 can be spotted in about ten
seconds and once the smasher has his
hands on 1t only a little time IL needed
tn IL on the express wagon.
Although about twice the average num-
Der of trunks is being handled during
this homecoming rush, only one or two
have gone astray.
The cold weather. of course. has its eff
feet on much of the outbound passenger
traffic The Atlantic City trains which
up to a few days ago were running out
in two sections with extra baggage
coaches are now going out very light.
No one wants to 60 away. as Washing
ton seems to be just about right when
the thermometer drops.
From River Resorts.
At a dozen points on the lower Poeo-
mac the recent easterly storm and the
cool weather that accompanied it put
premature end to the summer season, and
guests at the hotels are fiocking home on
every steamer. Since the middle OF last
week the river boats have had full lists
Of home ward bound passengers and heavy
travel is expected this week.
Colonial Beach ten days ago had 10000
strangers within its limits. most OF them
from this city Then came the colo
spell, and the excursion steamers Instead
of taking outward-bound crowds nave
been taking few passengers to the beacn.
II is estimated that 5000 people have left
the hotels since the cool weather set IN.
II nearly froze at my boarding house last
night" said one girl companion. as she
came ashore from the steamer st. johns
Friday night. Don't you know. they have
no fireplaces and we had only one snah
oil stove I was having grand time.
but 1 simply had to come home TO get
warm.
The river steamers are bringing otner
vacationists from ST. Georges Island. the
resorts on the ST. Mary river. st. Glenn
ents Bay. the Wicomico river In Mary
land and from Coan, Lower Macnoooc'
Nominf Wilkersons and other points IN
Virginia and IL the weather continues
cool the summer season on the Potomac