The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-12

ured as they rose Thursday. At best,
however. any writer desires to play
| within tho spirit. of thanksgiving and
happiness, yesterdays and last nights
| outpouring and outcrying were warmed
over emotions. Every man felt SO hon
| estiy In his heart, though his insxpessi-
BILE gratitude for and relief over the
peace were none the less.
But oh. that crowd; In sheer mass
and weight and driving power II beat
thursdays all hollow. New York has
never seen anything like II and may
never again. though one never knows
what this New York can boil out Of its
hidden places. Last night at 0 O'Clock,
the heart Of the afterdark uproar Fifth
avenue and Broadway, Just to mention
the imperial streets. were rivers OF rush
ring humanity. filled from curb to curb
with close pressed. struggling, Laughing.
cursing. sober. drunken, gay. ugly. fes-
tive humanity. In these terrific sweeps
OF human life were all the classes, all
the kinds and all the emotions. The
police stood like statues. smiling some
times. frowning sometimes. simply en-
during what had to be endured.
From Forty-second street to Fifty
ninth street in Broadway nil automobile
traffic was prohibited after dark. Only
trolleys were allowed to butt unsteadily
through the human mass On each side
OF the street there were four. sometimes
eight policemen TO block. Just to keep
the crowds moving. In all Of this CEN
trail Manhattan district. where the ceie-
bration swirled most furiously, every
corner In Sixth, Seventh. Eighth. Ninth,
Tenth and Eleventh avenues held police
men whose job 1t was simply to keep an
eye on the saloons.
Saloons Close Early.
These fountains of JOY and trouble
began to close early. Apparently there
was no order to that effect. What hap
pened was that policemen, even before
dark, began to enter the places and point
out the wisdom of shutting up. Proprie-
tors who had the sense to realize that
the liquor business Is distinctly on trial
took the hint, and by 10 o'clock p. M.
there were few saloons open in Manhat-
tan. Considine's bar at Forty-second
street and Broadway shut up by Z p. NJ.
II was a sample of the general attitude
taken by the grog sellers.
Fights were numerous enough before
the closing began, but few cared TO
make a complaint against soldier or
sailor. and only three arrests had been
made up to a late hour. OF these one
was a sailor. The trouble was. It turned
out, that while many of the saloons
closed their shining bars they kept open
the old family back door. and In this
way men in uniform were able to get
more alcohol than was good for their
highly trained insides and for the COM
mon veal. Not all of the 400 policemen
on duty In the district of the West Forty
seventh street station alone could prevent
this shabby business, and the forty Mill
tary Police that were here and there In
IA OF slot Aqnpctallv
themselves with the transgressions OF
their pals On the East Side and espe-
cially in Third avenue, saloons pretty
generally closed their doors by sunset,
and this state of drought set in about
all over town.
Saloon Men Helpless.
Not all of the best efforts OF saloon
keepers could keep the soldiers and
sailors from getting liquor. This much
can be said in fairness to the trade.
The experience Of q saloon man on the
West Side was typical Of many occur
rences He said:
about half past 4 this afternoon a
bunch of soldiers came into my saloon
and asked for a drink. I refused to
serve it to them. They simply Jumped
over the bar. grabbed half dozen
bottles OF whiskey and told me to go TO
hell. shut up within fifteen minutes"
The celebration ran high all over the
city---in Brooklyn, in The Bronx, In
Queens, as well as In Manhattan, and
in these outer gardens the safety first"
liquor rule was adopted early In the
night. But the big show In all things
was In Manhattan. OF course. and hun
dreds of Reconsideration II seemed
crowded down into the long, narrow
island to cut up capers and to yell the
lining out OF their threats.
Within the big hotels and the more
expensive restaurants there were rela
lively calmer performances than one saw
In the open streets or in the less formal
resorts for the thirsty and the hungry.
Souses, Just plain souses, were common
, enough. wherever one wandered or
looked. but generally speaking the
patrons Of the big hotel dining rooms,
who sat for the most part steadily from
the late afternoon till late at night. took
! their Joy out in singing patriotic songs,
In chain gang marches around and be-
tween the tables, and in pranks fairly
amusing and agreeable. AT the Waldorf
more than 1000 men and women made
merry. wearing carnival hats, carrying
Erotesquely colored parasols, sounding
horns and whistles and rattles and yell
ing Themselves hoarse at every mention
OF an allied nation or an allied hero.
An exciting moment was when fifty
determined women invaded the bar and
demanded to be served. Just like men
They chucked the ladies out, Just sim
ply chucked them out. which Is one of
| tho heaven sent privileges Of being
| treated like man. Other great hotel
| celebrations were at the Ritz-Carlton,
where tho British ana the French held