New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-21
GIRL ARMY STORMS CITY
HOmeWard Yuletide Rush of
College Students Is On.
SMITH HEADS INVASION
Vassar Contingent Fills Eight
Cars, and Private Schools
Add to Holiday Throng.

There would have been a sedate and
uueventful invasion Of New York yester-
day afternoon by eight carloads Of fair
representatives OF Vassar College had i;
rot been for the sentimentality Of num-
her Of the freshmen. There were relatives
and friends by the hundreds to meet the
student army as it troOped through the
gateway after leaving a special train
that arrived at Grand Central station
shortly after o'clock. The students
were gradually melting into the great
fhrong of waiting persons. when some Of
the younger members of the invaders. dis
covering their relatives, plunged toward
Z them.
Chances Of compassion. sympathy and
even chasrin were shown by the older
sisters in line. The suitcases Of two Of
the freshmen had been flung carelessly
aside and offered themselves as stumbling
blocks to others who followed. but those
two girls were oblivious 10 their surround
ings and 20 New yorlIs lack of interest in
public demonstrations Of the sort, and
they continued to embrace their fathers
until those individuals were the cynosure
o. all eyes. Then the two freshmen were
lost in the crowd. but not before there
had been much laughter at their expense
New York is a clearing house for the
student body at the Christmas holidays
and other holiday times. ON Thursday
night the Smith College delegation came
in, many of them only to take trains for
other parts Of the country. Others re-
manned here. some 10 shop for day or
two
All Thursday the private schools in this
section of the country added 10 the stu
dent throngs. and again Yesterday they
continued to arrive. GToton Schools con-
tingent came in on a New England eX-
press shortly after o'clock. and at 6
o'clock delegation arrived from the
Emma Willard School.
At the Pennsylvania Railroad it was
said that extra sections were being run on
the Chicago Limited. the Chicago. Gin
cinnati and Cleveland express, the St
Louis express and the twenty hour
ST. Louis special. The heavy Western
Christmas traffic began yesterday, and
Vhe trains 10 Philadelphia, Atlantic City,
Washington and points south had extra
cars. tlhtItdilN all Nitt ibiiiiiS SWIM
will be impressed by Tuesday because Of
the heavy traffic. There are now twenty
extra sections. with total of l15 extra
cars, running.
The local traffic has been so heavy
FOR the last few days that many of
fhe suburban trains on all lines have
had to carry extra cars to accommodate
the shoppers. If bundles have any sig
nifcance then there is no lack of pros
uerity and but few spugs. one OF the
railroad officials said yesterday he had
never seen so many persons travelling TO
and from the city five days before Christ
mas, and he venured the remark That
lhe plea to shop early was bearing fruit.
over the New Haven lines practically
all the local and long distance expresses
have been running in extra sections TO
and from this city for several days. Yes
ferdaF the Boston express in the after
noon came in i'm four sections. Some OF
the local express trains were late from
fifteen 10 thirty minutes on account or
the heavy traffic. On the long distance
trains extra cars and extra sections have
been going out daily during the whole OF
sbis week. The New York Central has
been carrying extra sections and extra
cars on its limited trains, Chicago, Cleve-
land. Cincinnati and other places in the
West being the principal objective points.