Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-31
BULBS HEAD HOTEL. THIRD AVENUE,
COHhsnp rAuENIA-- EnIrIu srRNIr.r

BULBS HEAD HOTEL, THIRD AVENUE,
CORNER TWENTY FOURTH STREET.
Perhaps the best known OF these old
taverns in New York is the Bull's Head,
at the corner Of TWeuty-t0urth street and
bird avenue. 1t was bu II early in the
present century by an association of
butchers, and was for a long time the
great cattle market Of the metropolis.
| met there not long ago venerable
butcher, by name William Doubleday.
His "reminiscences were remarkably in
teresting.
- have hung around this old Place"
said be, ''for nigh on TO 30 years, and |
may say confidently that know ali about
1t. A man named Swift was the fusi that
undertook to run it. Shortly after it was
started q line OF stages was instituted
startn' from Pell street. and runnin' un
through open fields along Third avenue to
the stock yards around mere. When say
line OF stages | mean one stage named
Gen. Gates | was young lad in th0sr
| times. After while the property was
| divided among the butchers that bought
| IL in the iuSt instance, and then bv ailOt-
meut it fell into tie hands of George
| Clinch. He ran it pretty successful for
some time. | can remember seein' the
| herds OF cattle comm along the roads
| from northern parts TO be stocked in the
| pens.
Sometimes you could tell they were
| coming by the clouds of dust they raised
| Soon you could hear their OellOwings and
| the shouts OF the men driving them, and
! finally you could see them coming down
the road on trot, looking this way and
that, as if for some way OF escape from
the death that was in store for them. 1t
was exciting, can tell you. After a
| while l started in business myself and
made the old Bulbs Head Tavern my
headquarters. 1t was then that | first
| saw Daniel Drew. OF all the cattle
traders that congregated here in those
! days Daniel was the smartest. | never
| knew him 10 lose money. He'd stand
among others at one end of the bar, where
the money was piled in heaps. and make
the quickest and most proti;abl trade of
ZEN all. Twas thought among the dealers
! that aiOre he quit he made clean hum
dred thousand. l heard atterward tnat
| he made great fortune in Wall street
! and dropped il all alore be died. ! re-
| member another man named AllertOn
| who was large dealer. 1t was IN that
| first thought of having a safe made for the
money that used TO lay piled up on the
! bar, with only one man to watch it. The
Old cafe stands over in the corner now.
since George Clinch's time other parties
! have run this place, such as Sargent
] springfield and George Metcalf 1t is
! now the property of the Lorillards and
| nobody can tell when they Will tear the
| old tavern down. | hope not 'till | am
gone, for I've gT0wed up with the place
and 1t would hurt me bad TO see IL 20"
! The Buirs Head Tavern, or Hotel, as it
! Is now called, is At present the resort If
! bOrse dealers. The side street running
! toward Lexington avenue, where the
! stock yards once stood, is occupied entire
! ~ by sales stables. Little groups OF
men stand IN front OF the BULBS Head,
/ critically observing the PAGES of different
! "Orses as they are driven past on eXbtbi.
ton. In the DarrOOm horse is the sole
! top'c OF conversation. In a tew years the
! Old building will probably maze room for
/ a tenement, and the stables in the side
! streets be superseded by yelling houses.
Al the northern extremity Of RIVER
/ side drive stands another resort Of his
! toric interest. refer to the Hotel Clare
/ mont. 1t was built in the earv part OF
! the present century ty DIR. Post RS a sum
mer resort. Prior 10 lol2it was occupied
| by NlscOunt COurtenay, Afterwards Earl
! of Devon, and later on by the British
Minister. Francis James Jackson, but its
most distinguished occupant was Joseph
, Bonapsrte, ex-Kng OF Spain. For MANY
years after this It was known as Jonesi
! Claremont, and driving parties from far
and near made IL their resort.