Connecticut western news., 1876-03-31
THE CENTENNIAL. .-

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 | " '--.. '-,' ,''' ----.--s -.' T+-s ,. ;".". 1 The Circular Addressed. tou the. aRrftIsl PeOpIe-Some Interesting Incidents Rela
 tive to the Centennial. ,!itt --'" NA4 &
 The following from Colonel SandfOrd the British commissioner, was writer at the British headquarters, on the Gen | Great Britain and Ireland. It is re l view of the situation. from a foreig1 standpoint, and will be read with in terest 1 ..'. '' -.. .'.A.. -I -. The success ot exhibitions has beer hitherto imperiled from two opposing causes-unreadines and over-readiness
 Unreadiness on the part of She exhibi tion authorities, or possibly the rail still more probable, the combination oi all, resulting in buildings unfinished railways blocked, and exhibits undis patched. ... '''
 Thanks to the energy of the director. general of the coming display, MT. Cos horn, the buildings in Fairmount park are thoroughly ready, and every pre- caution has been taken that experience could suggest to insure completeness ir every particular for the opening day, the tenth of the coming May. There is still remaining the great question o1 unaRimity with which hotel proprietors, united in an unholy league, and un fleece the unhappy visitor. "..". -''.' -. would be unkind to speak harshly ot 1a1o Toso the Wien, but truth obliges, 3 The first of May, 1873, saw everything from the I senan'el or small roll upwards advanced fifty per cent. from the prices of the previous day hotels not ashamed to ask ten gulden. for bedchambers Gu ci,i- | q,tienae, no larger than bathrooms, and cabmen, unable to realize to how large an extent they mulct the stranger, went on strike. ..,... s...4. ...........,. ,.. l.. We shall now endeavor to show how Philadelphia is determined to carry out her title of C City of BrotherIy Love- '' and to arrange so that sojourners within her walls may not only have, in Ameri- can parlance, a good time of it during their stay, but also carry away with them kindly memories.
 From the first it was seen that all the hotels in the city, carrying out even to their fullest ability for packing, could in nowise accommodate even one-tenth of the expected visitors. The Centen- nial board of finance, with MT. Welsh as president, therefore took the matter into consideration, and several schemes were proposed to meet the deficit of ac- commodation; it was, however, found that to be successful the management must be responsible and the arrange ments practicable. To build was out of the question; what was required was to utilize the spare accommodation the city affords. ',- r -.. i:--@sa
 Therefore survey was made by the engineering department of the exhibi- tion, and 1t was found that there was 8 total of 127, ,00O houses in Philadelphia, ranging from mansions downwards. An association was therefore formed, to be called "The Centennial Lodging House Agency" The four railway companies running into the city, namely, the Phila- delphia and Reading, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore, the North Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania, who, next to the promoters of the exhi- bition, are most interested in it's suc- cess, were invited to cooperate; they at once saw the necessity, and the scheme was set on foot. --..
 Canvassers, we'll acquainted with every ward and district, were sent out, and a house to house visitation commenced, the result being that 15,O00 bedcham- bers, in private and boarding houses, have been secured by contract, and an arrangement made by the company with the proprietor of each house to accept the coupon of the company as payment in full.
 This coupon will entitle the holder to bedroom, an American breakfast (even the very, details of this have been settled), consisting of fruits, meats, and vege- tables, including the favorite dish of po- tatoes fried in milk, stewed tomatoes, etc., supper and attendance, it being 1 wisely determined that the dinner ques- tion was nuisance to sightseers, com polling them either to return home from long distances, or to pay twice for the most unnecessary meal.
 To fully understand the bedroom ac commodation, it must be said that in Philadelphia every house has it's guest chamber, invariably one of the best situated and most handsomely furnished in the house; there is always bathroom with supply of hot and cold water, and the free use of the drawing room; !; for ali this the uniform price of the coupon will be $2 to g. 50 per day, the dollar to be taken at three shillings and sixpence. The large chambers, if a pressureshould!o occur, will accommodate, and in fact are intended for, couples, married, or two friends, giving total | lodging by this company to 30,O00 | visitors.
 The old hotels in Philadelphia, by ad- ditions and other contrivances, have in creased their capacity fifty per cent, SO, taking their previous limit of guests at 10, 900, this would allow for 15,000, and taking the three new hotels, two imme- diately facing the entrance to the exhi- bitinn grounds, recently built, at 5000, would make a total hotel accommoda- tio- of 10000; one of these, the Globe, having no less than 1000 bedrooms.
 The hotel >plices at present range from $4. 50 at the well-known and ad- mirably managed Continental, through $3. 50 at the Collopade, the handsomest hotel in the city, down to $2; but at @ meeting of the hotel proprietors i5 was determined to make an uniform increase during exhibition time of $1.50, making the expense at the Centennial, taking the currency at B. 3d., something like 21s. day, and so in proportion.
 The question of furnished houses for exhibitors and others, who may wish to make long stay and yet not beseparated from their families, has also been taken up by the company; all this, it must be remembered, under the auspices of the board of finance, and prices range from $2, GOO to $5, GOO for the period of seven or eight months, according to position, |, accommodation and appointments.
 Arrangements have also been entered into at boarding and private houses by which those who desire to make long stay can be excellently lodged and well fed at low rates. a man and. his wifa fnr