The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-24
WELCOME MISSION PLANS
No Request Will Be Made
to the City Council
For a Time.

There was a meeting of the executive
committee of the Welcome Mission in
the directors room of the Board of
Trade yesterday afternoon. Routine
reports of the conduct of the mission
We're presented and a purchasing COM
mittee made up of Rev. Spencer B.
Meeser and William II. Cook appointed
to look after buying such supplies as
are needed in the mission. The propo-
sition for cheap lodging house along
the lines of a Mills hotel was not con-
sidered to any extent. The committee
consisting of e. T. Chaplin, w. E. Oak
ley and William H. Cook, who have the
matter under consideration, reported
progress, but the matter is hardly in
condition to make a recommendation to
the city council.
The committee is unwilling to sub
NIT anything to the city until confident
that it will be able to carry out it's end
of the bargain. At present it is thought
that tramps or others who may apply
can be cared for at the rate Of % cents
day, but, as one member of the COM
mittee stated, the proposition is in the
air as yet. 1t is not known definitely
whether the land on Southbridge
street will be purchased; in fact, the
entire matter is in state of embryo.
Nor will the institution, in event of
its development, be for the benefit of
wanderers alone. There will be an
other department where men who can
not afford to pay high prices for room
or board will be accommodated The
idea is to provide clean and comfort
able quarters within the reach of all
men, in the hope of keeping them out
of the cheap lodging houses, and max
ing something of poor fellows who
otherwise might not have an opportun-
ity to rise above their surroundings.
1t is said that Mayor Dodge, Chief
of Police brennan and a majority of
the board of aldermen favor the plan
to take the care Of tramps off the hands
of the city. Members of the committee
feel that not only viii indigents be
benefited, but the city as we'll AL
men who are able will be obliged to
work for what they get in the way of
food and shelter, and in this way the
professional wanderer, to whom work
is an unknown quantity will gradually
steer clear of Worcester.
According to plans submitted by Ar
chitect Chaplin, the proposed building
and land will cost in the neighborhood
of $4,000, all Of which is to be raised
by subscription.
The building, as now planned, will be
built of brick, and will be 1870 feet long
by 90 feet wide. 1t will be four stories
in height. and will be provided with q
basement This does not include the
barn and stables at the rear, which will
be- two stories high In the general
construction the building is to be built
so that it can be cleaned as easily as
possible. There will be very little
woodwork, iron being used whenever
possible. The building will be heated
by steam, and lighted by electricity,
the dynamos being located in the base
ment.
On the ground floor the building will
be 40 instead of so feet wide, the re-
naming 10 feet being used for a drive
way, which leads off the street and
slopes down gradually until it reaches
the courtyard in the rear of the hotel.
This yard is on level with the base
ment. On one side of it is the wagon
shed, on another the barn, and on the
third the basement proper The latter
win contain the wood yard, boiler and
engine, the shower baths and the flu
migating apparatus, all of which are
part of the equipment for tramps. Adj
+ joining the tramp bath room, but en-
tirely separated from it and reached
by another entrance will be the bath
room for workingmen. Both the
tramps' and the workingmens bath
room will be provided with set-tubs,
so that those who so desire may wash
their own clothes.
On the first or ground floor there will
be, on the right of the entrance, in
front, the superintendent office, an
other office back of that, and still fur
Their back a smoking room for the
workingmen. Across the passageway
from these rooms will be the lunch
room, equipped with lunch counter
Here the workingmen may obtain their
meals at prices as near cost as possible
The lunch room will be open all day
long, and will, in fact, be conducted
like the numerous dining rooms in the
city, with the important difference that
prices will be cheaper. Back OF the
dining room and extending the whole
width of the buildings there will be a
large hall, and opening off from this a
smaller hall.
The larger of the two will be used for
religious exercises, which will be held
every night but two. The services are
to be strictly non-sectarian. Twice
week, according to the plan outlined,
there will be entertainments, either by
outside talent furnished by the oensfao-
tors of the institution, or by the work
ingmen of the home themselves. On
special OCCdolOIlS the SllldllGI llull tdll
be thrown open and used with the big
one, while ordinarily it will be rented
for various purposes. The remainder Of
the space on the ground floor viii be
taken up with toilet rooms, an office
where the tramps will present their
tickets, and eleven bedrooms for the
help.
The second and third floors are to be
devoted to the workingmen alone. The
width OF the building here will be 80
feet. extending over the driveway be-
meath. In the front Of the second floor
will be the tenement of the superin send
emit. For the workingmen there are to
be go bedrooms, 20 outside rooms, u in
side; a smoking room, a reading room,
and toilet room. There will also be
on this floor a small hall and office for
renting purposes The third floor, also
for the workingmen, will contain toll
ct and So rooms, 25 inside and 3S outside.
All of the bedrooms will be 10xS ieet,
heated by steam and lighted by electric
ity. They win contain an iron peds,eaG,
q mirror, a commode, and one or two
chairs. outside rooms will rent for 81
4, xx,oalr incida rooms for TX capfe 0pfx,