The Washington times., 1918-08-26
ALL OF: BALTIMORE
HOTELS PACKED

BALTIMORE, Aug. 26.-Baltimore
hotels have smashed all previous rec
o. ds in the number Of guests .regis-
tered this summer. Normally a dull
period of the year. with most Of the
regular guests at mountain or sea-
shore, the summer months this year
have found the hotels packed to ca
pacity and turning prospective guestA
away every day because of lack OF ac-
commodations. For all OF which. and
the changed aspect OF local hostelries.
the war is responsible.
In the first place. owing to the
overcrowded condition OF Washing
ton. hundreds of big business men
who turned over their private enter
priscs to subordinates and are Civ
ing their entire time to war work at
Washington, are now regular resi-
dents of Baltimore hostelries, going
to Washington every morning and
returning to Baltimore at night In
addition to this, Baltimore'S extensive
war industries have made it an i'm
portant link in the chain. having New
York at one end and Washington at
the other, and hundreds on war busi-
HtSo hAAA IL htNtSSdAg ~ sup ONNA III
Baltimore to attend to certain details
in the course of their regular trips
between New York and the Capital.
The proximity of Camp Meade has
been another big contributing factor.
as has Camp Holabird- Clerks of the
local hotels say that scores of guests
are continuously registered who arc
fathers. mothers. wives or other rela-
tives OF boys at Meade, who come
to Baltimore and spend weeks at
time to be near their loved ones.
During the time that the 312th field
artillery and the 315th and 316th in
fantry regiments. all Philadelphia and
Pennsylvania outfits now overseas.
were at Meade, weekend automobile
parties from Pennsylvania taxed the
capacities OF the hotels.
The weekend rush OF men from
Holabird and Meade was so great
that the hotels were unable to take
care of it, and provision for the men
had to be made by the War Camp
Community Service. \ goodly num-
ber of such men, however. every Sat-
urday and Sunday are among the
registered guests OF the city's best
hotels. Hundreds OF army and navy
officers, in or passing through the
city, help swell the number.
hc wal 6lNth q lONoAAy
ent aspect to the lobby Of every
hotel in the city. Gone are the lobby
clubs OF old. where old friends gath
cred, and, tapping toes with canes
and putting fragrant cigars, swap
ped yarns and exchanged experiences.
In the lobby of a big downtown
hotel yesterday every chair "was
taken, but not a single man was
talking to another. Each was eth
er absorbed. in a paper digesting the
war news or nervously watching the
clock. anticipating the keeping of an
engagement. The terse comment OF
the desk clerk. Nothing special go
ing on; just busy" describes not
only the condition OF the hotels. but
the attitude of the guests as well.
In tho grill rooms the gay parties
of other years are conspicuous by
their absence and over the doors OF
several are signs Of the United States
Food Administration admonishing the
diners to eat and drink less. Women
clerks and elevator operators en-
phRsiZo still further tho different at
mosphere which pervadeS the hotels
today as contrasted with the atmo-
sphere . few years ago,