The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-07

speculative renters and boarding house
keepers. Thousands of people gave up
their houses in this part of the oity in
order to rent them to 'roOmers'' during
the summer Rents took ire
mendouS Jump. A young man in
the official service of the fair told me yes
terday that on April l his landlord raised
his rent from $40 month to Sl20. This
was a polite way of telling him that they
want the place for boarding house
Not only did the commercial spirit of
Chicago realize its opportunity in this di-
rection, but people from all parts of the
country have swOoped down upon the
town to speculate on the worlds fair
visitors need of food and shelter Your
boarding house keeper is as likely to be-
long to Peekskill or Philadelphia as Cook
county.
An immense number of gilded barracks
have been slapped into shape within the
past few months. Many of these have
been in the shape of rough dOrmitories
with big dining rooms on kind of picnic
plan added thereto. There are rooms,
rooms everywhere. There is board every
where till you can't rest. There are
meals everywhere; table d'hote' restau-
rants everywhere.
These places are advertised on defen-
sive plan that seems to indicate that
Chicago realizes that a suspicion is
/ abroad. The signs are reassuring. You
are not going to be buncoed says the
please and not to rob" I'VE do not
want the earth" says another, "Only
modest prices, "ssays a third; and so on.
You are told that lone trial will convince
YOU that this is the place to get square
meal" Prices are freely advertised, and
there is a promise that they are not going
to rise.
What are these prices? l asked the oc-
cupant of a fat in Jefferson avenue yeSter-
day what would be the cost of little hall
bedroom, without board, for week. Ten
dollars" said the occupant. Small rooms
in private houses will sometimes cost less
and sometimes more than that; generally
more in good neighborhoods. The specula-
tive dormitories called hotels that cluster
adjacent to the fair grounds will give small
rooms for 81 and 81 day. With board
the same rooms will cost 81, IS ana a.
If YOU can find them there are boarding
houses in plenty that will give room and
board for IS, so and Sl2 a week Those
that are most convenient to the grounds
will on the average, be found poorer in
quality and higher in price than those
nearer the heart of the city; but the eX-
pense in getting to and from the eXhlbl-
tion grounds is to be considered here.
People who will stay at home in the
grounds. Those who wish to knock about
Chicago in the evenings-and there will
be plenty to see this summer with all the
theaters, including one underground,
museums and cycloramas not to mention
Libby prison, in full blast-Tnlght as well
be nearer the heart of the city and make
up their minds to a morning and evening
Journey to and from the fair.
Contracts for rooms without board will
be much safer than any other sort, for the
feasting in Chicago this summer Is not al
WAYS going to be exactly sumptuous. A
little disappointment in the size OF the
room or in the character of its furnish
ings will not be so much of d tragedy, but
one or two meals such as | encountered at
an alleged hotel near the Fifty-seventh
street entrance will discolor your visit If
IL does not darken your life. There are
multitude of places at which TO eat; course
dinners can be had for "25 cents up The
25-cent dinner is to be had on meal
ticket and is solemn, heterogeneous
and greasy affair. Table d'hotes at 80
cents litter the South Chicago landscape.
Meals at 81 are not always likely TO
be encouraging, for as the season grows
the service will diminish; but they are
possibly as good as can be expected.
Although the restaurants in the lair
grounds are an under the control OF one
catering company, various prices prevail,