The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-12
OUR LARGEST HOTEL.
TFrom Leslie's Weekly.l


Few persons know the largest hotel
in the United States, and perhaps the
finest, is in New York City and that
it was built especially for the poor 1t
is known as the Mills Hotel No. 1, is on
Blocker street, in the busiest part of
the city, and was erected by D. o.
Mills, who made a fortune in San Fran
cisco, but who, for many years, has re-
sided in New York City, where he has
become one of it's most noted and sue
cessful financiers. His, hotel is a pa
latial structure, costing over a million
dollars. Yet lodgings are 20 cents a
night, each occupant having a room to
himself, and an excellent dinner of sew
eral courses is served regularly for 10
cents. Over 2,200 men are accommo-
dated at one time, and it is not sur
prising that this philanthropic enter
prise earns about three and half per
cent on the money invested in it.
Twenty cents each per night is the
charge for all the rooms except about
TO- for each of which the nightly rate
is 80 cents. The 20-cent rooms are small
it is true, being but about five feet wide.
The size is ample, because they are used
merely for sleeping apartments. Read
ing, smoking and writing rooms, as well
as lavatorieS, are provided in other
parts of the building. On the floor of
each sleeping room is a rug. Each room
has a chair and a small closet. The
bedstead is iron, and it is provided with
a hair mattress, hair and feather pill
lows, and clean sheets, blankets and
spread or covering. The 30-cent rooms
are in the corners of the building, and
they are somewhat larger than the 9TH
ers These latter rooms each have two
windows, supplied with outside air,
while the cheaper compartments have
one window each, as a rule All the
rooms have electric lights. The dodgers
are not permitted to have heavy bag
gage in the rooms. Trunks and similar
effects are cared for in the basement
where there are individual locked stor-
age compartments. Wash stands are
provided in the corridors on each floor
The plaster partitions dividing the
sleeping chambers stop IS inches below
the ceilings. There are wire gratings
between their tops and the ceilings.
This arrangement permits a free and
constant circulation of air, even when
the windows are closed, because the
ventilating machinery is always in OPP
Grafton.
The restaurant is cheerful, handsome
and spacious, and it can accommodate
at one time 300 persons. The regular
dinner, consisting of soup, meat, vege-
tables, dessert and tea, coffee or milk,
costs Is cents. Twenty-one meal tickets
can be purchased for So. The cost,
therefore, to a man for meals, lodgings,
baths and the other privileges of the
hotel need not be in excess of 81 40 per
week. He obtains in return for his
money, value that he could not get else
where for twice the expense, and he
gets tnaI value because the business is
carried on upon a large scale. If $440
per week be assumed to be the charge
to the average guest, it is worth while
to add that there are some who get
along with less expense. While the
average meal costs is cents, a five-cent
dish or a ten-cent dish may be ordered,
or for 10 cents may be obtained a spe-
cial breakfast, consisting of two eggs.
boiled, fried or scrambled, two rolls
and a cub of coffee BY such econ
OmieS the expense of living at a Mills
hotel may be brought within 81 a week.
The furnishings throughout are plain,
but not cheap, substantial and COM
Portable.