Evening star., 1927-04-03
Early Arrivals Come by Auto
mobiles, Railroads and
Steamships.
TOURISTS EXPECTED
TO SET NEW RECORD
Business Houses Look for Brisk
Season-Conventions to
Draw Many.


debut. Washington is preparing con
fidently to handle with a maximum Of
comfort and ease during the next two
months the greatest Spring rush of
tourists and convention delegates in
it's history.
BY RAIL- automobile and steamer the
advance guards Of a veritable army
of out-of-town visitors that will de-
scend upon the Capital during Easter
week already are beginning to arrive
daily in increasing hundreds.
check-up of railroads. automobile and
convention agencies indicates that
Washington will be host to at least
100, 900 sightseers over Easter week
and some expressed the opinion that
this number would be greatly eX
ceeded.
Although Easter Sunday is two
weeks distant. railroad officials were
unanimous in declaring the early
Spring exodus from other cities TO
Washington is unprecedented at this
time. Hundreds of delegations from
as far north as Canada are beginning
to take advantage of the stop-over
privileges and excursion rates and
Spring traffic has increased at Lively
rate. Swarms of automobile tourists,
migrating from the South. are pass
ing through the city daily, while
hundreds of others, seeking more free
dom on the roads before the rush of
April Is to IS over the week end, are
swelling the ranks of early visitors
With Easter making a tardy ap-
pearance. the Spring season in Wash
ington unofficially opened April | and
local business men are looking for
ward hopefully to a particularly ac-
tive season. Despite the chilling rains
of the last few days, with snow in the
Middle West, Weather Bureau Off
cials assert that it is no indication
that there win be other than bright
and CHEEKY days to usher in q well
coming Easter period.
Washington's Winter absentees are
beginning to reopen their houses. and
the city is showing marked signs OF
outdoor activity preparatory to the
close of the Lenten season. Easter
will dawn auspiciously for the Capital
in more ways than one, for the Daugh- s
ters of the American Revolution will
open their national congress on Easter
Monday. the signal for an unprece-
dented number of conventions to be
held here within the next six weeks. 1
Fears of prospective visitors were
allayed by Laurence Mills, head of the &
Washington Hotel Mems Association,
who gave assurances that the city Is
better able than ever before to ac-
commodate comfortably all the hotel
transients that come here for Easter.
Washington hotels, he said. were pre-
pared to take care of 5000 transient
guests on Easter Sunday. There has
been an increase of approximately
$500 transient guest rooms over the
number of two years ago. despite the
recent closing of the Shoreham Hotel.
Others have sprung up In the city
during the past year giving assur-
ances that the discomforts which
visitors have experienced at times in
the past will be lacking this Spring.
Capital Holds Fourth Place.
In this connection it was empha-
sized that Washington, with 81 hotels,
besides numerous boarding and apart
ment houses, is the fourth city in the
United States in hotel accommodations.
exceeded only by New York. Atlantic
City and Chicago Twenty OF
these hotels. comprising the largest
in the city, are members of the Hote4
Mems Association. with fixed. stand
ard rates that will not be increased
during the Easter rush
When it is considered that 5000.
600 people within radius of 100
miles Of Washington visit the Capital
each year, an estimate which is con-
sidered ultra conservative, ii is not
surprising that the Easter rush here
will exceed 100000 visitors. Some
of these will remain several days
Auto travel experts are expecting
a marked increase in the number OF
Spring and Summer tourists. While
the main army of auto tourists will
not make its appearance here before
June, the month of school vacations,
the early Spring road travellers will
number thousands.
The tourist camp in Potomac Park.
which opened March l and will remain
open until December 81. offers irl-
creased accommodations and facilities
this season for 400 cars in the in.
closure. While the visitors are few
in numbers now. the camp last Eas-
ter provided accommodations for
more than 1900 tourists. A new and
large tourist building has been open
ed, providing comfortable lounging
room, and preparations are being
made to handle a record breaking at
tendance at the camp after June
Last year $4,000 cars, carrying about
81 900 tourists, stopped at the camp.
Francis E. Schultz. who has just
taken over his duties as manager, pre-
diets this number will be greatly ex-
CCCQCQ duithS tAS liCAb III InOiICuS.
Traffic Handling Planned.
Officials of the District Traffic Bu-
reau will take necessary steps to
handle the increased Easter traffic SO
as not to disrupt the ordinary course
of business. 1t is expected that fully
%, 900 automobile tourists will pass
the city just before and after
Easter. This number, added to the
who will motor here for
the day from Maryland and Virginia.
will add greatly to the Congestion.
There were 252.S52 automobiles reg
istered in Maryland in 1926. and a like
in Virginia. A large nunber
Of additional traffic policemen will be
necessary to handle the influx or ali-
from nearby districts.
Between now and early In June
the Washington Convention Bureau
declares that fully $4,000 delegates
will visit the city to attend approxi-
mately 25 national conventions ana
affiliated meetings that will be held
here during this period. While the
season usually gets into
full swing on May 1, several imports
ant gatherings are scheduled here
before then. The most Important of