The Republican journal., 1885-09-17
Letters from Boston.
CONCERNING HOTELS. UNDERGROUND AND
ABOVE GROUND IN THE QUINCY HOUSE.
THE INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACE.

Editorial Correspondence
BOsToN, Sept. IA, 1885. There is good
deal more to hotel than the average guest is
aware Of. The comforts and conveniences and
the beautifully supplied tables are accepted as
matters of course by the guest, and only an in
spection of the inside workings of the establish
ment, with its small army of trained employees,
can bring realizing sense of the amount Of
capital and the no less important requisite, eX-
ecutive ability, needed for the successful man.
agement iii these days of first class hotel. A
few weeks ago the writer, with others, made
| tour OF the various departments of the kineo
House, Moosehead Lake, and to all the party it
| was revelation, or rather series of revela-
tions. The arrangements for keeping some
things hot and others cold, the pantries the
kitchens, etc, elected both wonder and praise.
There was not an unpleasant odor or speck
of dirt anywhere, and the party went to dinner
all hour later with appeites improved by what
they had seen. A higher compliment than this
could not be paid to hotel What we eat is
an important factor in life, and many form
their impression of place from the meal par
taken of at Its hotel table If in addition the
wayfarer is offered clean, tastefully furnished
room and a comfortable bed, he marks his
stopping place with white stone and sounds
its praises wherever he may go.
| This morning, under the escort of Mr. Mann
one of the proprietors, the writer made
tour of the Quincy House, Boston, and regrets
that he has not more retentiye memory or a
well filled note book to draw upon for the
statistics with which the explanations of his
guide were literally garnshed. OF the trip
through the underground portion of the estab-
lishment it may be said generally that it was
| like visiting different chimes and natonaliies
One minute in the midst of broilng and roasting
and baking, with temperature near the top
notch of the thermometer, and the next in a
cold storage room, where the air was sugges-
tive of the polar legions, while the employees
| comprised natives of many foreign countries.
Passing through the dining room, where a
| number of guests were partaking of their
midday meal, we enter large room where
the viands are served up. On the left was the
| place of supply for ice cream, cake and desert
and Oh the right the tea coffee and chocolate
apparatus with an arrangement for keeping
hot the pots in which the beverages are served,
that the guest is sure Of hot tea or coffee every
time. Farther on is the carving table where
| the rOasts, etc, are cut for the table. Each has
a separate receptacle with "a cover, and all are
heated by steam. The same is true of the veg
etables, soups, etc. An annex is occupied by
the dish washing department, where a large
| force is employed at meal hours, with the aid
of improved appliances, in cleansing the $4,000
worth OF china the propretors of the Quincy
House have provided for the daily use. The
brick ovens, the ranges, the charcoal fires for
broiling, the great caldons for MAX ing soup.
were next inspected. Here the whte-capped
| and snowy aproned cooks were busy. small
room with ait tight drawers along the wall is
the storage place for cake. of which there was
a plentiful supply of all kinds, and near here is
the pie department, just reinforced by large
batch of the real old fashioned pumpkin pie.
A dozen or so OF uncut pies apart by themselves
We're pointed out as of the previous days bak-
ing. and reserved for the help. The pies served
to the guests are always freshly baked. Event
uaily the scribe, somewhat bewidered by
sudden turns and devious route, found him
self in the cellar among stores of all kinds
One large cold storage room is filled every
Monday with beef, at cost of s. 400. Near
by, in separate compartments, packed in ice,
are chickens split for broling. spring chickens
for roasting, and a goodly store Of plump tur-
keys. Another room is devoted to lamb and
mutton. In the fish department was a supply of
salmon, mackere and other fish, all embedded
in ice, and just beyond was supply of game.
Here the meat and fish are prepared for the
cooks, and to illustrate how neatly it is DONE
Mr.. NJ asked 10 nave some of the bacon
brought from one of the refrigerators. Neatly
packed in square PAN cut in uniform Slices
the fat snowy white, streaked with rosy
tinted lean it was most appetizing in appear
ance. Beside these rashers ready for the cook
was laid piece of the meat as it comes from
the dealers, with lis smoke begrimmed exterior.
and here was an object lesson in cookery wi ich
all could understand. But at thi, rate we
shall never keep up with our active guide
whose keen eyes took in everything and who
gave sharp orders right and left as he went.
In the ice cream department an artist was
fa>hioning dish of fruit, and Il be time of
our visit was coloring an ice cream pear to re-
moulds for preparing eabor ate designs to
decorate the tables at club and private dinner
parties. of which the Quincy makes speciality,
averaging about one for every weekday in the
year. The preserve closet, where the average
small boy would reyel, was also visited. All
the preserves used, and the quantity is enor-
nous, are made Oh the premises, Us are the
n ipac Z
time the writer found himself in what appeared
to be "A fruit warehouse, and moment later
was inspecting $4,000 worth of groceries. The
laundry is in this part of the building, and
some shirts newly done up looked as though
just from the furnishing store. A large steam
mangle is used, by which few hands can do
agreat deal of work. Our explorations carried
us into the new part of the building, where
additional storage rooms planned with
cement floors and every convenience. So much
for passing glimpse at the underground
departments of the Quincy House.
Now word as to the exterior. The original
house was built of Quincy granite and was four
stories in height. 1t is now receiving three ad-
ditonal stories o f Hallowell granite. or to be |
more exact, two stories and Mansard roof;
and this addition, with large extension in the |
rear of the same height, a new structure from
the ground up, will give the Quincy 800 rooms
and make it the largest hotel in Boston. TAX |
ing the elevator we Were carried to the top |
story and looked into nearly every room on
that floor. All were tastefully papered, walls |
and ceiling, well lighted provided with CRATES, |
and handsomely furnished. If the top story of |
any other hotel in this country can show nicer |
or pretter rooms than these we should like to
know where it is. In fact, of the rooms in the
Quincy, it may be said as the Westerner said of
whisky, there are no bad ones, and the guest
may have them in suites, with bath room, ETC.,
attached, and enjoy whatever magniticence he
sees tit to pay for. In conclusion let us say
that all the appointments of this hotel are eX-
cellent, the proprietors hosts in themselves the
office force attentive and courteous, and if the
guest does not feel at home he may conclude
that the fault is his own.
Boston culchaw has taken strange directions
of late. With the champion slugger and the
champion yacht Boston can feel elated despite
her failures in the ball field. The excitement
L