New-York tribune., 1918-10-01
Second Man Lottery Not
Expected to End Before
This Evening
500 Hourly Average
Kept Up by Relays
Complies List To Be Made
Public Through Boards
by Government

WASHINGTON. Sept. 30.-The draw
ing of order numbers for the l3,O0O,O0O
draft registrants enrolled September IL
was started to-day by President Will
son.
Blindfolded, the President CROPPED into
the great glass lottery bowl and drew
out one of the II 900 capsules. 1t con-
tanned slip numbered 322, thus giving
men holding that serial number first
place in their respective classes after
registrants already classified under
previous registrations. The number was
10 wenough to touch the list Of every
local draft board in the country, except
one or two of the very smallest.
Vice President Marshall drew the
second number, and was followed by
other notables who had been invited to
participate in the formal ceremony of
opening the drawing. When this was
over, officers and enlisted men Of the
army, assisted by a corps of tellers,
settled down to the task of emptying
the bowl.
Two thousand numbers had been
drawn and recorded before a o'clock
in the afternoon; indicating probably
thirty-six hours would be required to
tellers worked in relays, so the draw
ing continued almost without interrupt
tion through the night. Provost Mar
shall General Crowder hoped to finish
early to-morrow morning
Full List Not Announced
Only the first one hundred numbers
were flashed to the country by telc-
graph. Because of the impracticability
of telegraphing all the $1,000, the press
had been asked to refrain from sending
more than 100 numbers. The complete
master lists will be mailed as soon as
the drawing is over to district draft
boards throughout the country, to be
made public by them.
The drawing is taking place in one Of
the large caucus rooms of the Senate
Office building. There was an inter-
ested crowd to witness the ceremony,
but the interest was rather in the par
ticipants than in the drawing itself,
for the classification system which de-
termines the status of the registrants
has made the order numbers relatively
unimportant. The first hundred cap
fore the audience began to drift away.
The President, with Mrs. Wilson.
reached the room just before noon, and
Joined group, including the Vice
President, Speaker Clark, the chairmen
of the Senate and House Military Com
mittees, Secretary Daniels, Acting Sec
retary Crowell, of the War Department:
General March, Chief of Staff, and Ad-
miral Benson, Chief of Naval Opera-
tons.
Wilson Starts Drawing
All was in readiness for the drawing,
including battery of cameras that
reached across the room directly be-
fore the bowl. This bowl. the one used
IN the original draft lottery, had been
brought from its place at independence
Hall, Philadelphia, for the occasion.
Before making his explanatory state
ment, Provost Marshal General Crow
der whispered to the President that in
his case the blindfolds, always worn
by those drawing numbers, would be
dispensed with. Mr.. Wilson said he
thought it would be better to make no
exception in his case. SO the blindfold,
made from a slip of cloth that covered
d chair used in the signing of the
Declaration of independence, was ad-
Iusted as the President approached the
bowl.
The crowd applauded as No. 322 was
announced, and the President returned
20 his seat to watch the remainder of
The opening ceremony.
At midnight the drawing was pro-
crossing steadily and at faster pace
than during the afternoon. At that
hour about half of the 1900 capsules
had been taken from the bowl, and at
the same rate the drawing would be
completed soon after noon to- morrow.