Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-20
28,56O CARS JAM
BLOSSOM TRAFFIC
President Hoover in Tie-up
at Tidal Basin Return
ing From Camp.

Crowds continued to flock TO tht
Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms
yesterday, when 28,56O automobile,
passed over the inlet bridge, creating g
traffic Jam second only to that of the
previous Sunday, when "a ,240 cars SCI
new all-time record.
Although United States Park Police
had expected Washingtonians woulc
steer clear of the Potomac Park section
many machines bearing District license
plates were in the line of automobiles
which slowly wound its way around
both the basin and the Speedway.
Park police and members of the Met
ropolitan force, directing traffic in the
area, put the traffic arrangements Spon-
Scred by Representative Frank L. Bow
man. Republican. of West Virginia, into
effect about 3 O'Clock, as the cars grew
in number.
Traffic reached its peak about {
o'clock and Representative Bowman, re-
turning TO the Capital from his home
in Morgantown, w. Va, with bis mother
was caught in the flood tide of cherry
blossom enthusiasts.
President Hoover and his party, re-
turning from his Rapidan, Va, camp
likewise encountered the traffic jam.
Officers Sent TO Aid.
Capt. r. C. Montgomery, U. S. A. SUI
perintendent Of park police, sent Lieut.
II. H2lm and three policemen TO assist
in untangling traffic in the vicinity of
the Washington Airport. Capt. Mont
gomery pointed out today that there is
a bottleneck at the low pit, on the
Washington side of the Highway Bridge
which practically cuts the street width
to half of normal. Another bottleneck
on the Highway Bridge, to further com
plicate the traffic problem, he said, Is
where the false bridge has been put In
to enable engineers to construct the
Mount Vernon Memorial Highway un-
| derpass on the Virginia side. This tenn
1 porary bridge. the captain asserted. pro-
duces a double curve effect, and is not
sufficiently wide 10 accommodate traffic
carried on the wider main Highway
Bridge
Both Representative Bowman anc
/ Capt. Montgomery asserted that the so.
luton of the traffic jams at this sea
/ son of the year in Potomac Park vii
be by engineering rather than trafht
! experts
Main Artery for South.
Capt Montgomery said that the MAR
artery Of traffic for the South. passinl
/ through the Capital, must find its wa!
across the rortherly end OF East Pc
tomac Park, which is an island. Traf
. nc returning from Florida at this perioC
adds to the confusion. he said, and a
further complication the park trafht
1 intersects this through stream.
The traffic began in earnest about
/ o'clock yesterday morning reaching IT
climax in the late Afternoon and con.
tinuing until about O'Clock.
Capt. Montgomery has noticed tina
/ traffic generally this year has beer
greater than ever before. but Is unabl
TO assign reason for this
Due to the heavy congestion arount
the Highway Bridge, great numbers o
motorists took advantage of the Militar
road, on the east side Of Arlington Ma
tional Cemetery, utilizing that thor
oughfare to Rosslyn. Va, and Ke.
Bridge, IN an effort 10 avoid the jam
Military road was extensively used yes
terday, lessening the congestion in tn
Potomac Park area