The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-06-25
TOLEDO WILL HAVE
HARD TIME HOUSING
VISITORS DURING Will.
LARD.DEMPSEY FIGHT
(By Associated Press.)

Wy AooOS1dtCu IIOoo.t
Toledo, Ohio, June 25.-This city
must grapple with difficult housing
problem in preparing for the enor-
nous crowd expected here to witness
he heavyweight championship con-
test between Jess Willard and Jack
Dempsey, July 4. With seating ca
pacity estimated at about $4,000 in |
the arena it is estimated that at least |
10000 visitors will be in Toledo the |
Gay of the bout. OF these about one
third, or 10000, are expected to be in
the city over night.
Toledo itself is city of abou, 3O0.~
600 population and even in normal
times the hotel accommodations are
inadequate. The city boasts OF elev-
en- hotels of 100 or more rooms capac-
ity and ten more of fifty rooms or
better. The two biggest hotels have
been sold out" for the last six
weeks. Nearly all the other larger
hotels have reservations calling foc
their full capacity. The smaller ho-
tells are filling more slowly, but un
questionably will be occupied to Ca
racity long before July 3.
All the hotels plan to install extra
cots and beds in the rooms. A fiat
rate of IS a bed, whether there are
two or half dozen beds in each
room, has been established as the
, minimum. Only a few newspaper .
men, who have been on the scene "A
month or more, will be permit ed to
occupy rooms alone, Other guests
will be obliged to share their rooms
{ with as many persons as the manage
: ment sees fit to provide beds for.
Estimates place the total bedding
4 accommodations in the hotels at a
c discrepancy of $4,000 beds for the
$ humber of persons expected to spend
the night Of July in Toledo.
c Ad o. Thatcher, Toledo sports.
Q man, is the leader in the enterprise
4 to provide sleeping accommodations
for this overflow. Thatcher and sew
g eral associates are installing cot
E formerly used in army cantonments
All bedding for the temporary sleep
ing accommodation is being Tente'
from Chicago, linen for 10000 cot
I, having been secured by the Toledans
Probably 10000 beds will be ready b
s. July 8, which leaves only 1000 "eS
ira SETS for any emergencies whic
are bound to arise,
Lodging houses are preparing to q
a. land office business. Like many oil
VI er American cities, Toledo has on
u grown its housing accommodation
u in the last few years due to the gre
I" industrial growth and rooming qua
tiers are none too plentiful even
" normal times. Keepers Of lodgil
~ houses are planning to double
their regular guests to make roc
ne for the expected influx of visitors.
'eS Toledo is within short train d
III lance of many large cities and hu
rye dreds of persons will stop over nie
H. in these cities, coming to Toledo OF
CHI in time for the contest. Hundre
nhs perhaps thousands, of persons "
stay all night in Chicago, Detroit a
th0 Cleveland, all within a few hou
il" ' ride of Toledo.
THY Pullman and steamer accommo
or tions cannot be counted upon.
nse- United States. Railroad Administ
'ins ton has ruled that it cannot per
use the boxing contest to interfere
nap train movements vital to the demo
ization of returning troops and
'ineu already cancelled permits for m
'op,' special trains which had been plan
rea' for the contest Persons who
re- planning on making the trip on {
mage snecial trains will therefore hav
'n' come to Toledo before the bout
oklns will add to the crowd of visitors
three
addl-