The Washington times., 1918-09-12
10000 LOCAL DRAFT
REGISTRATIONS ARE
EXPECTED BY OFFICIALS

Registration of 10000 men between
the ages OF eighteen and forty-five
years in the District today is forecast
by returns al noon from the forty lone
registration precincts.
This is number in excess Of pre-
viously announced estimates, but is
borne out by the returns available
after four hours registration.
Approximately 10000 men had
signed cafds when the registrars be-
gan to think about lunch, and this
number represents slightly more
than haK OF those who will appear
during the day. officials estimate.
The early morning rush was due in
. large part to the fact that many
Government departments and business
houses gave their employees a few
hours on In which to register. This
was dine in an effort to avoid a last
minute rush, and will materially aid
the CENTRAL committee in preparing its
figures for Provost Marshal General
Crovder's office.
Early Registration. -.
Early registration was unusually
heavy in the southwest section. of the
city. More than 400 men were in
line before both the GreenIeaf and the
JEFFERSON schools this morning at q
O'clock. The crowd was good hum
ored, and tbs men waited their turns
patiently. Reserve forces of regis
trars were hurried to these schools.
and the rush was over before 10
o'clock.
At the Rainfall School. some 100 or
more men were awaiting the opening
Of the registration booths. Residents
Of the neightorhood served luncheon
10 the registrars at noon. in order to
save time tha would be taken for the
clerks to go out for their meals
Nearly a thousand men had regis
tered at the BUSINESS High School by
100 O'Clock this morning. This
school was one of the busiest regis
tration place. in the city. Three hun
dred men wee in line at o'clock this
morning, an6 every passing street car
brought its ull quota of regIEtrants.
Men leaned against tree boxes and
were seated on the curbstone waiting
for the school TO open. Small stores
in the neigfborhood did big business
supplying nakeshift breakfasts to
men who hd left home without wait
ing to cat.
Inns of Waiting Men.
Registration was a little slower in
outlying sections of the city. Even
these distrtts had their lines of wait
ing men, though, and at least thirty
were in lire at the Randle Highlands
school att o'clock this morning.
Approximately half Of the eighteen to
forty-five-ear- men in this dis
trict had been registered up until
noon toda,. and il is expected to have
the full registration completed before
niEhtfall.
Numerous cases of fathers regis
tCring atthe same time as their sons
were recorded in every district in the |
city. Among the first to register at
the Ketham School this morning ,
were Wilbur Lee Blankenship, forty |
four. ant his son. Norman s. Blank !
cnship. twenty, of c225 Chester street |
southeast
I'VE are both employed at the navy !
Sard, AMI want to serve in the army |
together they told the registrar.
Among the first to register at the |
Congress Heights School this morn
ing was John Thomas Steele, veteran |
Of the Canadian army and twice |
wounded during engagements at |
N-fmy Ridge and Yprcs. Steele en-
listed August 2s. 1915. one weea after |
the sinking OF the Lusitania. In com |
pany with ten other Americans, he /
was sem to France for service with |
the Canadian army. Only tao sur
viVcrs Of the original ten lived to /
reach mis- country, and SteoIe was
granted an honorable dischar2r from /
his regiment because of wounds re-
ceived in action. He is employed at
The Firh-Stirling steel plant aai lives
at Manor House, route S, Anacostia.
,. C
Man of Mystery.
A man OF mystery appeared at the
IOoseWiles Biscuit Company's station
during the morning. He claimed to
Se az alien enemy, and looked 10 be
Ebou. eighteen or nineteen years old
IN his hand he bore what purported to
re a permit to reside in the District.
lie was very anxious to register, and
officials had difficulty in explaining
-Ist why they could not allow him to
GIE1 q card.
MY father and mother were both
rom in Germany he said, but I want
ID fight for this country. ] was born
right here in Washington in the Ger
man embassy. and 1 wantio enlist"
When registration officials failed
to sign him up" the man left the
booth without giving any further clue
a. TO his identity.
At Western High Schopl, Thirty
fifth and r streets NORTHWEST. 400 men
were in line when the registration
booths opened at : o'cloCL
Several hundred colored reEistrants
we're in line at Garrett SCHOOL. Tenth
and streets northwest, today. As
the doors opened. all of nem broke
limo and rushed to the doe in order (,
TO be the first to register.
Thirteen hundred men had reEist-
cred at Western high schoi by noon
today. and indications are Tor rec
ord enrolment. Clerks had several
good laughs this morning over the
replies TO questions Rddessed to !