Omaha daily bee., 1919-06-29
TOLEDO REAOY|pR|NCE OF WALES
TO HOUSE FANS TO Nave HIS own
FOR BOXING BOUT MANSION HOUSE
To|edeans Expect to Sec
More Than $1,000 Guests
in Their City for VIII
Iard-Dempsey Match.

Toledo, O., June 2S.-This city
must srapp1e with a difficult housing
problem in preparing for the enor-
NOUS crowd expected here to wit
ness the heavyweight championship
contest between Jess Willard and
Jeck Dempsey, July 4. With a
seating capacity estimated at about
$4,000 in the arena it is estimated
that at least 10000 visitors will be
in Toledo the day of the bout. OF
these about one-third, or 10000, are
expected to be in the city over night.
Toledo itself is a city of about
100000 population and even in nor
NAL times the hotel accommodS-
tions are inadequate. The city
boasts of II hotels OF 100 or more
rooms capacity and 10 more of so
rooms OF better. The two biggest
hotels have been sold out" for the
last six weeks. Nearly all the other
larger hotels have reservations call
ing for their full capacity. The
smaller hotels are filling more slow
ly, but unquestionably will be &C.
cupied to capacity long before
July 3.
Beds at $5 Each.
All the hotels plan to install extra
cots and beds in the rooms. A
fiat rate of S. bed, whether there
are two or half a dozen 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 permitted to
occupy rooms alone. Other guests
will be obliged to share their rooms
with as many persons as the man
| agement sees fit to provide beds for
Estimates place the total bedding
accommoda tions in the hotels at 4
discrepancy of $4,000 beds for the
number Of persons expected 10
spend the night of July in Tole 10.
Ad Q. Thatcher, a Toledo sports
man, is the leader in the enterprise
to provide sleeping accommodating
for this overflow. Thatcher ard
several associates have obtained
leases on a number of vacant build
ings in the downtown district and
for the last month have been in.
stalling cots. The two largest cf
these buildings, the Terminal build
ing and tlvestory structure for
merly occupied by Toledo's largest
department. store, will provide room
for another 1000 beds.
Rent Bedding from Chicago.
Thatcher and his associates are
installing cots formerly used in
army cantonements. All bedding
for the temporary sleeping ac-
comodations is being rented from
Chicago, linen for 10000 cots
having been secured by the
To1edans. Probably 10000 beds will
be ready by July 3, which leaves
only 1000 extra SETS for any
emergencies which are bound to
arise.
Lodging houses are preparing to
do land office business. Like
many other American cities. Toledo
has outgroWn its housing accom-
modatons in the last few years due
to the great industrial growth and
rooming quarters are none too
plentiful even in normal times.
Keepers Of lodging houses are plan
ming to double up their regular
guests to make room for the rented
influx of visitors.
Toledo is within a short train dis
tance OF many large cities and
hundreds Of persons will stop over
night in these cities, coming to
Toledo only in time for the contest
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, Of
persons will stay all night il,
Chicago. Detroit and Cleveland, all
within a few hours ride of Toledo
Pullman and steamer accommoia-
tons cannot be counted upon. The
United States railroad administra-
ton has ruled that it cannot permit
the boxing contest to interfere with
arin movements vital to the de-
mobilization of returning troops
and has cancelled permits for many
special trains which had beer
planned for the contest. Persons
who were planning on making tbs
trip on these special trains will
therefore have to come to Toledo
befor the bout and will add to the
-~ou-d of ,,;e,+orc hare