Kentucky Derby Day At Churchill Downs: Louisville Turf Fans Mecca; Planes, Motor Cars and Newest Trains Rushing Crowd to Derby.; Largest Railroad Bookings Since 1927--Hotels and Rooming Houses Rapidly Being Sold Out., Daily Racing Form, 1939-05-06

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KENTUCKY KENTUCKY DERBY DERBY DAY DAY , AT AT CHURCHILL CHURCHILL . DOWNS DOWNS /S, ■■Sv ■ /V ~ LOUISVILLE TURF FANS MECCA Planes, Motor Cars and Newest Trains Rushing Crowd to Derby. Largest Railroad Bookings Since 1927 — Hotels and Rooming Houses Rapidly Being Sold Out. LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 5.— Planes, motor cars and the newest in fast-running trains came into Louisville today with the advance guard of the immense crowd of visitors expected to almost overflow Churchill Downs tomorrow for the sixty-fifth running of the Kentucky Derby. Arrivals yesterday and today were the greatest since the pre-depression days and tomorrow every railroad siding and the commodious airway accommodations at Bowman Field are expected to be filled to capacity. Garages and parking lots from all indications will be unable to take care of the numerous automobiles that are bringing visitors from far and wide and many a back lot and side street will be pressed into service. Railroad agencies today announced the largest number of special car bookings since 1927, when 474 Pullmans and private cars stood on the sidings awaiting Whiskerys victory. Earlier in the week, 450 Pullmans and private cars had been booked, and since then this list has been augmented. Up until today there were a few vacant rooms in the many Louisville hotels, but they were being sold out rapidly and the Derby housing bureau reported that they had secured rooms for the largest number of visitors since the boom time. SUPERHIGHWAYS HELP. Superhighways have been constructed since 1927 and many of tomorrows crowd will remain in Lexington, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, French Lick Springs, Frankfort, Elizabethtown and other adjacent cities until time to motor to the Derby course. Emergency traffic rules expected to expedite the flow of motorists to and from Churchill Downs will be enforced tomorrow and the regular police traffic squad will be augmented by additional officers and patrolmen. From the newest type in cabin planes to the two-seater began to settle down on Bowman Field Thursday and Friday. Al Near, superintendent, states he is arranging to care for the largest number of planes ever to land in Louisville. Barricades at the field will prevent the autograph hunters from bothering the flying public. MANY PRIVATE PLANES. Airlines are running private planes in addition to their regular service, which has been supplanted during the past two days. Accommodations for .private planes arriving here Friday and remaining until after the Derby are about exhausted, but superintendent Near said that many of the owners of private planes have arranged to arrive Saturday and go direct from the field to the track. The refueling and checking of the planes necessitates tripling the regular Bowman Field mechanical force and many mechanics have been brought from Chicago, Newark, Los Angeles and other large flying fields. Taxicab companies have tripled their fleets of motors and the street car company has promised a service of two cars a minute from downtown Louisville. Members of the far-flung army of Kentucky colonels began to arrive in numbers Thursday for their annual Derby reunion, which was climaxed with a banquet Friday night Late Friday afternoon the advance guard of the Kentucky National Guard began to move into Churchill Downs and their section of the historic course resembled an army on the march. While the National Guard will do police duty around the track, Andy Frains efficient ushering corps will man the reserve seat and box section. ! I


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1939050601/drf1939050601_3_5
Local Identifier: drf1939050601_3_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800