Evening star., 1961-01-20
Continued From First PAGE

snow drifts on Rock Greek
parkway between Constitution
avenue and Calvert street NV.
Police estimated thousands Of
cars were left where they were
on streets and highways all
over the area.
approximately 5000 District
employees and Army personnel
from Fort Belvoir worked
through the night to move the
abandoned vehicles and pillow
a path through the snow-laden
streets in the Inaugural pa
rade area.
Sanitation Director william
A. xanten, who is in direct
charge Of the Districts snow re-
anoval program, said the tieiip
was "the worst traffic jam in
the city,s history caused by
SNOW"
/ Engineer Commissioner Fred
ierick j. Clarke said a major
factor in the mammoth jam
was the clogging Of traffic at
bridges and the inability Of
suburban roads to handle the
large volume of traffic under
the severe storm conditions.
Deputy Police Chief Howard v.
sCovell fatty called it the worst
traffic tie-up ever recorded
here.
I'VE couldn't get the cars out
of the District" Gen. Clarke
said.
Visitors Add to Situation
He added that the situation
was complicated by the large
humber Of drivers unused to
Washington traffic conditions.
Federal and city workers
were dismissed on hour earlier
than their usual departure
time yesterday, but transporta-
tion systems quickly begged
down.
j All four Of Washington's storm
emergency plans were invoked
by 3:l5 PM, less than two
hours after the first flakes
began swirling down. These
orders dismissed. Government
workers an hour early: warned
against unnecessary travel;
banned parking from midnight
to z am. on 80 arterial streets.
and made motorists subject to
arrest if they blocked traffic
and were found to be without
chains or snow tires.
Mr.. Xanten said that at one
time last night there we're no
buses operating In the down.
town area because everything
was "at q standstill."
More than 100 cars were left
on Pennsylvania avenue. some
In the middle Of the street and
others on streetcar loading
platforms. parks and curbs.
Freeway Lanes Blocked
Both eastbound lanes Of the
Whitehurst freeway were COM
pletely blocked by abandoned
cars in the Washington circle
area.
Commissioner Clarke said
many Of the cars had dead bat
teries or had run out Of gas.
The Metropolitan police said
motorists who abandoned their
cars and find them missing to-
day should call police for IN
formation: Officers are keeping
arecord Of tag numbers Of ve-
hicles they were forced to
remove. .
The American Automobile
Associations emergency road
service reported 1t was swaI1ped
with calls from stranded mo-
tprists last night and today.
It estimated 1000 calls were
received from about 8 pm. to
midnight and about 1000 from
then through Q am. Most Of
the latter, 1t said, came for
cars stalled and abandoned
last night in the downtown
area.
The AAA said the excessive
number Of calls was causing
delays Of from a few minutes
to a few hours depending. on
where the car is, the traffic
conditions there. and whether
police are expediting street
clearance in the area"
In many cases, the associa-
ton reported. police comman-
deered AAA tow trucks to move
cars, particularly in the down.
town and parade area, whether
the cars belonged to AAA MEM
bers or not.
Many of the thousands of
Government workers stranded
in downtown Washington were
women who wore only light
coats and no galoshes.
They stood shivering in long
lines in the snow and biting
wind waiting for buses that
never seemed to come.
"The only way we're ever
going to get out Of here is to
get hit by q car and be carted
away by an ambulance" one
woman remarked to her COM
panion last night.
Long lines Of persons waited
at most phone booths down.
town as stranded employees at
tempted to call their homes.
Dial calls were 10 to Is minutes
late due to the overload, the
phone company said.
Ambulances Hampered
Ambulances had great diff
Guilty moving through the con-
gested traffic. One ambulance
driver was seen driving his
vehicle over the sidewalk on
Massachusetts, avenue NV. in