The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-09
MOTORS RULED
BY SHAME, RAIN,
LOYALTY, FEAR
New York's 10000 Passen-
ger Cars Are 80 Per Cent.
Obedient to Garfield.
Is LIKE DAYS OF TWEED
Second Sunday Of Gasoline
Saving Is Quieter Than
the First.

less than 1 per cent. of New York's
$4,000 passenger automobiles had the
temerity to poke their noses out Of ga
rage yesterday. the second OF DR.. Gar
field's celebrated gasless Sundays. The
estimate is that OF Richard Enright.
Commissioner OF Police. who is as good
guesser on such matters as can be
found in these parts.
II Sunday. September 1, seemed like
going back to the days Of Grover Cieve-
land, hanson cabs and fourwheelers,
"Florodora," Virginia cigarettes and
AFTER the Ball." Sunday. September 8.
resembled a New York Sabbath In the
heyday Of Bill Tweed. II was that
peaceful. The marvellous and magical
influence of a simple request from wash
ington not only stopped time in its
in which gentlemen stayed home of a
Sunday and got acquainted with their
wives.
Coachmen. not chauffeurs, were the
lords Of the highways: babies played
fearlessly in the streets: police had time
TO f1rt with nurse girls; pastors preached
to full pews, and gentle quiet brooded
over the city.
Like Grandfathcrs' Days.
So completely has the active and ulul-
ant motor car changed the mode of life
that its startlingly thorough Punishment
metamorphosed the whole APPEARANCE of
things Youths not too greatly vexed
with imagination had no difficulty in
fancying what must have been the Man
haitian OF their grandfathers. At a wave
of the Garfield hand, that hand which
has performed such strange magic upon
L = 1T
into forgotten generations and dozed
softly until awakened by Mondays
clamor Within the city a motor car on
pleasure bent was a sight as strange as
would have been the glimpse of an OK
cart, and without the gates cars passed
anfrequently and with a sort Of slammed
furtiveness.
These generalities imply the exact
fact, that New York was at tremendous
Urgently needed for the activities Of SOL
diers and sailors. The FIRST Sunday of
observance was test. a tryout. an edu
cational experience. Many snned
through ignorance or dulness Of compre-
hension. Many more needed to be
ehamed and were obliged Others had
not had time to adjust their Sunday
goings and comings. But week Of re-
Election and explanation worked a mar
sioner Enright is of the mark, Pa Knick-
erbocker just about went to the head OF
the class yesterday.
Four Good Reasons.
The reasons for what seemed to be
eplendidly complete Observance on the
second Sunday were simple. In the first
place, the instructive desire of the vast
majority of motor car owners to do
anything possible to help the Govern
ment was the basis OF their self-denial.
In the second place. shame operated
effectively. Many who brazenly drove
out on the first Sunday remembered the
humiliations that lurked by the wayside
and kept their cars In garage. In the
third place, II was generally known that
the police were going to take the names
addresses and car numbers OF persons
who had no necessary business in driv-
ing about and that the magistrates were
going to look for excuses to fine and
send them to jail. And in the fourth place
the weather was odious-no day even
for a gasolene Stacker. But It was gen.
orally recognized that loyalty-the pub
lie understanding that gosolene saving
makes for getting the Job of beating tn,
Germans done Quickly-was at the bot
tom Of the city's fine record.
II was literally true that one could
stand at Fifth avenue and Forty-second
street for fifteen minutes in the middle
OF the afternoon and not glimpse q single
car Now and again an automobile
would come along. but it carried a
doctors placard or was used by men In
uniform. Riverside Drive. usually so
congested, was deserted except for a few
pedestrians and an occasional horse
drawn vehicle.
A policeman on post al 103d street
and the Drive counted forty-seven auto
mobiles between s A. NJ. and p. NJ,
and many Of these were occupied by
soldiers and sailors. Like his fellows all
over the city, this policeman stopped all
cars to inquire what business took their
occupants out on a gasless day. The
usual reply made by men in uniform was
"official business" In such instances
the policemen did not question the hon.
esty OF the reply, but names were taken
1ust the same. policeman at Grand
street and the Bowery stopped eighteen
cars between A. NJ. and p. NJ. but
seven OF these were driven by doctors
and one was a taxicab. One could walk
for many blocks in Broadway without
seeing passenger car or taxi.
Tsxicabs Close Up shop.
The taxicab companies simply closed
entered into by these concerns to go out
of business until this morning. and the
agreement seemed 20 be kept faithfully.
The manager OF the Black and White
Company said 251 cars are operated by
that concern and not one was in use.
He estimated that the saving would
amount TO between ten and eleven gal
Ions for every car, substantial total
which gives a hint of the general saving
for the second Sunday Taxi service.
greatly reduced. was operated from the
Pennsylvania Station. but the cars car
ried a sign stating that they operated
by permission of the Fuel Administra-
tion. The stands at the big hotels were
empty. Guests of large hotels walked
or called on horse drawn vehicles
The elimination of the taxi brought in
creased demands upon subways. elevated
lines and surface cars. and all were
crowded. The Fifth Avenue Coach Com
pany maintained Its usual bus service,
but sent out a notice saying It was saw
ing IL per cent. of the gasolene ordi-
,arily used and getting about nine miles
10 the gallon.
Outside OF the city, along the roads
end parkways where motor cars usually
flow in unbroken streams, observers
noted a remarkable falling off in traffic.
Observations made between s A. NJ. and
p NJ. at the following traffic centres
speak for themselves:
Cars
Pelham Parkway and Bronx Park East 49,. 81
liosio on Post road and East Chester road. ~
Grand Concourse and Kingsbridge road -, CT
Grand Concourss and ls2d street .......... 20