The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-14


this ancient mixer of juleps and cobblers,
the temperance reporter of the'PfeSs sue
ceeded ia gathering some very interesting
statistics on the extent nf the free lunch
system, its approximate cost and how The
traffic In beer and other turntables was
increased by its Introduction
Hotel bars refrain from cloying the APP
peti,es eff their guests by furnishing any
free eatables, further than few bites OF
iron plated cheese and some very aged
water crackers. 1t can be safely estimat-
ed. however, that out of the o 0OO drink
ing saloons in the city of Philadelphia,
at least 1900 of them give their patrons
a daily bite of something substantial with
out extra cost. The quality md quantity
of the free food varies according to the
location Of the saloon and the class of
customers TO which il caters. The cheap
est and poorest "free lunches" are found
in the southern sections of the city, The
proprietor of well known barrel shop
on Locust street buys every day half
picked shin of beef, afew scraps ;of fat
and lean meat, quarter of peek of po-
tatoes, one or two tnrnips and half
dozen tomatoes. These ingredients in
two gallons of pure Schuylkill water boil
ed over brisk fire, form the Grand Free
Lunch from 10 to ~, as announced on
q weather beaten Dashboard sign hanging
in front of the door. The savory smelling
mess is ladled ont of large boiler in
homeopathic doses for every drink bought
and as the noontime hour approaches
the '1unch'is made 10 spin out with lib
eral additions of water.
That ere lunch, said the keeper OF
the place, costs from Accents to 80 cents
day, and kin get sixty good plates OF
soup out of it. Ont o the sixty drinks
goin' with the grub, half dozen of EN-
will be ten centers The rest will be beel
or five cent hummers Total receipts fol
drinks about So 95. Cost of lunch, hall
a dollar. Profits on beer OF whIskey
about-well, suppose pass that, and say
m satisfied
The next step in the free lunch ladder
as nearly half a dozen rounds up. A
resort for drinkers of alb colors and botl
sexes was found in the neighborhood @
Eight and Lombard streets, where thirsty
patrens are RECALLED every day with vege-
table soup small "sinkers," or fish cakes
rye bread, and oleomargarine.
Dot loonch, said the proprietor, IVA,
cosdt more den rend Scoop nearly vol
tollar. fish cakes abound ninety cents und
dot butter und bread viii make up ab0ut
six tollar. Dot is w hat no money got
Dot loonch piziness | dond't like
| N thiS npIftiO, an mt n nd A ..ri
can of the tough stripe, who keeps place
not many doors above, concrTred thor.
oughly. Free lunches" said he taking
large chew of navy Tobacco, has beer
run clean into the ground I've fguret
the thing out, and judgin from the WAY
other people run lunch bars, | cAlculat,
that it knocks off 10 per cent of the pro
fit. Look what / give 'em-chCese AT
cents a,pound, crackers Q cents a pound
bologna sausages 16 cents cold bolet
ham about the same, and rye bread at
CENTS loaf. From o'clock in the morn
ing until 10 business is fiat Soon II
the grub is set out they begin to swarr
in, and by noon Pm Gated clean out Ate
that biz is dull until night, and the
they kick like steers if there amt loa'
t of rye bread and pot of mustard on TN
bar. Costs me about So dav' for lunch
The extra business it brings don't pay 10
the trouble"
Pm afraid they have been swellin,
your head, said one of the employees o
a wellknown resort for bankers and brOk
, ers near Third and Chestnut streets, whe
this last incident was related we q
up lunch here every day of very choic
d cold roast beef, boiled ham, or cold tongu
4 Spanish olives and sardines. A round {
!, beeI or leg of ham costs from 50 to s
: so olives about S perikeg ;sardines, Who'll
7 sale 16 cents box. Them eat lasts for nearl
two days. We use three quarters of
I key of olives and dozen boxes sardine,
| don't think the cost will exceed 50 3
per day, and is better lunch than III
one you just mentioned
An old English tavern on Strawberr
street, that has for years advertised o
every Christmas a lunch composed I
"plum pudding, roasted beef, and sou
a with all the necessary fixings. still cor
c tinues to supply its patrons with one q
9 other of these palatable eatables. A rOun
of beef garnished with parsley is serve
l up every day. and the eaters are priv
legged to help themselves. The cost wi
3 not exceed So including bread and 9th,
necessary adjuncts,
On Fourth street French restauratet
delights thirsty and hungry custome
I with maccaroni dished up ia a variety c
D FORMS together with baked potatoes, col
tongue cold ham, sardines and SANDWICHES
He sells no malt liquors, ana all drinks
spirituous nature costs 10 cents eacl
t The free repast average in cost about
1 per diem.
y Baked salmon trout, fried smelts, so
shell crabs, white bread and delicious bl
ter, snapper soup, not emitting the shel
L ry, and chicken are some of the deic
e cies provided by an old established drir
# ing saloon, near Third and Walnut stree
for the delectation of empty stomach
= Drinks are high priced necessarily, bl
the lunch is something that would nal
Q man forswear 90 cent meals and becon
q genuine 'fiend." cat a close calcul
ton, said the proprietor of this place, :
think it costs us from Sc to IS per day
, get up our lunch because we alwa
D. provide plenty. and very often it is not
all eaten That does not include pickl
= and other condiments, the cost of whit
u is consequential
= In contradiction to this last statemer
in place was discovered at Eight and Sa
ar som streets where the luneh-fiend co
sumes four barrels of Bunker Hill'picl
&c les Ga mixture of gherkins, onions, beal
Is and peppers) everymonth. This at Il
e cost of nearly So day for the pick
/ alone, to say nothing of half chees
= ten pounds of water biscuits. and unlim
cd quantities of German mustard
, we'll known resort on Jayne streetprovid
ut for its patrons every day, from 10 to
very tasty beef cro9uets, clam fritte
,s pepper pot or clam soup, and later in t
day combination sandwich, made of co
D. beef, sliced tomatoe and bread. II nev
to counted up to the extra cost, said t
al smiling proprietor, but the custom W
first introduced by the Germans. They
70 accountable for the whole thing"
One of the best known saloons in t
o;t,, ON Cavautb cfraaf hoe q lunch avn