The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-17
TIE CENTENNIAL.

Granger Hotel.
PHILADELPHIA, March IL, 1876.
Things at Philadelphia are beginning
to foreshadow the great coming event,
and this in the unpleasant, rather than
the agreeable sense. We are not moving
the roseate atmosphere that betokens
coming sun, but We are beginning to
get the benefit OF the increase of prices
brought about by a belief in immense
future demand. am bound to say that
the hotel-keeper have not yet made any
forward movement, but there is visible
reluctance to ct rooms to single men,
the obvious reaon being that married
couple occupy the same amount of space
and give double the amount of profit.
The hotel mel are looking far forward
into the misty egion of the future, and
they see all their rooms occupied by
families, and al the dining rooms, break
fast rooms, corridors, parlors, stairways
covered with eicampments of cots. Still,
in spite of sucl previsionings, the prices
have not advaced. But in the matter of
boarding-houes, speciality of enter
prise usually conducted by females, IT
may boldly 70 said that the signs of
determined resolution to kill the golden
goose before can lay q single egg are
absolutely umistakable. Prices have
gone up fifty per cent, with indications
that the maximum of extortion has not
been reached by any means. And the
accommodation which is fairly good now
threatens by the 1st of May to sink to n
minimum. The reverie of Alnaschar in
the ArabianNights was not more Elusive
than the bnd imaginings of some of
these landlilies. The most extravagant
have inforled me that they do not in
tend to tax any permanent boarders at
all, nor do hey propose to furnish meals,
but they viii reserve their rooms for
transient nests. Said one, "I shall
put four BIDS in my large rooms and two
in my SINAI ones. | shall not take any
ladies, AMI / expect two gentlemen to
occupy ech bed" "But, ma'am," /
demonstrated in as insinuating tones as |
could COMMAND, "where will all these
men comdrom 2" "Oh !" she answered,
tossing er head, 81 have a cousin in
one of III hotels, and l expect to get all
the overbw from that house." And
find, fran general questioning in the
boardinPhouse districts, that they all
rely NOR or less on the overflow from
the hote'.
Whilethe boarding house keepers are
preparing to transmute the overflow
from tl hotels into golden shower,
there ae various schemes in different
stages q development for utilizing the
inevitable indignation of the public with
the clearinghouse keepers. There is a
grange company which proposes to
erect wooden barracks in park not far
from tie Centennial ground, which will
accommodate 5000, and their charge
will be fifty cents per head. Meals will
be supplied ut moderate rates upon the
grount, and the whole thing will be con-
ductet as much as possible after the
fashion of camp-meeting. Everything
will b. rough and ready, or perhaps very
particularly rough and ready, or perhaps
very particularly rough and not particu-
larly ready. Another company has pur-
chased the old Oak cemetery for SINH
lar purpose. Formerly there was here
a splendid mansion and fine grounds. l
understand that only part of the lands be-
longing to the property was ever used
for interment. Burials have ceased here
for some years, and may state for the
relief of those who are timid about
ghosts, and who believe in the midnight
appearance of the sheeted dead, that the
monuments are being removed as fast az
possible in fact, by the time the crash
comes there will be nothing to remind
the encamper of the past uses of these
grounds, save perhaps the funeral aspect
of the shrubs, which have been planted
Oh purpose to look gloomy and solemn,
will not unnaturally hardly be ablo to
acquire POLITICALLY cheerful and pictur
esque aspect in so short time. Then l
understood from one of the agents of the
principal railway here that encampmerts
are being projected along the lands of
the three principal roads that enter the
city-the Pennsylvania Central, the
Philadelphia and Reading, and the Will
mington, Baltimore and Washington.
The arrangements here have not been
developed to any great extent, but the
railroads have agreed to give commute
Jon tickets at very low rate, and to
run trains every half hour, or every
twenty minutes if necessary. The dis
tances of these encampments will aver
age from two and half to seven miles
from the Centennial grounds, and can
state from personal observation that
along two of the lines there are many
very beautiful and commodious sites for
such a purpose. And L have no doubt
that the same thing is equally true Of
the third line.
1t is really too bad that the excessive
greed of the Philadelphians should bid
fair to overturn the really admirable
plans of the Centennial managers. On
the one hand, the clearinghouse keep
ers are banded together to prevent the
visitors from being anything but tran
sient. On the other hand, Gen. Hawley
and others are straining every nerve to
make such arrangements to interest and
attract the visitors as to induce them to
stay.