The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-20
By BoB MDAvID


 So much has been said during the ''flu" epidemic regarding crowds, their density location and behavior that an Age Herald scribe ventured forth on yester eve to do a little in- vestigating on his own hook. Obtain ing a shower stick in the customary and most economical way, the afore mentioned graphite shower set out on his expedition promptly at 1 bells and "sloshingY past Nortop's corner in goose step fashion dropped into Sol Caheen emporium, next door. A tour of the ground floor revealed the fact that there were more clerks than shoppers and nowhere were there more than three people congregated around counter.
 Leaving Sofs at 4:02 D. m. our hero dashed into Woolworth's S, where, as might be expected, he found larger hunk of humanity. An attempt to count those present proved futile, but an estimate of 100 wouldn't have missed it five either way Kress, made famous by Dr. McCleery, was the next unconscious host to the en- terprising Sherlock whose deductions in respect to the number of visitors in the building proved almost idenu- cal to those made at the preceding store. Remember, all this was yes terday, Saturday afternoon, also, that the estimates are of visitors alone and not clerks
 SLEUTH CONTINUES SCRUTINY
 Dodsing past an ebony hued bis lx or his way around bullets paradise" tossing anchor first at Odum, Boweds X Whites, then at Jacobs pill par Tor and repeating at Jaffe Jewelry company, tine FlorsheIm bootery, Ma tional Dollar shirt shop. Shearer- Kessler's, Patton Pope Drug com pany, Hirsch's and Pryor Plumblee's cabbage patch" Obtaining 'shor in the arm and stogie at Plum lees our sleuth honored the Guaran- tee Shoe company, c. c. Holcombe, s. A. Williams, Clark & Jones, Gold stein Bros, the Birmingham Arms and Bromberg's in rapid succession stopping in eacn place long enough to count exactly the number of shop pers on the first floor. Consulting his notes, for he kept an accurate log Of the entire journey, he was startled to
 
 Kress' did he count more than 10 peo- pie, and the average crowd for the 16 stores was fraction over five.
 Passing between two displays Of "chicken feed the self-appointed in- vestigator parked at Nunnallys trough and while inhaling a chalk late sode," counted exactly l6 busy straws, all we'll scattered. Suddenly deciding to 'Walkover" to McCowans "blacksmith shop" next door, the S. a. l. dashed madly out, completely forgetting the unpaid check in his grasp. A half dozen animals were being shod In ''fiacs," some with "goloshers.
 UNPLEASANT MEMORIES
 Peering in Reynolds long enough to say something about tending to that balance on the first of the month, the S. q. i completed the block With a brief stop at the Emerson Shoe company, which, like Reynolds, con- tained barely enough men to start a good African golf tournament" Thence down the board walk in front of Norton's and across the Venetian- like boulevard, our subject pursued his weary way in search of crowds,
 Drennen's clerks outnumbered his customers but the latter traded with a briskness and dispatch hardly typi- cal of the female shopper. Porter's. the next stop, was also poor place for flu germs to feed. Steele- Smiths aisles afforded ample room for passing and four people consti- tuted the largest crowd at any one counter.
 On around the block went the crowd seeker, stopping at Collins, Friedman S, the Ideal and Pizitzs. Less than 10 people were found in each of the first three places and only Al widely scattered ones had assem- hled on the ground floor of Pizitz's big store Louis Saks and Loyeman, Joseph & Loeb were entertaining about the same number as Pizitz. Ap- parently there were no sight-seers or idlers among the customers and a careful investigation disclosed the fact that those present were very evenly divided between the different yaisles.
 Crossing Third avenue the S. a. 1. went into Woolworths Nineteenth street store and counted q visitors present. J Blach X Sons were easily able 10 wait on their trade, which was also well sprinkled over the store. sam Fowlkes' Piggly-Wiggly con- itained 8 .'basket-toters,' who were hiking through the trenches with business-like efficiency.
 PUTS ON, FEED BAG
 Weather beaten and hungry, the s. a. i. broke his long fast at hash house. near Third avenue. and thus resuscitaed. totaled up his figures He had visited 39 retail stores of ev- cry character; the sum total of per- sons. exclusive of clerks. in these 8 stores was 661. or an average of less than r to each store. The greatest number of persons in one store was 100. and they were scattered over 1000 square fleet of space
 Convinced that the crowds must be on the streets, the s. a. II. stood at a certain point on the north side of Mi