The Portland daily press., 1893-05-26

financial success. Kesulus VIII proDapuy
be found about midway between these
marks, or from LOS 900 to 10000 per-
sons paying their way each day through
the gates. Ii, as it looks now, the fair is
10 Dc open every Sunday, the average at
tendance may reach the latter figure.
Inlcagoans who well know their CITY and
6nelr people aver that every bright Sun
DAY from this time on there will be from
three hundred thousand to half million
people on the fair grounds. One finds no
difficulty in orediting this statement. Chi
cago is now monster city with nearly
Two millions Of inhabitants. Besides, it is
aSunday city. Three-ffths foreign born,
the population makes the Sabbath a day
Ct outing and recreation. The theaters
are all open on Sunday, the dance halls,
the saloons. On this account many people
have argued that the fair should be open
also.
OF course If the people of Chicago pour
through the fair gates on Sundays from q
quarter to half million people, they will
not have enough people or energy left to
constitute much Of an attendance during
the remaining six days Of the week. Then
the people who live outside the city must
swell the receipts. The Indications are
that enormous numbers of strangers will
flock here during the summer. The
crowds are already swelling. By the mid
die of June the tide will be running
strong.
Chicago hotels have accommodations for
about two hundred Thousand strangers.
The furnished rooms in minor hotels or
boarding houses and in private houses
throughout the city are able to take care
OF one hundred thousand more. AT no
time are they likely to be pushed to their
full capacity. REFRESHING all enthusiastic
expectations, it is not likely that more than
one hundred and fifty thousand strangers
will be here at any one time. OF these not
all will go to the fair every day of their
stay.
OF course one must not overlook the
fact that Americans are the greatest peo-
pie in the world to travel and spend money
and seek amusement. II the times be
fairly good and cholera keeps away these
good American citizens of ours will come
in great train loads Not very great at
tendance is expected from New England
and the east, nor from New York or the
south. But from western Pennsylvania
to the Pacific ocean Chicago knows the
American people are making ready to
come to the fair. The attendance from
Europe will not be large, either, mere
bagatelle in comparison with the whole
number Of admissions.
It's fortunate thing that Chicago has
such extensive hotel accommodations and
also that her railroad facilities are the
best in the world. Chicago, you must re-
member, is the greatest of all railway CEN
ters. More than score of roads enter the
city, and inquiry has developed that they
are able to carry from rs, 600 to 100, 600 per-
sons per day to and from the city. Many
of these passengers will stay from one to
four weeks.
asked one Of the directors of the expo
sition company what attendance he ex-
peeted to see. His reply was interesting.
''The first thirty days don't count" be
said; "we have $50 days remaining In
score of Sundays we'll take from six to
seven million tickets. In the 1870 remain
ing days expect to see the paid attend
ance run about like this per day: Chi
cago people, $4,000; strangers staying in
the city, LOO, 600; excursionists from near
by points who come in the morning and
go away at night, 10000. Total, 185,OO0
day except Sundays, or seventeen millions
for all the week days. Say, grand total
of twenty million admissions, or $12,-
500, 600 at the gates" !
think the results will be a little better
than this, though not much. If the man
ayers succeed in taking from twelve to fif-
teen millions of dollars at the gates they
will come out nearly even, for their con-
cessions will yield them half as much
more. The exposition company gets all
the way from rs to rs per cent, of the
money spent by visitors within the
grounds. They get share from the res
taurants, the cafes, the railways, the
theaters, the rolling chairs, the boats, pop
corn, gum, guides, catalogues, foreign vii
lagos, dancing girls, big wheels, shoe
backing, everything. There are about
800 concessionaires, and some of them
have as many as eighty cashiers and a
Thousand employees.
If each visitor to the fair spends dollar
a day within the grounds in addition to
the price of admission, and the total num-
Der of admissions rises above twenty-five
millions during the six months, the expo
sition will return dollar for dollar to its
stockholders. There are SO many tempta-
tions to spend money here, and the aver
age American citizen Is SO fond Of sue
CunIAAS w shCn WllcSy tudu IL Is pEebGy
safe to say that the 800 concessionaires will
after bit find their money boxes rapidly
filing. The visitor finds his luncheon
costs him from quarter to two dollars.
He wants guide and perhaps q cata-
logue. He must have ride on the gon-
dolas, the movable sidewalk and the slid
ing railway. The children must see the
wild animals and some Of the international
novelties In the plaisance, they must have
popcorn and soda water. At every step
one takes there is the temptation to spend
money, and of every quarter that you drop
in the slot the exposition company gets a
lime. WALTER WELLMAN.
Banners for the woman's Building.
Two beautiful white silk banners have
been suspended across the Gallery of
Honor in the Woman's building. These
L - -sGA 4 f