The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-11-21
PALATKA'S FAMOUS HOTEL
WHAT FLORIDA PLUCK AND
ENERGY CAN DO.
The Largest Hotel i'm the State NOW
Being Erected, and viii be Ready
for CHESTS January 10, SO.

A dav or two since q NEWS reporter
was walking about the new Putnam
House now beng erected, and was lucky
enough to fall into the hands of Mr.. f.
n. Marvick, the superintendent OF the
building, who gave us many points about
the immense and be famous hosiery.
The building faces Front street, stretch
ing along the block two hundred and
thirty-four feet, running back Reid
street two hundred and forty feet, and
the two wings that back up to First
street are one hundred and thirty eight
feet from corner to corner. The build
ing sets back from Lemon street, leaving
ample room for garden. The construc-
ton is so arranged that a large open
court is left between the two wings, 54x
40 feet in size which will be laid off in
walks, with fountains and flower beds
between, and which is to be made a
lovely spot. The building covers more
ground than any hotel IN the State, and
is three stories in height throughout,
thus making it much more convenient
and comfortable for guests than are the
five and eixs story buildings OF other
cities.
On entering the building through the
main entrance, the visitor finds himself
in the spacious rotunda, 42x58 feet in
size. Here viii be located the office, just
back Of which will be the bar, 15x1S feet,
and the billiard room, 15x37 feet. just
north Of the rotunda is situated the large
parlor, 30x55 feet, spendidly lighted
and ventilated. To the rear OF this and
across the hallway in the Reid street
wing is situated the dining room, 42x120
feet large, which will prove to be the
handsomest and best arranged room for
the purpose in the South. Light and air
is let in on either side by a number of
windows. and the ceiling is supported
from above, doing away with the COM
mon nuisance Of columns. Back of the
dining room IS the huge kitchen, 41X42
feet. An immense chimney, over sixty
feet high, will carry Off the smoke from
the large ovens. Besides the rooms men
toned, there will be two hundred and
thirty-two sleeping rooms, most of them
rooms. Eleven stairways lead to the up
per floors, besides the elevator, which
will he run by hydraulic pressure.
On the three floors of the build
ing there is nearly or quite two thirds Of
a mile Of hallway, making pretty good
tramp to so through the house. There
are few more than five hundred win
dows, while three hundred and forty-fiye
doors will give ingress aud egress to the
rooms, offices and Railways, many of
them large double doors. There are
twenty nine freplaces, besides fues for
forty-four stoves, and Cutside of this the
entire building will be heated by steam.
Il will require sixteen thousand feet of
piping to carry the water AID gas through
the building, and seventeen fire plugs,
with hose, are located in convenient
parts of the building, and every facility
for preventing and extinguishing fire
will be provided. Tie building Will have
a complete system of water works, with
immense reservoirs on the roof, supplied
with water from six-inch artesian well,
the water to be pumped into the reser-
voirs by steam. The house will be fur
njshed with electric bells, which will re-
quire more than 100, 900 feet of wire,
besides every modern hotel convenience.
The most remarkable feature connect
ed with the building of this hotel, is the
rapidity with which the work has been
executed. The first sill was laid October
2, 1885. and six weeks from that date
the building was rooted in, floors all laid.
partitions set and plastering under full
Roadway.
In the meantime the gasftting, plumb
ing, building Of chimneys and tin roofing
was keeping pace with the carpenters
work in its grand strides towards the
completion OF the house.
As the staging was vacated by the car
penters they were replaced by the. paint
ers, who, under the able direction of our
artistic townsman, j. II. Merryday, have
completed the work with the same celer-
ity that has characterized the erection of
the building.
Mr.. B. II. Enos, of this city, is the ar
chitect, Mr.. 7. V. Cashen, OF the we'll
known firm of Wallace & Cashen, of
Jacksonville, being the contractor. while
Messrs. Warwick s Gerkc. Of this city,
the construction of the
building for hir. Cashen.
The building makes a splendid outside
appearance. On the north and south
ends and in the center are large tow
crs, the center one being eighty two feet
from the ground to the TOT, or with
the flagstaff one hundred and six feet.
The end towers to the top OF the flag