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| 1933 Century of Progress Exposition Documents |
Record Crowds Pour Into City as Week Opens
Fair and Conventions Pack Hotels and Spur Shopping.
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Source: Chicago Daily News, 7 August 1933, pg. 5.
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One of the biggest out-of-town crowds in the city's history was in Chicago today, thanks to A Century of Progress.
Most of the hotels in the downtown area and numbers of those out of the loop district were filled to capacity, some repoorting that they had to turn guests away last night.
Railroads announced record-breaking influxes of visitors over the weekend and hotel registrations indicated that the strangers, by and large, were in no hurry to get away.
Conventions Draw Thousands.
Although the world's fair was the major magnet, a series of conventions also was drawing thousands to the city—notably the Chicago Centennial Dental Congress of the Chicago and American Dental Societies, with some 15,000 delegates here or expected, and the Interstate Merchants' Council with 20,000.
Besides flocking to the fair and to conventions, the visitors were doing large-scale shopping in the stores.
The influx from all parts of the country was reflected in gate receipts at the exposition, which had an attendance of 177,120 yesterday, second as a Sunday attendance only to the crowd on Gen. Balbo day, July 16.
Railroad Breaks All Records.
Over the weekend the New York Central lines broke all records for Chicago-bound crowds, according to D. W. Bowman, passenger traffic agent, when 7,721 passengers came to town. The Rock Island lines announced their heaviest business since July 4, with 4,100 passengers arriving here. The Illinois Central carried 6,700 to Chicago, including several organized parties of Century of Progress tourists from the south and southwest.
"Every indication is that A Century of Progress will have greater attendance than has been expected," said Mr. Bowman of the New York Central. "I am not unduly optimistic when I say that we will continue to break travel records. It is almost a certainty."
Air Lines Share Rush.
Likewise, the air lines were sharing in the Chicago travel rush. All records in the history of the United Air Lines were broken over the weekend, during which 630 passengers were brought in an dout of the city by plane. Exactly half were incoming travelers. Twenty-two planes arrived Saturday and Sunday, of which eleven were from New York and four from the west coast.
Itw as the best weekend of its history, too, for the American Airways. Two hundred eighty-nine passengers were brought in and out of Chicago by its planes during the last few days.
Following are examples of reports from hotels on the phenomenal rush they are enjoying:
Frank bering, vice-presidnet of the Sherman hotel: "This is one of the biggest hotel crowds in the city's history, and is the biggest we've had in a month. But it is still true that the Hotel Association can take care of the guests. If there isn't room for folk in one hotel the assocication can and will send them to another good establishment."
Leonard Hicks, managing director of the Morrison hotel: "It was the largest crowd yesterday that we ever had and will be about the same tonight. we had to turn some away yesterday but they got good rooms elsewhere. Tourists are coming from every part of the country to the fair and of course conventions are helping, too. What is especially helping is the public response to group tours which have been arranged by railroads and other organizations. For instance, we have two from Florida today, about 100 members in each party, one from Tampa and one from Jacksonville. There was a tour group of 175 from Minneapolis yesterday and one of fifty from Atlanta today. And those are just examples."
Declares Walls Bulging.
Stevens hotel: "Our walls are bulging. We didn't have an extra room last night and we had to turn some away. We're still filled up today. We're noticing a lot of results from 'all expense' tours to the fair—parties who come together, each group staing at one or perhaps two hotels. Usually the folk in these parties have had overnight rides to get to the city and stay from two to four days."
Drake hotel: "Both the Drake and the Blackstone are filled to capacity. It certainly is one of the biggest hotel crowds Chicago ever has had."
LaSalle hotel: "We're more than filled. It's a phenomenal prosperity for the hotels."
Edgewater Beach hotel: "we are full and have been enjoying big crowds for weeks."
Hotel Bismarck: "Business is of the best."
[End of news article]
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Page compiled: 14 January 2006
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