Evening star., 1939-06-08
Long Jam Starts
Forming atDawn
To See Parade
First Curb Spots Are
Taken by 2 A.M.;
Windows Filled

The average Americans" OF
Washington Wed for perches on the
curb along the parade route this
morning as bitterly as the upper
social stratum had fought for the
eold-embossed invitations to the
Embassy garden party.
They stood for hours in the broll-
ing sun, or seated themselves on
anything from beer barrels to camp
stools. They chung to lamp-posts,
leaned off roof edges, draped them
selves over statues and would have
hung by their teeth from the old
Post Office tower if they'd been
allowed to.
Bald heads turned pink under the
sun as the hours went by. Strong
men tainted and were carried of.
Small children began to whine. The
temperature in the eighth row CEN
ter rose past the boiling point. But
still they clung to their places
and they saw the King and Queen,
for a few feeting seconds, as the
parade went by at four miles an
hour.
Rank and precedent meant moth
Ing along the curbstone. The first
who came saw the most. And II
the King and Queen cared to look
as they passed they might have seen
as much to interest them In the
crowd as the crowd saw in the pro-
cession.
From the front yard of the dingy
Union Station, up past the motley
row of missions, flophouses and bar
gain stores on lower Pennsylvania
avenue, on by the cleaning white
Government palaces and up to the
edge of the White House grounds
the man on the street was at his
post. The crowd was dozens deep
IN many places.
Began Forming at 2 AM.
1t was 2 am. when the first spec
tators made their appearance. They
were nine girls from Maryville,
Tenn, members of history club,
and their teacher. They had come
here especially for the occasion and
settled down at Fourteenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue NV.
Scared we would miss some
thing" they explained.
The girls took their breakfast and
lunch with them from the tourist
camp, where they are staying.
Drivers of street-washing trucks
found boxes for them to sit Oh.
The group included Miss Alberta
Coventry, teacher, and Bobbie
Maynor, IS: Iva Pickens, is, Mar
garet Mcmillan, Is; Lois Trotter,
is: Vesta Willocks, II, and Peggy
Galloway. II.
Early in The morning the Street
Cleaning Department. wheeled its
water trucks down the street, clean
ing up oennsy,vania avenue almost
until breakfast could have been
eaten off it. Early arrivals along
the avenue fed for cover as the
water trucks swept by.
Best Spots Gone by AM.
Before 8 am. the snadiest spots
along the parade route were gone.
Early birds sat themselves down on
chairs, pillows, or the hard, hard
curbs, assumed the proper grim
expression and began to wait.
At Union Station, where the most
spectacular part of the show was
staged, the crowd assembled ear
liest Hundreds of police were on
duty at the station. taking orders
from Capt. Richard Mansfield of
the ninth precinct.
This is no circus" he warned his
men. This is something very dis
tinguished."
Properly impressed, the police
went soberly about their business.
They chased the crowd from point
to point in the station and finally
got every one out of the restricted
areas. Chiefly disappointed in this
process were those who had lined
up behind the velvet ropes that
marked the path taken by the royal
couple They were shooed away
and found their places elsewhere.
Marines and soldiers appeared in
(See CROWD, Page A-4,)