Evening star., 1953-01-19
Pennsylvania Avenue
Awash With Cars on
Program S First Day
By Richard Rodgers

BY Richard Rodgers
Street repair gangs and the
inaugural parade bosses can re-
lax now. Pennsylvania avenue
is in working condition. The
course was tested thoroughly
yesterday afternoon, as the
three-day inaugural program
began.
The famous lane was awash
for blocks with autos from every
State.
Thousands Of motorlses, in
town for tomorrow's hoopla,
seemed to share a lemming-like
compulsion to go somewhere.
Its worse than rush hour o.
a work day." traffic policeman
said. Where are they all 60
ing?"
Mink Coat Set.
Union Station and National
Airport reported big crowds, too.
The airport said it had to rope
off the East-West runway to
make room for private planes
parked there until the big do
ingS is done.
"A lot Of big people are here"
a man in operations said. "The
mink coat set, you know. The
legal mink coat set. I mean"
The rail terminal managers
Office said "trafflc's mighty heavy
but we're not sure how many
OF them are sightseers."
The rail depot's best show was
hidden away under the new con-
course floor.
Down in the basement,
hemmed in by 12-by-12's which
prop up the new floor, sprawled
the engine that charged off the
rails and into the terminal
Thursday. Workmen were al
ready picking away at it, getting
it ready for dissection.
Embassy Row got a big play
yesterday. too. Nothing like the
invasion that took over Pennsyl-
vania avenue, but big enough.
Hundreds Of tourists wanted a
look at Massachusetts, avenues
hits of foreign soil.
Kansas Seems Biggest.
Kansans seemed to outnumber
other State delegations.
1t probably was an optical illu-
sion. The Kansas guests are just
easier to pick out in a crowd.
They wear sunf1owers in their
lapels. and some of the bouton-
niereS are big as soup plates.
An Eisenhower-button man
apparently CHANGING upon the
sunfower bloc for the first time
cried delightedly:
well. by damn! They're wear
ing Landon buttons!"
Most Popular Question.
Women volunteers at inau-
gural information desks say their
clients mostly want to know:
/. Where is our State delega-
ton?
2. Where can we get tickets
to the ball?
3 What do we wear?
This last is feminine query. i
They must have come pre-
pared for anything, too," an in
formation girl reported. You |
never saw so much luggage as |
they brought"
Workers Worn Out.
Inaugural headquarters work.
ers had a time of it.
MY heads spinning" Miss
Klaire v. Adkins complained. II
do all right while I'm talking
but when I stop it starts spinning
again."
Miss Adkins, SO Galveston
street s.w., was the receptiopist
on duty at the main door. She
said about 5000 persons passed
her desk.
They're from everywhere"
she said, "just all over every
where"
What did they all want?"
Ball tickets" she said. Most
Of them wanted ball tickets"
Show Business Trouble.
Down in the entertainment
committees room, George Muir
ply, the actor who's running the
show business end of this affair,
said Were the only committee
who's got everything settled"
why are you still here, then"
somebody asked him.
Things keep happening that
have to be ironed out" he said.
What things?"
So Mr.. Murphy explained.
Some Washington newspaper
not this one, happily-reported
that Walter Pidgeon wouldn't
60 on as scheduled. Mr.. Pidgeon
phoned to ask what the dickens?
Mr.. Murphy assured him the &C
count was in error.
And Abbott and Costello were
having trouble with their rooms.
They brought their wives and
the wives weren't expected to be
LOST.
BAG. black cloth, Union station Sun.