Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-06-04
Mexican AotelA

In the Hotel Iturbide, Mexico, there is
70 elevator. One bouRd for the third
floor, or the fourth, mus, climb the stairs
-no small task N this hight air, where
oxygen is scarce and ore Is easily
'.winded.' The stairway Is on the left,
Ct the end Of the PARTITION between the
two cour 8. connecting with both OF them
At the foot of the stairs there is little
box of an office, where sits clerk who
speaks Eaglish- (f'he more sristocrstlc
San Carlos, next door, apparently cannot
afford an English or even French speak
ing attendant. And yet majority of its
customers seem to be Americans. Some
OF them encounter dlffcultles which may
perhars be Unsigned, though hardly de-
scribed) Ascending to the first landing.
the key Of your room Is found at second
Office, the custodian OF the keyboard having
no other duty. This is an excellent idea.
There is no paper aud-Ink hotel register.
The register is blackboard on the wall IN
the lower floor, upon which your name and
number are inscribed. You will be told
that this arrangement was adopted for the
accommodation OF your possible guests,
who, instead of ssking que tons, or por-
ing over q big book, will have only to look
al the board 10 find al glance whether
such 8 person as yourself has lodging IN
the Inn, and il you sre there, where you
may be found. BIT | suspect the CLERK
finds the device more convenient than any
callers Ii doubtless had polIcc origin,
for | find on the hotel regulations, printed
in Spanish, french and English, this in
Eah n
ishy, announcement.
'.In conformity with an order from the
police, people coming 10 take lodgings into
.his hotel are obliged ID let know their
names, trades and countries, as well as the
places whence they do come and those
which they are bound 10, SO that the
whole be inscribed In book which is kept
for that purpose at the hotel office"
At times in Mexican history doubtless
this information has been demanded zeal
Ously. The regulation is now dead
letter.
Turning q cresking lock with o rusty
key-the kev, like oil door keys IN this
country, not much less than six inches
long, OF sohd iron and stout enough tor
q sledge-hammer-you enter the room.
The eye. perhaps, overlooking the scanty
furniture, fails on the rules just referred
to. The suggestive specimens OF choice
Englls. will 1ttract attention:
'-Snould it happen thst the lodger
paying by the fortnight would leave his
room or apartment before the first antic-
Ipalely paid fortnight had elapsed, the
manager IN this case will liquidate his &C
court and settle if according to the daily
rate printed on the tariff standing in the
hotel Office.
I'm the amount Of the room rent, the
inward room service and the candle for
enIghtenlng il at night are only included.
Here is something worth looking att A
''candle'' for ''enhghteuing" room IN a
first class hotel IN n great city must be
curiosity. There is certainly no other
means of enlightenment" There Is gas
IN the office-perhsps-but none In the
rooms. Nor are lamps to be had Ii one
gets more than ''the candle" he Is fortu-
nate. My IoDm at the San Carlos enjoyed
the luxury OF two candles-possIbly be-
cause two persons occupied it-but in the
IiurbIde there was only one. You can get
an oil lamp only IS special favor. or as
an extra to be paid for. They ssy thst
the little gas burned IN this city costs SIS
q thousand. This Is even more than the
ST. LOUIS Gas Light Company charges.
But | have seen nobody here who uses
gas
Ano'her glance about the apartment viii
show that the water stands in a cheap
earihen pitcher, and that there Is neither G
stove nor fr,pisce. Nobody IN MeXlcC
has ever seen q fireplace or a stove fol
heating purposes. There IS in this city
absolutely DO provision for warming apart.
meDis arufcially. Houses and hotels are
alike. Summer and winter people live in
rooms OF the natural temperature. The
natives never suffer. Foreigners long for
little fire during the coidtst weather
The thermometer Cf-en gets down t. &C
deg1ees: the mean annual temperature is
about 60 degrees Every day in the yesl
is warm, but IN winter strangers often
suffer some disComforts morning and even
ing for the lack of little hre-'.just tC
take Of the chill" From an &C theuC
standpoint, however, the absence OF stoves,
freplsces and cnImDeys Is not to be re.
gretted.
have seen only one hotel IN the Re-
pubhc provided with public psrlor OIL
sittiRg-room. That one Is this same ltur.
blde, which has a long narrow psrlor on
Ghe ground, on one side Of the patio, with
q billiard room vIs-a-vis. One must re
ecive caller In his chamber, the bare cor
s>~or-or out Of doors. The cities are al
siE.e In this respect