The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-24
How the Worlds Fair Luborors
are Fed
ind Whit IT COSTS THEM.
Eleven Cents for Dinner Fit Enough
for n King, aud no Charge for Extra
Ordcrs-..Tho Commissary In Charge
of II Private Corporntion...Thc Plan
Might be Extended to Mnnuft,ctur.
ing Centres.


worlngmUn 10 offered BY au.institution
now operated within tho Worlds Fair
grounds. There is n big temporary
frame hosiery there, neat in all its mp.
pontmcnts and scrupulously clean,
that Is run by company under the
name oil The Columbian commissary.
The concern Is strictly private corpo-
ration or company, the president OF
which is Robert Greer and the sccrcta-
~ and treasurer i. X. DcYoung. Tho
The main building is 200 feet long by
80 feet wide, with a wing on either side
midway down the building The struc-
turc istwo stories high.
Tho ground floor oil the main building
is utilized ms 4 dining hall which will
accommodate 1900 persons. To the
right are Il Mushroom where fifty men
can wasl! ut once, barber shop
equipped with four chairs. aud three
private bathrooms To the left lie the
kitchen and storcrooms. The upper
floor OF the main building is tho dorini-
tory. Rows OF wide berth. three feet
high extends IRON one end OF
the room to the Other. Each berth
there are about 500 OF them altogether
is furnished with good wire springs, 4
mattress, clean sheets, pillow and two
blankets. The bed-cothcs, by the way,
are kept scrupulously clean and are
periodically disinicctcd Over tho bath
room and barbc- shop is the reading
room for the men, and over the kitchen
arc the storeroom for tho bedding and
the officers scepins-room.
Ground was broken for the building
last August and the place was opened
October /. ,Iinu whole structure is
thoroughly heated by steam and light
cd by electricity. 10 provide against
accident there are four tirc-cscapes.
The rooms are all well ventilated and
the greatest order and cleanliness pre-
walls throughout In the dining room
the tables, OF which there are several
rows extending from one end 10 the
other, are OF hard wood. The walls OF
all the rooms are whitewashed and are
rs clean as could be desired.
The point to which special attention
should be called. however, is the board,
and the rates that are charged for it.
Tickets are issued to the men ut the
price oil 81, each ticket being good for
twenty-one meals and four lodgings.
Single meals are put at 20 cents, two
meals and lodgings at GO cents, and so
on proportionallv for all fractions OF 4
week. Counting lodging at % cents q
day-thc usual rate for similar accom-
modations at the cheaper lodging houses
in the city-it would leave 50 % for
twenty-onc meals, or less than II cents
4 meal, or about - cents day, price
that would not cut deeply into the wages
OF IN ordinary laborcr.
With this statement OF prices in view
it would be well TO examine the bill OF
fare for 4 week. BY working people
dclicacics are scarcely expected or looked
Tor. What is wanted is good, substan-
tial food and plenty OF it. and that is
just what is served There is practically
no difference between breakfast, dinner
and supper as regards what is set forth.
Tic meals are all substantially the same,
the chief difference being that coffee is
served Tor breakfast and dinner and tea
for supper. The following is the bill OF
fare for the week ending to-day:
Mondny-Roast beef. pork and beans. rice In
creole, potntGcs, cabbage, lima beans, tapioca
pudding, coffee.
Tuesday--Rn&st ci.spare ribs md saucrkraut
green peas. potatoes. turnips bread and fruit
pudding. coffee,
WCducstlay-Roas beef, roast pork, potatoes,
navy beans, stewed carrots, rice pudding, co!-
fee.
ThurSday-Roast beef. COINED beef and cab.
haEc, boiled onions, potatoes, lima beans bread
and bnttcr. pudding. coffee.
FrIdny-Roast beef. baked white fish. potatoes
sa'lsrEraut, green peas, cabbage, saso pudding,
sG,urlay-Eoast heef boiled beef, and horse.
radish. saueFkraut navy beans turaips poG-
toes tapiOca pudding, coffee.
Sundny-ROast beef, roast pork, souscd pigs
feet, po;atocS cabbage, raw bec;s, rice and raisin
pudding, coffee.
Tho necessary equipment has Just
been put i'll the kitchen and from the
present time on soup will be furnished
with every meal.
About 200 men now live at the COM
missury. For the most part they have
no financial dealings with the proprie-
tors OF the establishment. They simply
receive ticket good for tho week
board and lodging and sign an order on
the contractors for whom they wor!,
Tor the s.. The company assumes its
own risks. II u man quits work, or ii
at the end OF the week it is found that
he has lost SO much time that he has
not enough coming to him to pay tho
bill the company is the loser.
Lie in the commissary is regulated
rs far as it is possible by fixed rules.
Breakfast is served IRON to I in the
morning, dinner IRON - noon to |
o'clock in the afternoon, and supper
! from $50 to 6:30 o'clock in the even
ing. There is no limit put upon tho
amount served tho boardcrs at meals,
and there arc no extra orders. Each
man orders tillhe is satisfied, and it is
no uncommon thing for boGrdcr to
have three or four meat orders and five
or six cups OF coffee at single meal.
No liquors arc allowed in the house
and no profanity is permitted. Often
sivencss i'll person or habits is not tol-
Grated. The lights are put out at 1880
o'clock. For the accommodation OF the
men their laundry is sent out and the
manager oil the commissary is held re-
sponsiblc for the payment OF the bills,
which are in every case paid before
clothes are returned to the men.
Another convenience is the issue OF
coupon tickets, each coupon ornumber
on them being good Tor 4 livc-ccnt pur-
chase. These tickets are good Tor to-
bncco, shave or hair cut, or bath.
They, like the board aud lodgin. tickets,
are paid Tor by IN order on tho contrac-
tor Tor whom the men work.
1t would seem thatwhat is being done