Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-07
Rush to See BattlefieldS of France

Then the interviewer added wonder
full thing.
He has made arrangements" he re-
ported. whereby visitors from his no
tells in New York viii be sure OF &C
commodations when they reach France"
In cooperation with another power they
will be cared for" Before their de-
parture from New York. their reserva-
tons will be cabled here. so that EVERY
thing will be in readiness when they
arrive. And it Is equally true of Belgian
reservations No one else will think Of
this scheme.
There Is no need to get excited.
The Paris representative or great
tourist agency assured the American
Women's Club secretaries that 10000
Americans are booked for France be
tween now and July l."
1 went to q calm man. When you find
one who fought through the war from
private to captain. continuously in dirt,
hardship and responsibility, he comes
out such a party as Capt. A. e. Will
liams, travel manager of an express
company in Paris. Also, he Is capable
of expressing general ideas.
How many American tourists viii
come to France by July II" asked HIN
X X X 4
1.-THE Cunard will not have any new
ships in commission by July I. nor the
French line, nor the White Star" he
began, while sketching on pad the IA
cilities for November, December, Janu-
airy. February, March, April. May and
June in parallel lines. The France.
Mauretania, Aquitania and Olympic can
do one trip in, twenty-eight days. but
the Aquitania will be in dry dock an
other month. perhaps two months. and
say the Olympic starts in the beginning
of February. 1t totals IL. II, 8 and
trips to July i, making SO trips Four
teen other first -class ships of the French
line, Cunard and White Star. averaging
148 trips by July l." ~
With considerable pains, he averaged
these trips at $40 first ciass passengers
each. When pointed out that he had
limited such and such a crack liner to
400 and such other to $50. he answered.
Yes, it is high average. I do not
think they can do it," Many others he
averaged at 800, and some down to ESQ.
and even 200 flrst-class passengers. 1t
multiplied 1880 frst-class passengers
Including business men). Add other
routes, by Canada, Holland, Italy, ETC.,
and 1t will be safe to estimate Gncluding
crowding) the frst-class passengers at
10000. Suppose YOU count the second
class accommodation as the same, let
us double the figure-say 1900 passen-
gers by July 1. and supposing that. every
one Of them will finally drift to France.
He estimates that there is no American
who being over here. would miss it.
SO. behold the problem.
viii the battlefelds hotels be able to
care for 12e,0oo American tourists be-
tween now and July 1?
For the remainder Of the year-the
six succeeding months from July l.
moro favorable by increased accommo-
dations, the proportions will hold favor
ably.
Capt. Williams again got busy on his
plotting pad.
''The hotels are crowded now" he
said. EARLY in October ana prior to
that they were crowded. but the ac-
commodati0ns are being extended. Old
hotels are being repaired in Rheims.
Soissons. Verdun. st. Menehould, Bar le
Duo, Chalons. Epernay and Chateau
Thierry. (Here he gave the list Of bat
tle fields hotels and estimated capaca-
ties which have already Quoted.) Let
us say the daily accommodation Of
1850 which can put my finger on (the
list adds 1860, and II you desire, you
can guess at, say. 400 more per day--a
total Of 1850 persons in passable hotels
Of the southern battle fields"
1t multiplies 4s6.100 persons one day
each for the A2 days 10 July 1. And.
remember, 400 per day of this is hope or
guessing. But, you say, it's ample
496, 100 persons one day each, or 24S. $50
two days each, or 1888 three days
each And there can be not above
100, 900 tourists.
Tut tut, 10000 American tourists!
There will be other tourists. you know,
French. English. Australian, South
American, South African, Italian, Span
ish, Canadian and a few more.
The great hope to ameliorate all this
is the capital number OF one-tlay trips
from Paris to relieve the battle fields
hotels.