The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-02

amazement why the place looked SO de-
serted. They were tolo quickly enough,
and admitted they had forgotten all
about the gosolene request. They left at
once, saying they were going straight
home. The manager Of the Yale Inn
at Larchmont had not even seen car
pass the place all day.
Ordinarily yesterday would have been
| one of the most profitable days in the
year for the roadhouse keepers. but
everywhere their experiences were the
same. There was simply nothing do
ing. New Jersey roads favored by
| motorists were deserted The three
| highways leading through Suffern were
empty OF motor vehicles a condition as
amazing as that which existed at River
side Drive and 10th street at noon.
| when a policeman counted forty-e ght
| gasolene vehicles In an hour. twenty
! nine being buses. eleven taxicabs. three
were sightseeing cars and only Ave APP
| parently on pleasure bent. There never
! was a policeman so astonished.
IF anybody had told me that such a
thing could happen along Riverside
Drive any Sunday would have told
him to go back to the country" said
the man In blue. Every Sunday the
Drive Is SO damned with cars that 1t is
| risky to try to cross the roadway To-
day a baby could have played safely in
the middle of the road"
Even passengers that rode in and
upon the green buses were jeered at
| times. Many couldn't stand the EN-
| barrassment. alighted and footed II to
wherever they were bound for Certainly
! more people walked in New York than
| In many a Sunday. Endless process
sons flowed in upper Broadway, along
| the Drive and in Fifth avenue.
Strange. archaic vehicles were resur-
rected and busted for Sunday use. More
hansoms were seen than in a long time.
The old fashioned open faced carriage,
! so delectable once to exhilarated gentle
men. appeared in large numbers in
Central Park, and that rapidly disap-
pearing type. the darby coachman, was
proudly in his element Many such
vehicles appeared at the Grand Central
and Pennsylvania stations, hauled in
| most cases by horses that had seen
better days and seemed astonished at
aga.n being called into service.
Busy Day for Old Dobbin.
Out in the country Old Dobbin, Just
from farm work. was hitched to what
! ever could be rescued from barn or
livery stable. This latter institution,
well nigh driven out OF business by the
| garage, thrived in the afternoon, and It
was reported to THE Sun that the num-
Der OF persons applying for carriage or
saddle horses exceeded any recent ex-
perience.
There was a great holiday rush out
OF town by train, and extra cars and
even extra trains were put into service
OUT of the Grand Central and Pennsyl-
, wanna stations. It was said that many
drove their cars out of the city Saturday
night to escape the operation of the gaso-
lene restriction, but inquiry failed to
prove this general condition The out
of town rush was put down to the usual
Labor Day desire to get to Atlantic City
or one or another OF the seaside resorts
Police observation Of the day was ex-
pressed by Inspector John O'Brien of the
Traffic Squad and by Capts. O'Connor
and B1iley who said:
1T has been great 1t goes to show
what New York will do when Uncle Sam
says he needs help. The police were
not called upon to enforce an order
There have been no sightseeing cars
Buses have been greatly below the GUS
tomary number. Most OF the private
cars bore the license tags Of other
States. and many of the owners ex-
planned that they were caught by some
circumstance or another which compelled
them to drive
Gasoline Sales Reduced.
Everywhere gasolene stations reported
considerable saving. garage at $50
West Thirtieth street sold 327 gallons of
easolene Sunday. August IS. Yesterday
1. sold seventy-two gallons. There was
no demand except for the small sales
i,,
Many station keepers refused to sell
gasolene unless they could be convinced
1t was for necessary purpose.
Owners of motorboats and launches
observed the Fuel Administrations re-
quest with zeal equal to that displayed
byb motorcar owners Few fishing boats
gasolene driven were sent out from
Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica or Gravesend
yesterday.
Instances of general and ready observ-
ance of the request multiplied as the day
went on. Between . 40 A. NJ and noon
only siXty-nine automobiles crossed by
the Fort Lee ferry, and fifty of these
bore New Jersey or Connecticut tags
Some of the owners explained that they
had been detained overnight in New
York and were merely trying to get
home to put their cars up One Jersey
lite in a big touring car said to police
man at the Fort Lee ferry:
This is IA case of necessity. brother.
She's been under repairs and I had TO
take her home myself But I'm going
TO take her home and lock her up until
the wars over
The Fort Lee garage AT Riverside
Drive and Manhattan street usually sells
100 gallons of gasolene Sunday. Yes
terdav none was sold or even asked for.
A Brooklyn man with mis- wife stopped
his car at the Manhattan entrance of
the Brooklyn Bridge to inquire of po-
liceman:
What's all this talk about not using
your car on Sunday? I've been out of
town for few days" The policeman
explained. "All right" said the Brook
Ignite. Lets hurry aions home, mother,
and lock it up"
At Jamaica. in Queens county through
which thousands OF cars pass Sundays
there was an utter absence of automo-
bile traffic yesterday. Hotels complained
OF slack business and gasolene dealers
about nothing one man sold 500 gall
Trolley and elevated lines leading to ia
matca and beyond were crowded all
trains and cars packed to the doors, and
the Long Island Railroad, anticipating
great increase in traffic. put on extra
cars that were needed. There were
fewer visitors than usual to Camp Mills
and Camp Upton, at Mineola and Yap-
hank. because few cared to take the
long walk from the railroad stations
and cars were not to be had. Horse