Evening star., 1939-03-06
Spring Prelude Ends
With Cloudy Skies,
Temperature Drop
Sunday Motorists Jam
Rouds and Parks as
Mercury Reaches 76

The spring prelude, which yester-
day brought thousands of Washing
tonians out of doors for automobile
drives and strolls through the city's
parks, gave way to rain and overcast
skies today, with near freezing tenn
perature forecast for tonight and to-
morrow.
Main traffic arteries leading from
the District into nearby Maryland
and Virginia country were jammed
to capacity by Sunday afternoon
motorists; an estimated $4,000
flocked to the Naval Air Station by
bus, taxicab, private automobile and
on foot to get glimpse of the giant
Yankee Clipper, and parks were
filled with those anxious to take ad-
vantage of the clear skies and mild
temperature and engage in their
favorite outdoor sport for the first
time this year.
The mercury skyrocketed to
high of rs degrees at pm.-a tenn
perature described by the Weather
Bureau as unusually high" for this
season Of the year. A low of SO was
recorded at 10 o'clock this morning,
with a steady drop during the day
expected to reach the low 3Os to-
night. The skies are expected to
clear up late today and remain fair
through tomorrow.
Traffic Jams Highways.
Traffic jamming the highways
in the direction of Mount Vernon
and the Virginia countryside was
forced to proceed across Arlington
Memorial highway and Key Bridge
at snail's pace during the after
| noon.
Similar traffic jams provided
headaches for Metropolitan police
at the Eleventh street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue brigdes, used mainly
by those interested in glimpsing the
Yankee Clipper at the Naval Air
Station nearby. Other cars jammed
the spans, carrying hundreds of
WashingtonianS into nearby Mary
land for the afternoon.
Despite the clear weather, the
giant Pan-American Clipper did not
take off yesterday until time for the
ship to make her return flight to
F.! Baltimore. Officials explained that
| cancellation of the Sunday flights
was made Saturday when the wealth.
er outlook was unfavorable, and the
decision to keep the mammoth
plane on the ground was adhered
to even after the skies had cleared
Hundreds See Clipper.
More than 40 attaches at the air
station were on duty to aid those
anxious to get closeup glimpse of
the Clipper in parking their auto
mobiles. Dozens of cars had to be
pulled from the soft parking fields
by two tractors put into service by
the station.
Numerous Government officials
and Congressman joined the wait
ing lines for an inspection tour of
the ship.
Every available parking place on
/ Hams Point was in use during the
! oAeSiiOOli, oIlO OlIlcI dutOIllODlloS
lnched through the double parking
lanes ready to dart into a space
should another car pull out.
On hand at the Zoo was one of
the largest crowds ever to visit the
park at this time of year. Seven
year-old Jerry Gill, TIA E street NE,
became so engrossed with the antics
OF Wahoo, the baboon who failed in
his screen test recently. that he lost
his father. With the aid of a Zoo
policeman, however, father and son
were soon reunited.
Azaleas in bloom in Botanical
Gardens attracted more than 10000
visitors. Every available mount at
local riding academies was taken
long before midafternoon and even
baseball put in its first appearance
OF the year in several parks.
Pathways of public and private
golf courses were jammed to mid
summer proportions, and there we're
waiting lines at all public tennis
courts throughout the city.