The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-04-23
HOTELS FOR HONEST MEN
The Project Of a Practical Philinthro.
pist About 10 DO Carried Out.
MILLIONS TO Be INVESTED IN HOTELS
They Are 90 be seiidly Comfortable
and she Prices 81 beard will be
Within che Reach Of Peer bus
self. Respecting Men.

big hotels completed he 10 going to offer
room and board for IS so or "A q week
to all honest men, says the New York
| Recorder.
Structurslly, his hotels will be inferior
to none in New York, and in some re-
spects they will be ahead Of any.
The appointments Of the hotels are not
to be luxurious. but solidly comfortable.
The service is to be first-class, and the
accommodations an improvement on
those offered by the most expensive
hotels.
Two Of the philanthropic enterprises
which Mr.. Mills is to conduct are to be
built right away. The first is TO be erect.
ed on Blocker street, be known as Mills
house No. l, and will accommodate 1900
men. The contract for the other will be
let in few days. That will be known
as Mills house No. 2, and will accommo-
date $50 men. 1t will be at Rivington
and Chrystie streets.
Ground for the hotels has been pur.
chased. Both will cost Mr.. Mills 81 $780,
900. The Bleecker street house and
grounds will cost 1850, 900 and the other
1886, 900.
Mills house No. will be 10 stories
high, and absolutely fire. proof. The
front will be Of white pressed brick, much
like the stately Mills building in San
Francisco, which is used for offices.
Two hundred feet will be the hotel
frontage. From front to rear will be
more than hundred feet and at the rear
there will be an alley. On all sidee,
therefore, the building will have light
and air.
Ernest Flagg, the architect OF both
hotels, says these will be the best ventil.
ated hotels in New York. and probably
in the country. The system is such that
there will be q complete change OF air
in everv room in the house every 20 min
utes, even with every window and door
closed. Huge pipes having q suction
from the roof are to be placed in every
room, and the light wells will be equipped
to suck fresh air from the top as an
automatic pump would draw water from
veil.
| A grand suite OF rooms, 200 feet in
length, will include the parlors, reading
and smoking rooms. Mr.. Flagg says
that they will form the most spacious
suite Of rooms in New York, the Waldorf
not excepted.
Every room in the hotel will be OF
equal size and uniform 10 appearance.
Each will be just large enough to accom-
modate single bedstead. q chair and a
washstand, with foot room between. In
large room there will be locker for
each guest, such as is found at an ath-
letic club, or adjoining big work room.
Here extra clothing can be kept.
In different parts OF the building will
be free baths, 80 in all. AS arranged,
they will be positive luxury. A little
compartment will hold shower bath,
and adjoining 1t will be dressing room
as large as those found ut a Turkish
bath.
A free circulating library is another
attractive feature II 10 the desire oil
Mr.. Mills that the hotel should benefit
as many people as possible and he pro-
poses giving table board for 81 80 or % a
week aud single meals to all worthy
corners for about Is or 20 cents. He has
provided for cafe on the upper floor,
where poor devils who can't take reg
ular board can go and get cakes or
sandwiches and coffee for a few cents
each.
These hotels are to be for no class.
The only passport required will be clean
linen and responsibility. They will be
too expensive for tramps and too orderly
for touahs.
II Is hoped by the protector that the
plan will fill the want OF thousands oil
men whose earnings are small and whose
tastes are decent.
The two hotels described are to be
something OF an experiment 1t is planned
to make them self-supp Sting. Mr.. Mills
is going to try chance price for a year
or go, and after that he will fix the rate
at precisely the cost head, as near as
can be figured. Unless he Is mistaken In
the requirements of the class OF men he
wants to reach, he has no doubt of the
success OF the ventures.
When success is assured it 10 his inten-
ton to build other institutions OF the
same kind in other parts OF the city, and
he may extend the system to San Fran
cisco. 1t is thought. also. that other cit
les will recognize the need OF such hotels
aud that public spirited men everyw here
will build them.
! The usual objections to places OF this
kind, one Of which has been that they
are charitable institutions, is thought to
be overcome by the stipu laiion that they
must be self-sustaining. Since no man
is TO get anything for less than its worth
it is believed that every guest will feel
himself Independent. Another objection
to such an establishment is the custom
airy rules. Here there are to be no rules
that do not apply in any well conducted
hotel. Every guest will be free to come
and 90 as he plesses and demand any