Evening star., 1940-04-14
10000 in Capital
To See Blossoms
Face Chilling Winds
AZ Degrees Forecast
Today and Tomorrow;
Hotels Filled

Thousands of cherry blossom pill
grims from distant points will wish,
at least today and tomorrow, that
they had brought their mittens, ac-
cording to what's being said at the
Weather Bureau.
The thermometer won't 90 above
AZ degrees and spanking west and
northwest winds will blow today,
the prediction says. Tomorrow is
likely to be the same.
But there won't be another snow
storm, it Is authoritatively stated
the jams of sightseeing throngs can
be thankful for that.
Crowds are as near record-break-
ing as the weather this season. Board
Of Trade officials estimated that be-
tween 10000 and 100000 visitors
will see blossoms over the week end,
having poured into Washington on
special trains, buses, airplanes and
automobiles.
Hotels Are Filled.
Already booked almost to capacity
early yesterday. hotels were fearful
that the sudden change in the
weather would result in cancellation
of many reservations. As it turned
out, as soon as some one Cancelled
a reservation, some one else grabbed
it, and at an early hour last night
Arthur Harnett, executive secretary
of the Washington Hotel Association,
reported there wasn't hotel room
available.
Even the unheated cabins at the
Washington Tourist Camp were
snapped up yesterday, and there
were about IS trailers parked in the
camp area. The heated cabins, of
course, went like hot cakes.
Fretful out-of towners shivering
today in the Capital were asked to
consider the following facts about
the state of the Nation, including
their home regions:
In Glocester, Va, snow fell yes
terday on the natives greatly antici-
pated daffodil festival, and acres of
the flowers were severely damaged.
Snow Blankets Northern States.
The North Atlantic States, in
cluding New York, were partly snow
blanketed, with ice sheets closing
many roads. Mercury shot down to
16 degrees at Buffalo.
Fruit farmers in North and South
Carolina fought. frost with smudge
pots and fires.
Ice conditions at Lake Erie ports
left them choked with $4,000 car
loads of coal on railroad sidings,
one of the largest clottings in years.
Temperature fell below freezing
along the Louisiana coast.
In New Hampshire, Meteorologist
A. D. Ross said sudden freeze had
averted serious floods.
In some areas of Georgia the
peach crop was damaged up to
95 per cent by cold. In Alabama
all cotton above ground was re-
ported killed.
Record Cold in Richmond.
Albany, N. Y, broke all mid April
records for snowfall, and Richmond,
Va, for cold.
The general chill wave appar-
entity will not deter excursionists
today from New York, Philadel-
phia, West Virginia, Akron, Youngs-
town, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tren-
ton and many other points.
The Housing Committee operated
by the Greater National Capital
Committee had its hands full all
day yesterday and until a late
hour last night finding lodging
space in boarding and rooming
houses and tourists homes for the
thousands who couldn't get hotel
accommodations.
Four Girls Handle Work.
The Housing Committees work
was handed by four girls-Miss
Jerrye Embrey, Miss Ellen Skinner,
Miss Marjorie Jones and Miss
Miriam Gumpert-each of whom
was equipped with a telephone, a
list OF available rooming establish
ments and lot of patience.
Patience was necessary because
practically every one wanted single
rooms and there were few of those
available. But no one was turned
down even though they didn't
always get what they wanted.
Fred Schafer, head of the Capital
Transit Co.'S chartered bus depart
ment, said advance reservations in
dicated about 40 buses would be
called into use on special tours