New-York tribune., 1919-07-05
City's Hottest
July 4 Drives
Out Thousands
Continued from page 1


toward noon that the police reserves
were summoned. They remained
throughout the day. At the windows
whore tickets to Long Branch. Asbury
Park and Atlantic City were sold, sew
cral women tainted but were revived
quickly.
All trains to resorts over the Penn
sylvania were divided into tw2 sec
tons, consisting of twelve amy four
teen cars each. But in the early after
noon even these accommodation be-
came cramped: Employees who have
seen New Workers go on picnics for
years agreed that everybody was "coun-
try crazy"
All Rush for Country
The New York Central tranmaster
reported new big business for a single
day on the local lines. Through trains
did not carry many more than ordi-
narily, he said, but local traffic as
sumed new proportions.
The grass in Battery Park cracked
to its doom under the little feet of the
junior holiday makers. The policemen
altruistically had other business. They
didn't even arrest those who spread
newspapers on the grass as they waited
for the boat to their favorite summer
land. The Battery crowd was young,
the children numbering thousands. 1t
also remembered the war; A number
Of wounded soldiers were accorded full
right Of way as they jokingly made
their way from Staten Island boat
across the sward to Broadway
There was league of nations aboard
each of the Staten Island fcrryboats,
with equal rights for all The city's
five-cent excursions were run off
smoothly, but bore numbers which ter
rified the Staten Island transit lines
into paralysis. Thousands were de-
layed as the inadequate transit facii-
ties became more inadequate with the
ST. George, the ferry terminus, was
massed with tentative vacationists.
Many arrived at Midland and South
caches when more than a quorum was
using each bath house No beach was
Exclusive" on Staten Island yesterday,
advertisements to the contrary notwith-
standing.
The trains of the Hudson tubes re-
semhled those Of the rush hour of
weekdays, except that every one was
better dressed and carried baskets.
Lower Broadway was q thriving thor
oughfare, unlike on other holidays, as
thousands passed through on their way
TO pleasure resorts.
Too Hot for Formal Meeting
Take il from the cop under the elm
tree, it was one hundred and ten de-
grees hot. He was the only person in
sight at the hour set for the exercises
at the Soldiers and Sailors Monu-
ment at Riverside Drive and Ninetieth
Street. A bottle of water sizzled on
the speakers table, set in the middle of
the glaring square of white marble
f1agglng. In front Of it stretched the
green painted park benches, drawn up
TO accommodate the crowds which had
been expected by the Mayors Commit
tee. The benches were empty.
The crowd--oh, yes, there was a
crowd, but it wasn't on the benches.
The crowd was stretched at full length
under the trees along the river side of
the monument, some wistfully watching
the small motor boats dashing through
the sparkling water to and fro between
the battleships, but q majority had
resigned themselves to the heat with
wet handkeTchiefs oyer their eyes and
collars loosened.
The real heroes of the occasion were
the crimson-faced members of Solofio's
whence all but they had fled, and
played their entire repertoYy three
times through Tor the benefit of those
under the bushes. A bucket of water
and a tin dipper beside the drummer
partly explained their endurance, but
long about 4 o'clock the bottom Of the
pail hove in sight, and the accommo-
dating youngsters who had filled it
from the public drinking fountain
down the block had given up patriot
ism Tor the more cooling pastime Of
hanging their feet off the edge of the
bank into the river.
At this moment Mrs. Laura r.
Prisk, mistress Of cerern onies, emerged
from the shadow Of the monument
and consulted her watch. 1t was after
o'clock, and the programme had been
called for 3 o'clock.
Il have had the children salute the
about Independence Day." she SAID. "It
seems to me it wouldn't be possible to
assemble a crowd here to-day. The
Mayors Committee arranged this meet
ing, and | have done my best"
Then she called it day. The speak
ers who didn't speak were John P,
Dawson, George Moran, chairman of
the Board of Aldermen, and General
George B. Lowd
More than 1000, however, attended
the Fourth celebration held last even
ing by the University Forum Of Amer
ica, which was held at the monument.
Addresses were made by Dr.. Alexander
Cummings, president of the Forum,
and Newton W. Gilbert, former Gov
ernor of the Philippines, who warned
against the growing menace of Bol-
shevisn-
"Unless our vigilance ia redoubled
to-day" he said, this is the last
Fourth of July which will celebrate
American independence
Never in the history of the local
hotels was business as slack as it was
yesterday. Six hotels showed registra-
tons Of less than one hundred I'D to
o'clock The Ritz Carlton and Cla-
ridge hotels had a total of eight, four
piece, at that hour.
Hotels Are Deserted
AT the Commodore, where 1000 guests
,sn be accommo dated, the number of
registrations was the lowest since the
hotel opened The Astor, with 1850
rocms, had less than $50 guests up to
5 o'clock. The Knickerbocker registered
about thirty before O'Clock.
AT the McAlpin the clerk said 500
guests checked out earlier in the day.
nearly all saying they were leaving
the city. Fifty persons registered at
the Waldorf-Astoria during the day.
The Pennsylvania had approxiua teiy
800 calls for rooms before night The
vanderbilt had a registration of about
fifty, the clerk said.
The first case Of heat stroke was re-
ported in the middle Of the afternoon
ShaTles benedict, twenty-three, of 957
/ ,oh% IL