The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-11

stores and dweiiDg-hOuSes spread out IL
every direction; 81. Charles e, street was 2
America, probably In the world. Between
Lafayette aud Canal streets 1t boosted 0
forty-tiye bar-rooIna, restaurants and eatint
houses. and thus gained for the city the It'll,
IL long enjoyed OF the Boarding House .
the United States" r. w,ts u standing JOKE
that nothing but a bar-room or q restaurant
could exist In that vicinity. One overholc
citizen did establish literary exchange there
but before the year was out 1t boasted Of 1
bar at least sixty feet long
HOTEL LIFE IN NEW ORLEANS.
Hotel life In New Orleans then WAS some
thing sui generis. There was daah of ex
element and Buhemanism about II
that made 1t specially attractive. TIE
First District boosted Of few permanent
residents, and its population was largely
new Ell Dorado to spend six months 81
the year, make as much money rs possible
and then fly North or to Europe for o long
summers holiday. The greater portion OF
TIL population slept at the hotels or boarding
houses, and dined next morning at some OF
the thousand restaurants New Orleans then
| contained. Day boarders ut the hotels were
Of course numerous, and several hundred out
sders sat down at the tables Of the st. Charles
| every day.
| The large hotels OF New Orleans were then
! three In numbpr-the st. Charles, the
St. Louis and the Verandah, the latter an off
shoot OF the st. Charles Soon after the con.
struction of that building number Of the
gentlemen who had been most instrumental
IN ts construction, among them j. Ell. Cald.
we'll, II. A. Pritchard and Thomas Bank.
quarreled with the board OF managers, se-
| ceded from that body and built the Veran-
dab (burned In 1859. Each Of these hotels
| had its distinguishing feature. The Veran-
dab was regarded as the cosiest and most
| homelke; the st. Louis was the headanar-
| tiers OF tho auctioneers and the place OF great
| political meetings Ii was there that the
| famous $4,000 supper was given to Henry
Clay.
THE ST. CHARLES AS A CHAMBER OF ooM-
MERGE.
The st. Charles was the place where mer-
| chants most did congregate. although Its ro-
| tunda was ut the same time q great rend.z-
vous Tor politicians, planters. snip captains
and all the varied population Of the then
liveliest most progressive and richest
city in the United States. Hither flocked
all the sugar and cotton planters of the South.
bringing their families with them. And
their merchants found the hotel the most
convenient place at which to meet these
planters and transact their business With
them The result WAS that the rotunda of
the st. Charles became the chamber OF COM
meree, the board OF brokers and the colt on
| exchange Of the city. None of these institu-
lions were consequently found necessary In
those days
The social life of that period was very gay,
and the hotels were the centres of all this
gaiety. Both the St Charles and st. Louis
gave weekly balls that We're wOrld-famous,
and at which the very hest people OF New Or
leans were to be met Yellow fever epidemics
did not Brighten our people then, and the hotels
remained open from January to Decem Der In
stead Of being closed, as at present, four
months In the year.
During the first few years the st, Charles
met with but one reverse. The Exchange
Bank, which built II, failed In the crisis of
l84l, and the president and cashier fled in
order to avoid arrest The banking com
pany having wound up Its affairs, the hotel
fell into the possession Of the St. Charles Ho-
tel Company, In whose hands 1t has remained
ever since.
BURNING OF THE OLD ST. CHARLES.
At about II o'clock on the night Of January
IL, 1851, the upper portion OF the hotel was
discovered to be on fire. The house was full
OF people ut the time-the busiest season Of
the busiest year vet known here-s0o guests
had slept there the preceding night. Indeed
80 crowded was IL that the proprietor had
found 1t necessary to lease the st. Louis
Hotel for those guests he could not accom-
MEDIATE In the st. Charles. The cause of this
tire has never been definitely determined
some holding that a chimney caught fire and
communicated the flames to the roof; others
That IL was caused by a stove used by some
plumbers engaged In repairing the upper por-
tipn OF the building. Que polut alone is Ger
tain-the fire began In the upper story, near
the roof. The management OF the fire de-
partment on this occasion WAS very bad-and
mere we can congratulate New Orleans that
II it has refrigerated In many respects from
those good old days." IT has improved In
ono point at least, Its fire department The
fire was well under way before the bells were
ruDg and the engines which reached the
scene. attracted there by the flames that lit
up the entire city, were half manned and badly
worked. The proprietor and employees OF
7 he hotel organized themselves into an efficient
fire corps, and by the aid cf their forcing
pres and engines kept a constant stream OF
water on the flames wherever they could
Ce reached. 1t was useless. The fire was
above the fifth story and not an engine could
reach half way to 1t.
After burning a half hour or SO the front
portico OF the building fell forward with a |
mighty crash into the street, crushing In its |
fall the BILE marble statue or Washington. |
by one OF the hest artists In Italy |
and presented by John Hagan, which stood |
&c the main entrance OF the hotel.
The fire did not contine itself to the st. |
ODaries 1t spread thence to DR.. Ciapp's |
church, corner OF Gravier and st. Charles, |
me OF the very finest as 1t was the oldest |
protestant church Ia the city, and entirely
consumed 1t. The First Methodist Church,
% Poydras, also fell victim, and was COM
1letely destroyed within twenty minutes.
The Pelican House, extending from Gravier
p Union, and fourteen other buildings, some
ls far distant as Lafayette (then Hevia)
street, where they were fired by sparks from
ne hotel, were also victims OF the flames.
I he total loss was nearly a million dollars,
he greater portion of which fell on the hotel,
which was insured for the insignificant sum
Il 100000, about one-seventh or its real
ralue.
The loss was severe one to the young city.
ut the men of those days did not desnair
aslly. Within two days, the directors of the
t Charles Company had met and decided to
ebuild the hotel. Work was begun In a few
weeks, and within twelve months ofthe fire, a
ew building had risen from the ashes OF the
Id one
THE NEW ST. CHARLES.
The new building was Of the same style and
rchitecture as the old one, with the excep-
lon Of the cupola. The architect originally
elected was Rogers tthe well-known hotel
uiider OF New York;, but he had to leave be-
ore the completion of the building, and the
York was then placed 10 the hands of Mr.. Geo.
'urves. builder, OF this city. This building is
Substantially the one we see to-day, the only
lateral change being In the first stairs,
,hich originally led straight down from the
flee instead OF dividing and winding as they
0 at present. The new hotel Was at once l