Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-01
How It Is Done.

1t took just twenty hours to COM
plete the task of drawing 10000. num-
bers, reading them out. and putting
them on the blackboard and tally
sheets. Those privileged to drop in
the caucus room at the Senate once
building where the lottery was con-
Quoted witnessed a strange sight, q
thing of routine on the surface, yet
concealing beneath the seeming mo-
notony a world of meaning of the
methods of democracy.
All through the night the drawing
proceeded. One soldier. biindtolded.
would draw forth a capsule from the
bowl. the same bowl used at the first
drawing of 1917, and hand 1t to one OF
four men. The capsule would be open
ed and the slip of paper unfolded and
the number printed thereon read.
An operator then telephoned the
number directly to the government
printing office. At the same time the
number was listed on great black
board. holding 1000 numbers in Sc
ouence The number, as read. also was
posted on a tally sheet. Thus a, three
fold check was obtained.
Printing Master List.
The master list of order numbers Is
coming from the press today and VIII
no distributed Immediately to the dis
district boards will make the master
list public.
Work Delays Boards.
Owing to the pressure Of work
unon draft boards of the District,
several of them have been unable
to complete alpha be tical lists or their
registrants, with serial NUMBERS at
o,;.+r.n+s IF. the citv who
are not getting their Questionnaires
at this time are having difficulty IN
finding out their serial numbers, and,
without the serial number. a man is
unable to recognize his order num-
Der.
Draft officials ask registrants of
the city thirty-seven years old and
over to be patient concerning their
serial and order numbers. 1t 3 point
ed out that ali registrants Of the
will have received their serial num-
bers on their missionaries.
While it is recognized that the desire
of an older man. to know his serial
number is legitimate curiosity. 1T
liz equally recognized that 1t is not
Essential to such registrants to obtain
their serial numbers 1T this time.
Even knowing ones order number, as
determined by the great national lot
terry which ended this morning, is not
really an essential to registrants, it is
declared, since classification and physi-
cal examination may make an order
number count for nothing.
Order May Be Changed.
Far instance. eleven men of the Dis
trict were given the order No. /, their
serial number being 1922. drawn first
nv President Wilson. Any one OF these
men, in any particular board. would
thus stand No. l on the theoretical list
of the board. But if he is given de-
ferred classification in class on ac-
count of dependent wife and children,
he no longer stands No. in liability
of call to actual service. but merely
stands No. l in class 4. which, in all
probability, will never be touched for
purposes of the draft.
the running" the next registrant on
the list, according to order number.
will be given order No. l, In reality, II
he is placed in class 1. And even this
man, if placed in class l, may be re-
jected by physicians on n his ;. medical a1sa &c
as physically unfit for military serv-
ice. Then the man who really had or
der No. in the board finally may be-
come No. 1 man OF that board as to
actual liability of call to the colors.
1t will be seen that the order num-
bers, as drawn yesterday and today
for the 100000 men Of the Septem-
Der 12 registration, do not mean quite
as much as they seem to moan to the
Individual registrants. although they
are all-important to the officials OF the
local boards in making sure that the
relative order of all registrants is
kept intact.
Eleven Different Lists.
There will be, in fact, eleven differ
ent lists of order numbers for the
eleven local boards of the city. Each
board will strike out of the master
list all such serial numbers as do not
apply to it. For instance. local board
for division No. l., with 6.055 regis
trants, will strike out all numbers
larger than this. Local boards which
do not have so many registrants will
disregard all numbers drawn above
their high number.
For example, the first ten numbers
were drawn as follows: No. 1, 1922: No.
9. 1877; No. 3, 6708; No. 4, 1927; No. s,
16l69; No 6, 1866; No. Z, 1866; No. 8.
1887; No. 9, 1923; No. 10. 27S1.
Local board No. l will apply the
master list as follows: No. l. 322; No.
Q. 1927: No. 3. 1856: No. 4, 1897; No. s,
27S1, and so through the entire list
Of 1900 numbers on the master list.
striking out those numbers not pos
sessed by the board and assigning the
order numbers in sequence.