Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-05-29

hGuftd th' nuilt"t bi NlrltbrS present
nt one time a, 20oOuo. bat this j. prob
ably an cNnggcratiun 4 most conscrv-
aiilr minimum would lc onc-half uf
this number l0Oo0 But il conncc-
tion Nith the visitors at that political
gathering. It j. n notable circumstance
that the proportion 81 f,mal" pupula-
tiun was exceedingly small and that
the politicians Who comprised the as
semhlagc made u point 81 cfowding rs
close tn thc convention hall ~ possible.
The location uf that meeting place
hciug IA the heart of the city. II fol
lowed that the vast majority of visitors
found quarters almost exclusively in
the hotels. A. natural result Of such
o,crctowding in one spot there were
many Inconvenience which visitors
willingly accepted. IN the shape oi cot
beds and several uf them IN n single
room. The effect of this was apparent
~ the shape ut caricaturcs which PIE
turcd Chicngo- visitors sleeping IN
freight ears. wool sheds. cupboards.
sidewalks. aud IN fact in every concciy-
able uncomfortable situation which the
facctiou- invention of humorous cor
respondents could imagine. but the
evidence of the same correspondence
furnished to a Chicago newspaper at
the close of the convention dispcllcd
whatever misgiyings might exist rs to
chicago'- capacity To- care for her
guests. Moreover, it was shown on
those days when the crowd wns thick.
est. n surplus oi sleeping nccommoda-
tions were for rent in every quarter of
the city.
Criticism. whether humorous or Sc
rious. however, confined itself solely to
sleeping accommodations. The hotels
aud restaurants were fully equal To the
demands made upon them in the way
of catering o. this vast multitude
And II 10 equally true that II onc-half
of the visitors had chosen 10 take their
meals outside the hotel section Of the
city. there would have bcan little or no
difficulty In supplying their wants at
the thousands OF boarding houses
within n radius Of three or four miles
from the center Of the city.
All this, however. being more or less
In the nature Of conjecture. a few sta
tisiics may bc worth quoting in answer
20 the question, How will Chicago en-
tertain her guess at the Exposition
Were that event 10 occur in the course
OF the present year instead OF two years
hence. visitors to Chicago would still
find ample accommodations prepared
for them. In Chicago. 10 day, there
are by actual count .i63 hotels, with
a total capacity for $4,000 guests.
The floating transient population Of
the Chicago hotels il estimated at
about G5 900, so that there still remains
surplnsage Of comfortable accommo-
dations for 10000 people. These
figures. however, do not ty any means
include the possibilities Of hotel ac-
commodations. or any such inconvcn-
ences rs were voluntarily accepted by
visitors TO the Republican convention
Of 1883. II the capacity Of every hotel
in the city were tested, as were the
downtown hotels on that occasion, il
would be no exaggeration 10 say that
four times this number could find sleep
ing accommodations. II is not, how
ever, 10 be expected that visitors to an
exposition will care 10 put up with the
same Inconvenience m were encoun-
tered by the politicians in attendance
at the convention. A visit 10 the ex-
position will average aP least a week,
and the visitor who succeeds in view
ing oil the wonders Of the colossal dis
play during that time will needs be
astir early and late. Moreover, the
percentage OF women who will be
present ut the exposition will bear no
comparison with the few who attended
the political convention. Crowding,
therefore, on the plan adopted at that
time will lie out OF the question. Out
lying hotels will undoubtedly be filed
throughout the life OF the Exposition.
In addition 10 the hotels, however,
the facilities OF the Western metropolis
in caring for visitors are still more
than adequate 10 the possible require
ments. A conservative estimate Of
the boarding houses places the figures
at $1,000. offering accommodations for
10000 visitors. An equal number OF
guests could find sleeping accommoda-
tons In the thousands OF tenement
houses or flats where one or two spare
rooms are usually 10 be rented.
Thus II would appear that, however
heterogeneous the throng Of visitors
may be. In every respect there will be
ample accommodations for at least a
quarter Of n million.
On the question OF feeding this inn
mensc population, no city in the world
can equal Chicago. The food products
shipped by the Western metropolis in
single month would suffice for the
wants Of her visitors during the whole
period OF the exposition. As the
granary of the world. Chicago would
have no misgivings were the number
OF visitors to he double the most ex-
travagant estimate. In the matter Of
handling crowds, the transportation
facilities OF Chicago are equal to almost
any emergency Moreover, the excep-
tional width Of Chicago streets, un-
equaled in any city of the world, rem
der the probability Of congestion more
remote than found elsewhere.
Such is the condition of the Exposi-
ton City at the present day. Mean
while however, new buildings are
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