The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-23
an TIIE WoRLD,s FAIR.

J days at the Worlds Fair at St. Louis
last week. There seems to be gen
eral demand on the part of the reader
to learn something just at this time,
| in the way of narrative of personal
Experiences about this great EXPOSE
ton.
The questions most generally asked
are about costs and comforts and the
/ present completeness of the displays. 1
will try to write something along these
/ lines which shall be of interest and
value to all who are contemplating this
trip, adding something about what is
| to be SEEN Mr.. E w. Howe Of the
Atchison Globe and. myself went over a
portion of the grounds together and as
this paper published Mr.. Howe's article
/ on Saturday, and as impressions are
similar, an effort will be made to not
undully cover the same thing.
Last week was essentially one for
newspaper people. 1t IS said there We're
four thousand representatives of the
press on the grounds, including a hum
dFed editors and reporters of foreign
papers. Our party of three Joined
newspaper excursion at Kansas city,
leaving on a special train provided by
! the Frisco road. This railroad has a
train leaving Kansas City every even
field, Mo, and arriving at St. Louis at
o'clock the following morning.
At Springfield we were Joined by an
other train carrying newspaper men
from southern, central and western
Kansas. Altogether there were about
45O people in these two specials; one in
charge of Ewing Herbert, president of
the Kansas Editorial association, and
the other accompanied by j. E. Junkin,
the secretary. The trains were vesti-
buled, made up of Pullmans and chair
cars; the service, time and attention
were excellent. A street car ride OF
thirty minutes from the Union station
in St Louis brought US to the entrance
of the Fair grounds, and to the Inside
Inn, just within the gates. This car
ride of several miles costs but five
cents and this fact should explode at
least one of the many baseless charges
that extortiOn prevails everywhere
/ The Inside Inn is one of the Won
ders of the Exposition. 1t accommo-
dates four thousand guests, four times
as many as the Waldorf-Astoria. The
regular charges for rooms range from
81 a day to IS for each person, ac-
cording to the size of the pocketboek
of the guest and his desire for con-
veniences and Iuxuries. A bath room
attached costs $1.OO a day additional.
To these charges for rooms fifty cents
is added each day to cover the ad-
mission to the grounds For instance,
if the hotel entertains three thousand
guests, it must turn over $500 to the
Exposition company to count in the
gate receipts and for the number of
admissions. Each day, except Sunday,
this half dollar is collected from each
person and turned over to the Fair.
On Sunday admissions are free to the
/ grounds; buildings not open.
The hotel is managed by E. NJ.
Stadler and is certainly a marvel of
( system and expeditions service to its
patrons. Nearly everything moved
along like clockwork, although the
hotel had been opened but a few days.
The good executive management was
particularly shown through the efforts
of the subordinates for Mr.. E. NJ.
! Stadler the proprietor and manager
himself lies in hospital On the very
first day of the opening a large tank
containing coffee exploded, throwing
the hot fluid over Mr.. Stadler and
burning him SO severely that he has
been unable to appear at his hotel
since.
About a thousand guests were sud
denly precipitated upon the room
clerk. This, of course. was unusual,
as guests as a rule do not arrive in
such punches. Every room in the
house had been engaged in advance.
so that those who had not taken
forethought were compelled to go out
side the gates for rooms. I got in line
with string of good-natured people,
but it was three-quarters of an hour
before my turn at the register. Secur-
ing a room, I joined another line to
the cashiers desk, paying in advance
for my accommodations. The enor-
nous capacity of the house seems to
require this method. I first engaged
the room for three days; then for two,
then for one. On the last day I did
not occupy for the night to which ]
was entitled and the clerk refunded
about three-fourths of what I had
paid. If a guest does not renew for
his room when his time expires the
room is vacated. If for any reasons
of his own he leaves sooner than he
expected, the money is cheerfulIy re-
funded pro rata.
Fifty cents pays for breakfast, fifty
cents for the monday meal, and
seventy-flve cents for the evening din
ner The food is good, the table serv-
ice excellent. We were never more
promptly served anywhere. The coffee
was all right and the cream not
skinned milk. The butter was frst
class; possibly the reason for the lat
ter is that the butter is supplied by
the Continental Creamery company OF
Topeka. and is the Meadow Gold
brand. known here as the Primrose.
-
The walters are women. counted
lninety-One pillars in the dining room