The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-22
TO GET MONEY
Some Of the Ingenious Schemes
That Spring Up Among
Chicago People.
Arranging Far Ahead to Accom-
modate Visitors to the
Worlds Fair.
Building . Hotel on tile Ad dvanse Money
for Lodging That IL to he
Furnished.


iPpeoial Correspondence Of THE INDEPENDENT.
CHICAGO. Aug. 18.-Iho number Of
Worlds fair schemes that are being worked
ont now would appall the average person
who doesn't learn Of them BY degrees. To
give only pat tul list Of thsm would take
all the spaco Of an ordinary newspaper.
Some are unique. some good, and mono of
them seem 10 have any money baok of
them. Like option trading ON the boards
OF trade, it 10 largely in wind transactions
that they deal. They include every possi-
bic kind Of enterprise. from plotting visit
ors around the exposition grounds to snp-
plying them with msdsllions. guides and
boarding places. The most "nsrvy''
Worlds fair scheme encountered il that
being successfully engineered by . Lasalle
street man who conducts a small but profit
able bank. He incorporated hotel COM
pany ~ \ capital Of 100000. No actual
money has ever been paid in by the stock
holders. He got together by persistent
work ten travelling men who subscribed for
$1,000 worth Of the stock each. the stock 10
be paid for not in money, but in work.
They have been putting in the work ever
since it was decided that Chicago could
have the fair. 1t consists in getting their
| customers and others to sign Z contract
to stop certain number Of days during the
fair st this hotel. The price il 81 per
night. The person signing the contract
pays half now and the balance when hs
settles his bill in 1893. The activity of the ten
| trsvalinR men supplemented by the efforts
Of the banker and his friends has resulted
in nearly 100000 being collected. The
land has been bought and the hotel begun.
| 1t will have 300 looms. and each room will
accommodate four persons. At 81 each
this is 81, 200 per night. and 40 there are 1870
| days during which the fair will be open, the
gross sum is $2l6.00O. The land cost $37,-
200 and the building $4,000. The fur
nishinRs amount to $4,000, which leaves
$50, 800, out Of which the operating ex-
ought to pay 10 per cent on $780, 900. and
then the company has the land and building
after the fair. ''Whst security do you give
| the guests who pay in advance?" was asked
the banker. He elevated his eyebrows and
| replied airily: Are not the names of the di-
| all the security the man who pays $40 Or
| $2O in advance now can expect. But he en-
Cages his room early, and it may not be q
bad investment.
Another concern lists all boarding houses
and hotels. Rets rates. location, ETC., and
oates them low before the rush begins.
Still another makes excursion rates and
| acts ~ Il sasurer and safety deposit for
people at distance who send 81 or 50 per
week. When the savings deposited weekly
represent the sum which Will bring the Wis
| itor by rail or water and keep him ut no.
tel or boarding house fer two weeks. tho
fair will have opened, and he uses the
voucher for railroad fare. hotel acoommo-
dation and entrance fee to the fair. His
only cash expense need be for shine,
cigar or a drink. This plan possssses pc
habit Of spending all their money when
they come to town, necessitatinR their
walking on the return trip.
A genius of inventive tul n has established
q patent exchange. He will have a central
show room where the designer of door
chine may exhibit it. 1t is an overflow of
the fair. The exhibitor is charged for space
for exhibition and for keeping his exhibits
clean and in order.
These are only a few Of the novel re-
sources adopted by men who are chasing
the honest but elusive penny to turn dol
lar or two. The woods ia full of them, and
their number is being added to every day.
All OF them expect to make fortune dur
ing the fair, and fortune too without the
investment OF any capital. That great
many will "go broke" is improbable, seeing
schemes were as straight as those described
there would not be SO much danger lurking
in the path of the Worlds fair visitor, but
unfortunately they are not.
Tho local papers have been RECALLING
themselves more than their readers with a
little fun at the expense of Joseph Medill,
the venerable editor of the Tribune. Mr..
Medill kicked over the traces which keep
the newspapers trottlnR III double harness,
cal. .yln9 the load of unanimous determine
tlon to say nothing that can be construed
as deroRatory Of the exposition, presumably
on the theory that the New York SIM or
other newspapers which may care to ortiz
Csc it are unlikely to got any material un-
less the Chicago papers give them pointers.
Mr.. Medlll kept the compact up to few
days ago, when he came out tatfooted and
declared that the exposition was paying
out Lar &c sums of money for men who were !
more ornamental than useful-notably Mai. |
Handy. Now the Ma jor and James. W. Scott, |
publisher of the Herald and Post, are very
close friends. The major is q friend of ali
newspaper men. but particularly of Col. |
SCOTT since he initiated him into the pleas |
ant ways of the Philadelphis Glover club. |
OF course, the Herald aud Post took up the |
cudgels in = no very lukewarm way for the |
major, and said that Col. Medill WAS
me! ely venting his periodical attack Of bilo |
which had been stirred up little early in
the season this year by the dropping of his |
son-in-lsw, II. s. Mccormick a. resident |
London agent Of the fair. Mr.. Msdill
tried hard TO get out of the road. but Col. |
scott's charge an him down and left him |
pretty badly bruised by the collision. Col. |
Medill dropped the matter. and Major |
Handy was as usual triumphant, but not |
until hn had unwittingly come very near
causing the discharge of few attaches of |
the Times.
Everybody of course says that Carter
Harrison il at present struggling hard to
decide whother to drop the lines and try |
to land the mayorality. or drop the mayor
ality and go on losing money in the Times. |
Mr.. Harrison and Mr.. Medill are not only |
warm personal friends, bus what 10 stranger,
they are political friends also, although |
one 10 democrat and the other a rspub- |
liean. The chivalrous courtesy of French |
duelists IL not in with the tender though |
punctilious regard, each for the other.
which obtains between these two great ed |
itors. Mr.. Harrison's horror was there