Evening star., 1924-10-11
CITY GOES INSANE
j IN CARNIVAL SPIRIT
Staid D. C. Loses Dignity in
Wild Nights CeIe-
brati0n.

Op on this Staid metropolis iaSt me- nj.
A night to try mems lungs ana
throats and arms and emotions, to
distract traffic cops. to paralyze street
car lines, to reform gToucheS, to
break ear drums, to wreak havoc and
confusion where a nations orderly
processes of government originate.
1t was a night of orderly rioting,
of careful chaos, of perfectly con-
trolled confusion. 1t was a night OF
paradoXes.
Dignifed men wept in JOY. Police
men assisted motorists to break all
rules of traffic. Automobiles stood In
safety zones and pedestrians stood IN
the street. Red lanterns were snatch
ed from distractions and placed on
car stop signs. Women dressed ike
men and men dressed like women.
Dilapidated umbrellas were holsted
against the downpour of confetti
Backtiring motors were considered an
asset.
Kicks Up Brninstorm.
washington's noted apathy was
manifesting itself in aggravated
form. There was nothing much to
get excited about, except that the
local team had won International su-
premacy, and so the town went about
its business of kicking up one OF its
apathetical brainstorms, only, as re-
marked before, in slightly aggra-
waited form.
Nobody cared much. it seemed.
They didn't care much about police
regulations, nor about losing their
new hats, nor about being showed
about, trampeds on and huesed by
perfect strangers. Neither did they
care about making hoarse throats
hoarser, nor about having their
mouths shot full of confetti. nor
about having no place to go but
round and round the downtown
blocks.
Not since n certain day back in
1918. when another world champion
ship was settled overseas, had Wash
ington got itself worked up into such
a feverish state OF indifference. 1t
was a hopeless relapse that swept
over the city and ingulfed every man.
woman and child.
All ID. c. Autos Out.
According to Superintendent of Lii
censes Coombs, there are more than
100000 automobiles in Washington.
There should be no reason for doubt
ing this mans statement, in view OF
the vehicular turnout on Pennsyiva-
mia avenue, + street and Ninth street
last night, except, possibly, to ques-
tion whether his estimate is high
enough. They were just about all of
them in action from o'clock until
after midnight. according to rough
approximation made by one traffic Of
ficer between jumps.
They ran the length of the Avenue
in solid phalanxes, with horns. cut
outs and sirens wide open. The car
owner with the noisiest motor was
he IF / hack
fired like d machine gun, so much the
better, and the crowd cheered its ap-
prevail and admiration. The motor
lists experienced last night the thrills
that come with plotting their cars IN
forbidden places while police look ed
on and did nothing.
The street car tracks served as a
race course for speeding cars, which
p.owed over car-loading safety zones
and between loading platforms with
utter abandon. ObeYing the one
way rules, TIE drivers drove only
one way, but in both directions, as it
were and If you sense our meaning
Stop signs meant no more to motor
lists last night than a stop sign would
have meant to those fighting Bucks
on their way to a world champion
ship.
0UtSide Seats Preferred.
th0lCe cOSnlOneO seats lilSluc VI
tonneaus were discarded in favor of
perilous percheS atop OF limousines
or astride of engine hoods. On f
street at Thirteenth three young men,
with WoInen'S hats and trousers roll
ed above bare knees, directed" tFaf-
fic, to the amusement of dense
throng on the sidewalk. A short dis
tance down the street a middle-aged
man was making Il running tackle OF
q car-stop pole, swinging around and
around until he landed on the pave
ment. Near Twelfth street on F two
youths with red lanterns were in
specting' the chassis of every auto
mobile that came to a stop, to see if
the wheels were tired. they explained.
The shades of night were falling
fast when through the carefree peo-
pie passed Il youth who bore hat
full of paper excelsior in one hand
and waved in the other banner with
the words IL Told You So" The
j Told You So banners soon appeared
on all sides. Others wore in their
hats yellow cards bearing the mystic
figures I'll. Nobody seemed to know
just what the figures meant, al
though several banners with the fig
ures 4-3 on them were understood
we'll enough.
One automobile had a large cam
paign sign on it, "Bucky Harris for
President" The body OF John Nc
GYaw, in effigy, was inferred with
much ceremony by one group of men
stunts" in praise of the Griffmen
and gibing the Giants were pulled.
Heroes Enjoy Themselves.
Meanwhile, a number of the base
ball heroes were enjoying them
selves at various places. Bucky,
Griffith and Judge lands. high COM
missioner of base ball. were given a
great ovation by the Washington
Chamber of Commerce at the Willard.
Before leaving his room at the Shore
ham Bucky had been made the center
of a hilarious celebration such as that
sedate old hostelry has never known
Muddy Ruel, who tailed with the
winning run; Goose Goslin, home-run
hitter extraordinary, and Curly Ogden,
who started on the pitching slab for
Washington in the final game. ap-
peaPed unannounced at Wardman
Park Hotel, deserted stronghold of
the Giants, late in the evening, and
were all but mobbed when the crowd
Immediately recognized them.
The crowd of dancers in the lobby
begged for speeches, but the trio
struck out ignominiously when it
came to oratory. The management
eventually succeeded in restoring
order and the idols of the fans were
able to do little stepping in joy
over yesterdays wonderful climax.
Today Washington's apathy had
quieted down somewhat, but here
and there there were sporadic erup-
tions, especially in Government build
ings, business offices. restaurants,
ETC. At the same time the functions
of Government, the processes of in
dustry and the business OF eating suf-