The Washington herald., 1918-11-08

took up the message and off in the
distance a siren began to shrek
Thousands were piling. pell-mell, to-
ward the streets where the very air
was electric with the message:
They've signed the armistice."
At Main, Franklin. North, Lincoln
every telephone exchange in town
the switchboards erupted into a
spreading rash OF signal lights. Op
Grating forces. already swelled for
the noon traffic burden, were backed
with all available reinforcements and
still the clicking receivers piled up
the messages and swamped the City's
communication systems.
TensIty Grows.
One o'clock came and more tense
grew the strain. The people were
dazed. happy and dumb. They
couldn't understand it at once.
Didn't it mean peace? Was the
war really over? A group of girls
appeared on the east front of the
Treasury and bravely began to sing
America. An old man passed along.
his head to the ground, oblivious Of
his surroundings.
Over in New York avenue. a man
" lNI q lllBHNg NOACC NllV" up dh
office window and roared into the
crowded streets. A woman, some
where else. placed her thumb on an
auto horn and filled the neighbor-
hood with the din. Slowly, the
tumult gathered volume, slowly but
irresistibly the contagion of joy
swept along from block to block
and out OF the sky above, swept a
fleet of aeropIanes from Boiling
Field.
Avenue Blocked.
By 2:3O o'clock Pennsylvania ave-
nue. was blocked with the worst
traffic jam in its history. Govern
ment departments downtown had
thrown overheard their rules. War
workers by the thousands streamed
from their desks, hatless, coatless,
hysterical with excitement and
enthusiasm.
Here they gathered together a
crowd, hastily grouped about an
American flag, torn from its moorings
somewhere, and started an impromptu
parade. A patriotic British soldier
somewhere had found a big British
union jack. He swept down Pennsyl-
vania avenue, placed his emblem side
by side with Old Glory, and an i'm
promptu procession became a shout
ing. exulting parade
Over in the lobby of the Raleigh a
girl in coat of horizon blue half
turned in her chair. was sobbing.
Some one approached and asked her
trouble.
I'm just happy, 1 guess" she said.
'I had to come in and cry a little
bit but I'm going back on the avenue
again"
Go to it. kid" somebody said, and
the girl was left with her tears of joy.
Kaiser Assaulted.
group of Post Once Department
clerks commandeered a mail truck
rsged up dummy Kaiser and as
saulted the Avenue, beating their
dummy about the ears. BY the time
the parade reached Ninth street the
Kaiser was in tears.
Above the clamor and the tumuIt.
seven aeroplanes circled in the
clear, cold sky above. dipping and
diving in majestic detachment from
the churning mass of joy-smitten
humanity in the Cepths below.
It Is rumored that the government
departments downtown declared a
holiday shortly after the lunch hour.
II they did it was probably a mat
ter OF necessity for when the ex-
element broke the workers dropped
everything and poured for the
streets to join in the celebration.
A piece of tinware masquerading
as an automobile groaned along the
upper Avenue at 230 with its |
springs nat. 1t was carrying 2l
war workers by actual count. Two
girls were riding the radiator with |
TWO more on the mud guards.
President Greets Crowd.
The full length of the White House
'ence was festooned with young wom-
IN, eagerly waiting for a sign from
he Presidents home, and they were
made hilariously happy when Mr.. Will