The sun., 1919-03-30
SKIRTS ARE SPORT
OF PLAYFUL GALE
Fierce Gusts Hard on Girls
With Holes in Their
Hosiery.
SPRUCE STREET A FUNNEL
Women Blown Down and Hats
Sent Soaring--Woolworth
Movies Attract Many.

A dsplorabiy fascinating sport, which
used to Be associated with the Flatron
Building ana windy days. kept = large
number OF business mon who ouxHt TO
be ashamed OF themselves cut in the
open air at Nassau and Spruce streets
ana In the lee OF Mount wociworth yss-
tsrday. The presence Of crowds Of inspired
loafers near the Franklin statue IN
Printing House Square and snuswled
against Lofts candy stors---yea, even
against Lipton's itsslf---provoisd the
curiosity OF citizen who, BY incllninR
himself forward at an angie Of tfs Dc.
srees. was making fair pfogretS uerth-
ward against the gale.
What's upr" said he.
Everything" said messenger boy
with fvs rush kilograms In his pocket,
the Tribune Buildings side door for an
hour and ave minutes: Piping the
James"
He Finds II IL All Twue.
The citizen sputtersd "outraesous |"
and IN order that ne might be able to
make a complete report Co the Society
Tor Placing the Responsibility for
Everything damned himself In beside the
messenger boy and watched tho chow
Whatever the recondite phrase ''pip-
ins the James" may mean. the facts are
these:
Yesterdays seventy mile sephyr. try
Ing to ma Its way to the freer spaces
OF the East River from the combines OF
City Hall Park. chose spraes street for
Its principal exit. II screamed past the
headland of the old Times building,
crossed Nassau street In q torrent Of
atmosphere which no craft carrying
much canvas could withstand, ana made
OF Spruoe street . roaring funnel. A
pedestrian could get along Nassau street
fairly we'll. but the moment he reached
Spruce he was slammed by q trernen-
dous. staggering gust which sometimes
whirled him around and let him 20 with
n rsprimand. and again shot him down
Spruce street at q right angle with the
course he intended to follow.
Hats SCARED aloft like bits Of paper.
. Occasionally. after circling about long
enough for the cutlery TO give three
cheers, they boomer anged back to the
owner. More often they disappeared
down the canyon. and probably by this
Island. where bits Of felt come in handy
for the birds at nest building time.
Girls B,Swn or rect.
Every quarter hour or 20 an extra
strong blast carried n woman or girl of
her feet while she was trying to navi-
gate the perilous passage. About 8
o'clock womans hat blew of and the
woman blew over. A team Of horses at
tached to truck that was dumping coal
into the Tribune Building basement got
scared at the hat and ran away down
Spruce street. helped by the propulsion
of the wind. and scattering pea coal
all along the pavement In n wide black
ribbon.
Another young woman got clear across
she head OF Spruce street. but was upset
on the Tribune steps. A man was awfully
nice to her. He rushed over and held
her skirts down until she could RICH,
herself. A black bonneted old woman
tried to cross the street alone. but had &c
so back. Then a girl took her arm ard
tried to help her across and they bott
had to go back. Finally a policeman
grabbed the old wonan's arm and led hel
into a building. where he helped her ad
sust her bonnet and advised her that thi.
was no day to explore New York.
A celebrated Journalist was CROSSING
the City Hall plaza when first fur muf
and then a woman's hat went whisxins
past his head. The mum. after giving
good imitation of a gyroscope, came I,
rest against the stonework Of the Cit,
Hall fountain. The journalist retrieved II
and another man came staggering alonl
with the hat, which had landed neare
the Federal Building.
Looking around for the owner Of thes
habiliments they snw woman appar