Evening star., 1921-11-11
AUTO CAUSES HUGE
TANGEEN TRAFFIC
Mishap on Highway Bridge
Forces President to Cut
,.. Across Field. 80

A small touring car, Washington
bound, ran out of gasoline in the
middle of Highway bridge this MORN
ing and precipitated a traffic jam
which prevented hundreds Of Wash
ingtonians from attending the serV-
ices at Arlington, caused the auto
mobile bearing the President Of the
United States to leave the main road
and cut across the field three times.
and drove a special squad of police
men nearly frantic in their efforts to
straishten out the tang1e.
THO touring car stalled in the mid
die of the bridge and held up a long
line of machines behind it, all Wash
ington bound. Some of them tried
to pass and met the vanguard of the
hundreds Of machines which had left
Washington and were on their way to
the. Arlington cemetery.
In short time the bridge and its
approaches were jammed with auto
mobiles, on some roads four abreast
and the two traffic policemen sta
toned at the entrance to the bridge,
sent in hurry calls for help.
Forty Policemen Called.
Forty or SO policemen responded
ap6 worked for more than an hour
breaking up the tangle.
An official of the Washington-Vir-
ginia Railway Company at the bridge
estimated that from o'clock on the
company had sold 10000 tickets for
passage to the cemetery. but 1t was
nearly noon before the crowded cars
began to move over the Highway
bridge.
When the jam finally was broken
about 1870 o'clock the long process
sion of machines was able to cross
at the rate of thirty-five a minute.
Using that figure as a basis it was
automobiles had figured in the tie-up.
The Presidents car left the White
House on schedule time. When the
machine. preceded by secret service
men and policemen mounted on mo-
tor cycles, reached the outskirts OF
and cut across the grass. reaching
points ahead where the road was
comparatively clear.
Make Way for White House Car.
At times the secret service me4
In the car got out and walked ahead,
clearing space for the White House
car. When the presidential party
reached the Arlington experiment
station the car was driven on the
roadway and through the lanes which
cut through the d farm; i,,u,., o,a
of the many who gave up hope Of
crossing the bridge and Wakes.
Secretary Hughes Goes Afaot.
Scores of automobile owners after
being stuck in the jam for more than
an hour gave up and turned their cars
around by leaving the roadway and
running on the lawns. and following
bride paths back to the city.
According to the report Of one eye
witness, an automobile containing an
number of Japanese ENJOYS and an
other containing some foreign diplo-
mats in their military regalia dis
charged their occupants, who. walked
back to town, giving up all kope of
reaching Arlington.
y Hundreds of M0torist, Out.
Hundreds of motorists. e'.ger to get
to Arlington sstly and obtain good
locations Tor the exercises, began
heading for the. Highway bridge as
soon as; they had seen the procession
pass UP Pennsylvania avenue.
Each automobile owner no doubt
believed he could avoid the last-min-
ute rush by starting for the ceme-
terry after the caisson bearing the
body had gone by. But, unfortunate
that within q. few minutes every ap-
prbach to the Highway bridge was
clogged with vehicles.
At the outset there was not much
congestion. On the bridge, but the cars
in ske lead had to cross the river
were proceeding at slow pace into
Virginia, hundreds Of other machines
were rolling steadily toward the
bridge from every street south Of the
Avenue. and the driveways of Poto-,
mac Park. -. ::
Bridge Approaches Blocked.
In a few minutes the several ap-
proaches to the bridge were blocked
completely with vehicles. four deep.
The traffic jam made 1t impossible for
the crowded cars of the Washington
Virginia Railway Company to cross
the bridge, and while machines were
piltng UP near the structure hundreds
street and Pennsylvania avenue, the
starting point of the cars.
The company had made careful
plans for q three-mihute schedule to
transport the throng to the amphi-
rupted all arrangements.
The line of pedestrians at the street
car ticket office grew steadily and be-
fore the jam was broken extended
along D street from 18th to 1871
streets and south TO b street
Police Break Deadlock.
Capt. Sanford and Lieut.. Stott Of
the fourth precinct, hurried to the
HIGHWAY bridge as soon as they
learned of the tie-up. with the aid
OF forty policemen, they set them
selves to the difficult task Of break
ing the deadlock Of vehicles.
After the cortege had passed over
into virginia the Aqueduct bridge also
became congested with automobiles
in hurry to get to Arlington for the
burial ceremony.
The approach to the bridge was
crowded for time With vehicles
waiting to cross. but police of the
seventh precinct soon had traffic
moving orderly. and at IL o'clock the
precinct reported normal conditions
on the bridge