The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-28


carries the mail, to take a vacation of
from one to four weeks. Professional
| men were among the first to take up
the vacation idea, and many factories
nave adopted the plan of shutting down
for a week or two in the middle of sum-
mer in order to give all their employees
an opportunity for a summer outing
All this has resulted in the building
up of an immense business-that of
catering to the needs of summer vaca-
tionists. How extensive this business
is. it is impossible to realize until one
begins to investigate. In point of capt.
tai invested, persons employed or pat
rons served, it ranks far ahead of many
of the industries to which we refer with
pride in speaking of the greatness of
our country.
1t is impossible to say exactly how
many persons take summer vacations.
The term may be made to include out
ings of a day or two in which almost
everybody in the country indulge. But,
setting as a limit a trip that occupies
week or more of time. it is found
that the number of summer vacations is
surprisingly large. The most accurate
estimates place the number between
100000 and 100000 900.
The immensely of these figures ap-
pears on a little reflection. They are
greater than the entire population of
any one of half a dozen among the
smaller European nations. They mean
that one person in every ten the cOun-
try over takes some kind of a summer
outing.
If all this number stood hand in hand
they would form a line reaching around
the entire boundary of the United
States. 1t would take $4,000 ordinary
passenger coaches to hold them or a
line of the largest ocean steamers,
reaching two thirds across the Atlantic
ocean. If the whole throng was gath
cred in one place it would form a
standing room only crowd large
enough to cover all available space on
the island of Manhattan.
Where Vacation Hunters Go.
The question that naturally suggerts
itself is: Where do these 100000
go?'' The answer is found in the line
of summer hotels stretching along our
coasts and dotting the lake and noun
tain districts, in the great gatherings
like the Chautauqua assemblies, in
numerous rail and water excursions
lines and the immense resorts of one
kind and another. of which every state
has its quota.
The people of the eastern states have
the Jersey, Long Island and New Eng
land coasts, the White mountains, the
Adirondacks and the Maine woods for
their summer playground. Those of
the middle section find recreation
among the Wisconsin and Minnesota
lakes. Further west are the Rocky
mountain resorts and the Pacific states
have their special attractions in Alaska
and their own coast line. Then there
are the great religious and educational
assemblies all over the country, and
there are always trips to Europe for
those who can afford them These
various outlets enable 100000 persons
to take their vacation without much
or crowding anywhere.
Vast Army of Hotel Employees.
There are between 10000 and $4,000
summer hotels in the country. They
furnish employment for 100000 people, !
SO, 900 more than are employed as clerks
in all the stores of the country, twice |
as many as are employed as bookkeep- |
ers, three times as many as there are
physicians or lawyers, and nearly ten |
times the number in the standing army
of the United States.
New York leads all the other states |
in the number of these hotels, contain |
ing something like 1000 of them within |
its borders. New Jersey is a good sec
ond while Maine, New Hampshire and |
California have 1880 or more each.
Largest Single Resort.
The largest single resort is Atlantic |
City, n. j. The ordinary population is /
about $1,000. Its summer population |
varies from $1,000 to 200, 200. Saratoga |
is or least il was until recently, the /
second on the list. Asbury Park and |
Bar Harbor are among the largest.
In Atlantic City alone there are over
100 places of public entertainment.
these hotels to contain
twenty-five rooms each, which is a
modest average, we have accommoda-
ions for between 10000 and $4,000
guests. If the hotels are filled to two
birds of their capacity and one-quar-
er of the guests arrive and depart
zach day, this one summer resort can
entertain three-quarterS of a million
people every season.
The employees who are engaged di-
ectly in looking after the wants of the
yisitors TO this great summer city prob
IDLY number 5000. Cooks. walters
md porters to the number of one third
he army of the United States are kept
,usy in attending to the wants of WISH
ors to this one great summering place
lot less than $40. zoo, 900, the indemnity
aid to Spain for the loss of her pos
essions, is expended here annually for
-acation enjoyment.
The same state of affairs. on slight
smaller scale, prevails in many
Their parts of the country curing the
ummer season. In the Atlircn'iackS
here are more than 1000 hotels, large
nd small. There are an equal number