The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-24
ELABORATE PLANS MADE ID HANDLE REUNION VISITORS Conference of Southern or ficials Held Here Yester-
 day to Work Out
 Details

Arrangements for handling the thou sands of visitors who will come to Bir- mignham May 16, 17, IS for the annual re- union of the United Confederate Veterans with the same dispatch that normal travel is handled through the Birmingham Ter minal station, were worked out by repre- sentatives of the passenger and operat- ing departments of the Southern railway at a conference held in Birmingham yes- terday at the Tutwiler hotel, at which it was decided to form for this occasion a special organization similar to that which accomplished such splendid results for the Southern at former reunions.
 Special temporary facilities and ample police protection will be provided, and a large number of expert passenger men will be on hand to assist the veterans and their friends in making arrangements for return trips, while special operating and mechanical forces will be detailed to as- sure the prompt movement of trains.
 It is the belief of railway men that the crowds at this reunion will easily reach 75,O00 persons, and the conference was held in order to perfect plans for the
 
 large body of people into and out of Bir- mignham within the short space of three days.
 A temporary information bureau will be provided at the. Birmingham Terminal station and men from different depart ments will be on duty night and day to serve the crowds. Telephones will be in- stalled and a special man will be de- tailed to promptly post information as to arrival and departure of trains.
 A large force of the Southern's special officers will be put in uniforms and de- tailed at the station and at points where cars will be parked to provide protection for the visitors against pickpockets and thieves. These officers will work in close cooperation with the city police depart ment and in effect will be an addition to the city's force during this occa sion.
 To provide parking space for the many sleeping cars in which visitors will live during their visit to Birmingham, the Southern will use it's tracks on Powell avenue, in the heart of the business sec tion of Birmingham and convenient to all meetings that will be held.
 Plans were outlined for providing extra equipment of trains upon short notice and for facilitating the movement of the special trains that will be operated, While arrangements were made to place extra equipment on all passenger trains enter ing and leaving Birmingham so as to af- ford ample accommodations for the big crowds.
 Meetings of this character are always held by the Southern in advance of large occasions, so that no feature can be over looked in moving the extra traffic it is called upon to handle, and for the Bir- mingham reunion of the veterans there will be brought to the service of the visi- tors the full benefit of the experience gained in handling the crowds on other similar occasions
 Those in attendance at the conference were H. E. Hutchens, superintendent of passenger transportation, Washington; J. H. Stanfiel, general superintendent, Bir- mingham; E. E. Norris, superintendent Atlanta division, Atlanta; o. K. Cameron, superintendent, Mobile division, Selma i; H. H. Vance, superintendent, Birming- ham division, Birmingham; J. w. Con nelly, chief special agent, Washington; B. Haggard, superintendent of terminals, Birmingham; w. L. Huggins, general baggage agent, Birmingham Ernest -Clapp, inspector, Birmingham; w. E.. Graves, special baggage agent, Washing ton; H. F. Cary, general passenger agent, Washington; Assistant General Passenger Agents J. c. Beam of Atlanta, c. A. De- Saussure of Memphis, and James Free man of Birmingham; H. T. Henderson, chief baggage clerk Washington; V. B.. Shiel, chief clerk to assistant general pas senger agent, Birmingham, and W. R. Roberts, chief ticket supply clerk, Wash ington.