Evening star., 1923-06-02
Pilgrim Scouts Bring Stories
of Hardship as 500 Autos
Roll In.
EVIL TONGUES HIT D. C.
BY G0UGING FALSEHOODS
Rooming Committee Announces
Room for 100000 at
Fair Rates.

Pilgrim scouts treking into Wash
ington just ahead of the main body of
Shrine travellers told solemn stories
today of the hardships and uncer-
tainties endured by the faithful who
attempted the long journey to Mecca
In motor caravans.
Awed by stories of high prices and
poor accommodations here. drencned
by three weeks of rain and almost
smothered by empires of sticky west
ern mud. hundreds turned back.
hearkening not even to the sacred
call of the muezzin, summonins ths
hosts of the Mystic Shrine TO imperial
conclave
The vast majority of the hosts who
started, however, are almost on the
outskirts Of the city. and many OF
those who abandoned the journey by
automobile are now taking any sort
or accommodation they can buy on al
ready overtaxed western railroads,
according to the tired, dusty hun
dreds who have stumbled YEARLY
into the city, salaamed before the
Almas divan and started in to enjoy
a good rest before the festivities be-
gin tomorrow.
Coast Caravan Lost.
The California caravan, that start
ed from the Golden state with such
pomp and display a month ago, was
all but annihilated two weeks ago in
sea of Kansas mud, one Shriner
from that state declared. For four
days the entire caravan was lost
somewhere in the wilds beyond Sa-
lina,. and efforts reach it by
wireless, telephone and telegraph
failed. The whole state had been
turned into veritable quagmire by
three solid weeks OF rain.
Chugging slowly through the al
most obliterated roads, most of the
pilgrims reached Salina. but some had
already turned their faces once more
into the setting sun. determined to
hurry back home and make the jour
ney by rail. All but fifteen of the
others turned back at Salina. and
even the heroic few who determined
20 continue toward Mecca shipped
their cars 10 St. Louis and took up
the march there.
Kansas City had prepared to give
a royal reception to 1000 automobile
parties in the band. Only the If
teen faithful reached that point with
the first authentic story of the hard
ships to be encountered on the trail
to Mecca.
Similar stories found their way
into western cities from caravans
coming down from the northwest
and up from the southwest, and were
retold at Shrine headquarters today.
Gathers New Momentum.
When the California band reaches
Washington next Monday, however.
1t will be large as ever. En- route
through the states this side of the
Mississippi it has picked up hundreds
Of cars, and one scout. travelling past it
in a speedster, brought word that 1t
consisted Of more than 500 cars when
1t left Indianapolis last Thursday.
Almost without exception Shriners
who presented their compliments to
the Almas Temple divan in the Homer
/ building today declared the country
had been flooded with propaganda.
not only branding Washington as
city of gougers, but also to the effect
that the crowd would be larger than
the city could accommodate. They
feared thousands who had intended
making the pilgrimage had been kept
away as result. Partially sub
stantiating these fears was the state
ment OF Noble Jack Slye this morning
that he had received four kilograms
from friends stating they had decided
not to come to Washington because
there is no room for any more"
To refute such statements. the
rooming committee announced that Ii
had accommodations right in Wash
ington for 10000 persons more than
even its first high estimates had
placed the crowd. 1t authorized the
announcement that II can handle
400, 900 persons in first-class. rea-
sonably-p priced rooms without any
being broadcasted to every temple In.
the country. assuring every noble
hearty welcome and happy time IL he
cares to make the pilgrimage.
"Greatest Crowd" En- Route.
Despite this adverse propaganda.
the first Shriners in today reported
that the greatest convention crowd
In the history of America was now
| en- route to the National Capital. The
railroads substantiated the reports
through their committee by declar
ing they already had reservations
throughout the country for close to
$50 900 persons. This does not take
into consideration the thousands who
will come here In day coaches, either
by choice or necessity.
DR.. J. T. Prendergast. chairman OF
the automobile parking committee.
stated 500 automobiles had already
| reached Washington with Shrine pill
! grims and that garage reservati tions
for $500 other machines had ac-
tually been paid for. He called at
tention to the fact that the regis
tration of machines did not actually
| open until 1 o'clock this afternoon
and the committee did not expect
| the real crush to begin until Mon
| day. Thousands of other cars, he
concluded, would never be registered
nor taken to parking spaces where
they could be counted.
Registration of visiting mobiles and
their guests began in earnest today.
At booths throughout the city Wis
ftors were asking for cards and by
noon more than 500 had been sent
, to the central registration office, at
1413 G street northwest. Thousands
more, IL was stated, had been mailed
| in several days ago by temples wish
| ing to avoid the rush at the booths.
Most. Of them will begin to arrive
| tomorrow.
Elaborate Inaugural.
Shrine week will be ushered in with
all OF the pomp and ceremony of a
far eastern fete at 8 o'clock tomor-
row morning, when close to 100000
fez-capped mobiles assemble at Union
/ station and bid Imperial Potentats
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