Evening star., 1947-11-23
Freedom Train
Opens Thursday
Al Union Station
Address by Martin
To Mark Ceremony
Storting at $50 AN.

ANcl : tae pTlllClpdl dQuI IeSS dt
special ceremony at $50 am
Thursday 10 open the Washington
exhibition of this Nations most
precious historical documents on
the Freedom Train.
The brief ceremony will be held
at the west end of the Union Sta
ton .concourse, just before doors
of the Freedom Train are opened
at 10 am. to the thousands OF
Thanksgiving Day visitors expected
to be on hand to get glimpse of
the panorama of American his
tory
. Other speakers on the program,
sponsored by a special committee
OF the Washington Board of Trace,
will be John A. Reilly, president of
the board. and Commissioner John
Russell Young. Music will be
furnished by the Marine Band.
Admission BY Ticket Only.
Admission to the special cere-
monisl area, will be by ticket only,
but loudspeakers will; broadcast the
activities throughout the station
area.
Meanwhile, members of the
Freedom Train Committee. headed
by Joseph c. McGarraghy, have
reconciled themselves to the proba-
bility that thousands of Washing
tonians may be turned away with
out getting on the famous train
during its two-day stay here.
Crowds will be admitted from 10
am. to 10 pm. each day.
The committee estimated that
about 5,0e0 persons can be admitted
each day, but they expect many
more than that to turn out to see
the documents. The train will be
on Track 4.
First Come, First Served.
Mr.. McGarraghy said admission
will be entirely on a first come, first
served, basis.
A proposal that 10-cent admission
tickets be sold has been scrapped
by the committee for two reasons,
he said. The American Heritage
Foundation. sponsoring the train,
has a policy against charging to
see the documents and there would
be nc way of putting admission
times on the tickets, it was explained,
Another proposal-that copies of
the documents be exhibited after
the train leaves for those who do
not have a chance to see the orig
inais-a1so has been dropped by the
committee. 1t also was explained
that the train cannot be kept open
longer than II hours day because
thai period of duty has been set for
a specially trained guard Of 81
Marines on the train. H..
An extra large crowd is expected
Friday morning when President
Truman and his cabinet are sched-
uled to visit the exhibit.
Waiting Lines Located.
Waiting lines Thursday and Fri
day mornings will be formed near
the entrance to the west concourse,
winding out to First street NE.
The line will continue south on
First street-between the station
and the City Post Office Building
to H street, east on H street and, if
necessary. north again on Second
street NE. officials said.
At about pm. each day, q Ma
rine officer in charge of the guard
will estimate the number in line
who can be admitted by 10 o'clock.
Others in the waiting line will be
warned that they might have to
be turned away
To furnish diversion, five bands
each day will play concerts at a
special bandstand at the station,
Mr.. McGarraghy said. He an
nounced this schedule:
Thursday-Marine, $50 to 1890
am; police, noon to l pm; Army
2 pm. to pm; Air Forces, 4 pm
to pm.; Navy, 7:30 pm. to $50
pm.
Friday-Navy, $50 am. to 1890
am; police, noon to l pm; Marine
2 to 3 pm; Air Forces, pm. to
S pm; Army, 7:3o pm. to $50 pm.
Children Under IL Barred.
Mr. McGarraghy stressed that chill
dren Under IL will not be admitted
to the seven-car train, even if ac-
companied by their parents OF
guardians.
II am sure that Washington's
citizenry will fully realize the price
lessness' Of the documents on board
ana that the safeguards taken are
deemed necessary by the foundation
to protect these symbol of our Amer
lean heritage" he said.
Meanwhile, today has been des-
ignated for churches TO observe ere
dedication week." which began last
Thursday and will continue through
Wednesday Veterans organiza-
tions held ceremonies yesterday al
the Departmental Auditorium as
their part in the observance.
"Womens Day" will be celebrated
tomorrow by nearly all women's
groups in the city. In addition tC
meetings. IA radio programs will be
heard during the Gay Mrs Howard
Nichols, president of the Young
Women's Christian Association, is
chairman of the activities.
labor and management groups
will meet Tuesday and the final OBJ
servance will be held by civic ano
froternal organizations on Wednes-
ds.-
Military and civilian personnel at
the Pentagon will have chance to
see copies of many of the priceless
documents that will appear on the
Freedom Train at special exhibits
set up this week at the Pentagon
Concourse, according to an an
nouncement, by Brig Gen. Hobart
r. Gay, commander of the Military
District of Washington.
1900 on Eastern Shore
w. T.~ - C-E.L