Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-07
WATCH THE CROWDS,
AS THIS COP EXPLAINS,
TO FORETELL STORMS
When Homegoers Rush
Ahead of Speeding Jit-
neys, Drop Parcels and
Act Like Scattered Geese,
There's a Reason.

Weather prophecies obtained with the
aid of mustard plasters, goose bones and
other homemade contraptions. while re-
gRrded as ancient and honorable means
of forecasting the weather, must yield to
a new method which has just come to
light. The latest thing is to foretell the
weather by the passing crowds.
Reserve Policeman Chris Thompson,
stationed near the Postoffice on Market
street, has the system worked out to per-
fection. He says that his prophecies
haven't failed once
Yes" he said while regulating the
traffic at his corner few days ago, al
can easily tell what the weather Is going
TO be. II is a cinch. All have to do is
to take a good squint at the crowds, and
! have the secret without the aid of any
delicate weather machinery" CTwo blasts
Of his shrill whistle and the traffic moved
east and wesD. Aside-'No lady, this is
9th street. the Park Is at 29th and Spring
Garden, take route on Arch street. one
block up-Hey you, in the dollar and
quarter automobile, get back 10 feet from
the crossing-What these jitney drivers
don't know about traffic rules is won
der"
WATCHES HOME-GoERS.
Resuming his conversation, he said: "In
the morning when the crowds are start
ing their days shopping, just as you see
now, everything is running as smoothly
as clockwork When the day is nearly
up and every one Is hustllng home, every
thing moves with the same regularity, II
that's the point-if it is not going to
rain. There is the key to the whole situa-
ton.
when we're going to get It, even IL
the storm is hours off, / can always tell
by the way the crowd, especially the
women, act" (Here he broke off to ex-
tract a bewildered woman from a maze
of street cars, jitneys and wagons)
"See that?" he snorted on his return.
'It's sure going to rain. 1 never saw
such a dumb trick. Did you see the way
she got balled up? Walked right into it,
after had told her to stop. If she had
been hit I'd been responsible. She wasn't.
so abe thinks nothing of it. That's what
/ get all day long. Trouble is, they look
at the motormen. and not at me. oh.
you have to watch 'em. Wait a minute
hero comes another footing 1t full tilt
for the street, not looking where she's
going. It's going to rain, all right"
LIKE HEADLEss CHICKENS
rescue. and after having "bawled OUT
couple OF drivers, he resumed:
Whenever 1 see the women rushing
around helter-skelter in the heat of the
afternoon. I know it's going to rain be-
fore morning. Whenever they rush
around like chickens without heads, l al
ways phone for my rubber coat An in
variable sign of rain is when the women
run to the end of the big green cars and
fuss around the rear door, or try to climb
into the exit at the front of the yellow
cars, all the while naggng and fussing
with the conductors. The approaching
rain seems to make them peevish and ill
tempered Whenever they drop their bum
dies right and left and then drop more
while trying to pick up the first ones,
it's q safe bet it's going to let out. When
they get so helpless. and don't know what
to do, or get needlessly mixed up In the
traffic. as you just saw, grab somebody's
umbrella and beat 1t for home. It's in
evitable.
'T don't know what 1t is that makes
them act that way. They seem to smell
the rain In the air. for suddenly they
are transformed from a quietly moving,
machine-llke body into a running. fuss
ing. bewildered. semi-hysterical bunch of
females. And that Is a sign that has
never failed to forecast rain"
AT this point the traffic was again con-
gested and when 1t was finally straight
ened out with the help of a mounted cop,
woman was found to be in the middle
OF the mix-up. badly frightened and
thankful for her narrow escape
See" yelled Thompson, mopping the
sweat from his brow. 'Its going to rain"
Even then the clouds were gathering and
before the reporter had reached his office
it was pouring.