The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-19
THOUSANDS ARE
UNABLE TO GET
DOWN TO WORK
Rush Hour Crowds Overwhelm
Trolley Cars and Women
Fare Badly.
BATTLE AT EVERY STOP
Jitneys, With Their 25 Cent
Fares, Do Not Prove
Popular.
BATTLE AT EVERY STO

The conspiracy that makes Mayor
Hylan dream red amounts to nothing.
The real conspiracy yesterday was be-
tween a set of weather from Scotland
the kind responsible for the inven-
ton Of Scotch tweed and Scotch whis-
highly moral country which makes it
impossible to get either of the natural
antidotes. .,......
There was nc escape from the
weather Thousands of employees
foi,ed to reach their places of employ
mcnt. Most Of the absentees were
women. For New York traffic crowds
We're just as chivalrous to the once
gentler sex in the emergency as they
are in the run of normal times. The
only persons who got into the trolley
cars coming down town in the morn
ing and going up town at night were
the husky battlers. The rest stayed
waiting on the sidewalks for hours in
the rain or walked for miles in the re-
verse direction in order to get on cars
ana jitneys before they made the turn.
Naturally all of those who did get
down town got home, for the facilities
increased rather than decreased during
the day. But they got home no more
quickly and no more conveniently than
they got to work. Three hours each way
was not an extraordinary expenditure of
4otr
hour. Much of that time was passed in
walking until a car or bus or train
could be found to take aboard an ex-
ira passenger.
Uptown Rush starts EARLY.
The old and rich rode in limousines.
The old and poor didn't ride at all. The
young and poor rode every way. Broad
way at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon be-
gan 70 show the hrst traces of the up
town rush, for scores Of Arms realizing
that business was dead for the day any
way. dismissed their forces early in or
der that they might stand some chance
OF getting home.
And from that hour until s o'clock last
night the battle never ceased. At the
Battery the Mayors fleet OF boats did
poor business. They dumped their pas
sengers on the upper New York river
front. whence many OF them had a long
walk In prospect. Hence the people
down town preferred to walk up town
until they met a car coming down town
which was not jammed to the guards.
On Broadway they crowded into south
bound cars as far north as City Hall.
Along Park Row and Centre street the
people seeking the Madison and Third
avenue cars boarded them southbound
as far north as Canal street. The result
was that when these cars reached their
termini the conductors didn't even bother
opening the doors for the great throngs
that waited there more or less hopelessly.
All along the line boys and young men
took desperate chances on the overhsng
decks of the stepless cars, on the running
boards OF the others and even on the
roofs. The police made some efforts to
brush Off these roof riders but as the
crowd grew they gave II up. No sooner
would they get a car roof cleared OF
than at the next momentary delay vigor-
Gus youngsters, many OF whom had had
full experience with the "Chevaux Ex-
press" OF France. swarmed actively up
top side.
As result passengers from the mid
town sections were almost entirely s. o.
L.. as the soldiery have 1t. At such ter
Square, Washington Square. jefferson
Market and Third avenue and Amster-
dam avenue and 125th street the down
town scenes were repeated all over again
and many man and woman had three
or four fights at three or four change
points before he reached the cozy flat in
Inwood or The Bronx.
Late last night the last OF the crowds
staggered YEARLY down the long wind
N..aw a-0.. Of Nlsa Nr.NNT
they had braVely set out TO climb at
heaven knows what eerie hour of the
dawn. So too they plodded through the
upper reaches of The Bronx. II is n
safe bet that many OF them will not set
out to work at all this morning unless
assured that the old reliable subway and
elevated which they cursed 80 roundly
In happier days are on the Job again.
And speaking of cursing there wasn't
as much OF It as might have been ex-
pected in the muddy milling yesterday.
Such of II as tinged the air was directed
against the subway and elevated brother
hoods. the lnterborough and Mayor Hy-
Ian, Just why they cursed John OF Bush-
wick did not seem to be clear in many
minds They were all perfectly sure,
however, that the Interborough and the
brotherhoods had conspired against
them.
Extra Pay for Trolley Men.
AS to the much vaunted jltney-it was
and 1t wasn't. The fleet which Mr..
Guider had 30 industriously gathered
proved but a shadow OF what was
needed. The gap of need was filled by
ambitious merchants on their own,
strictly. who did a thriving business.
Most OF them made three trips each
Nnnfi,alad nm Rirth pnnn !.