Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-01
TRAFFIC JAM HERE
WORST IN YEARS
Police Busy as Halloween
Parade HaItS Autos in
Streets.

With the huge throngs which turned
OIL fer the Halloween parade last night.
Washington experienced one OF It's
worst general traffic jams in recent
years.
Despite day and night shifts Of po-
lice Of the Traffic Bureau and a num-
Der of the precincts, the police found
themselves Swamped and unable to cope
with the situa ton in so far as keeping
vehicular traffic on the move.
Beginning before 7 O'Clock traffic
moved at a snails pace along Pennsyl-
vania avenue. where aut mobile traffic
was stopped altogether during the
parade The same was true on Four
tenth street between Pennsylvania and
Constitution avenues where the parade
passed down to Constitution avenue.
The traffic jam became general, how
ever. on Pennsylvania avenue from the
Peace Monument in front Of the Capitol
on the east to Seventeenth street on
the west.
HOpelessly Tied Up.
Motorists were directed to drive into
the most convenient streets to get
around Pennsylvania avenue, but before
the police realized the great numbers
approaching the thoroughfares many
were hopelessly tied up for an hour or
more.
Police at No. ? precinct told of a
scout car en- route to fire taking Is
minutes to travel two blocks. Motorists
coming down Pennsylvania avenue at
the Treasury Department were tied up
in heavy jam, taking some Is minutes
to travel the length of city block
While the parade passed up Pennsyl-
vania avenue, an effort was made by
police to keep street cars moving with
but partial success.
While the automobile traffic tempo
rarily stopped, the street cars also had
to creep along and come to a stop every
few yards as the crowds left the side
walks and formed lines along the sides
Of the tracks.
Motorists not caught In the thick of
the downtown jam. were forced to take
half hour to travel distances usually
travelled in a third of the time. This
was the case on Fourteenth street far
uptown and along the other leading
thoroughfares to the downtown section
Sometime after $50 o'clock, after
the parade had passed along Pennsyl-
vania avenue, motor vehicles began to
untangle and police officers endeavored
lists as speedily as possible over street
crossings.
Officers Long on Duty.
Inspector Ernest w Brown in charge
of the Traffic Bureau, Capt. B. A. Lamb
of the Traffic Bureau and Capt. w. E..
Holmes, commander of No. police sta
ton, were on duty late, using their
experience of many years in helping
solve the problem of getting vehicles on
the move in the congested downtown
area.
In addition to the entire day shift of
No. / police station, which was ordered
to report for extra duty last evening
at o'clock. some As men from the Po-
lice School were on duty in the down
town section.
From the first. in addition to the We
hicular traffic. the huge crowd of Pc
destrians pre- D nted problem, the po-
lice having difficulty in clearing them
from the crossings so motor traffic
could pass.
Police on motorcycles rode up and
down the streets in an effort to keep
the crowds on the sidewalks. But. on
Pennsylvania avenue while the parade
was passing. this idea seemed to be
abandoned as throngs lined the center
of the street to get close up view of
the paraders.
While presenting a problem through
sheer numbers, the huge throng was
orderly and would have given no trouble
except for it being so large there wasn't
room enough for it without crowding
in traffic lanes at times.
While F street experienced its usual
Halloween jam, especially before and
after the parade, during the time the
parade was passing a great part of
the crowd, usually on that thorough
fare at Halloween, was drawn to the
section along which the parade passed