The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-17
THEY WERE BELLBOYs.
low They Are Millionaire Proprietors
of Big Hotels.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer


From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
NEW YORK. Jan. 4.-rhe bell-boys of the
land are purely an American institution.
European hostelries have also servants
chose main object in life is the procure
r,ent of fees. but they have nothing to COM
ore in aud acity, in lOrdlireSs, in cy clonic
FFso;dItv when feed and iortoise-like pace
ron feeless, with the wild terrors who, in
the home Of the free, respond to the call OF
"Frout.n Their number is legion in this
country of hotels, and in the larger
csravansaries in the big cities their positions
Sevs hundreds of applicants anxiouslv
awaiting them. But the bell-boys are like
the officeholders, in that few die and none
resign, and they hold to their places with
such tenacity that frequently the term
"b0vn becomes a laughable missioner
when applied to a bearded man with boys
Of his own.
For climbing and descending the toilsome
stairWays, burdened with ice-pitchers, va
Uses, and cOckt' lis. tho average pay of the
hotel sprite in first-class )uSe is only $16
ner mouth. The greater portion of his ill.,
come. however, is derived from tips, which
vary in the average from 81 to 81 per day,
the figures differing with the character of
the hostelry and the cuTeness of the Id.
The hours Of labor are eight, the force being
divided into three watches tor every twenty
four hours.
But into what is the bell-boy evolved!
What higher sphere awaits him9 That is
much more difficult question to answer now
than it was twenty-five years ago. Then
suecies of civil service controlled the man.
sgeIuent of hotels, and it vas not infra-
oIent for the lordly bell-boy tn become the
princely clerk and then the imperial pro-
prietor Sow, however, when enormous
financial interests are involved in the
+afn ut nf ba fra
appear to be considered necessary that the
manager of a hotel should be instructed in
every detail f his business, as it is impor-
tant that he should be possessed of financial
ability and heavily backed by capital.
There are numerous illustrations of this
fact.
PRoPRIETORS WHO WERE BELL-BoYS.
Early in the '60S Paran Stevens, whose
widows famous diamo Ids are always asso-
ciated in the public mind with the mention
Of her name, was the greatest hotel man in
America. In many respects he has never
been eQualed since He had chain of
hotels stretching from Boston to New
Orleans, aud including the Continental
hotel in Philadelphia, the Fifth Avenue
hotel in New York. che Revere and Stevens
houses in Boston, and the Battle hou q and
ST. Charles hotel in New o leans. He v as
rigid believer III hotel manager having
been instructed in his business from the
ground upward, and it is due to that fact
that bell-bOys who were in his employ find
thems Ives today proprIetors of big cara
van,aii s. and mil ionare
The N st significant illustration of this
is furnished by A. p Darling, the senior
proprietor of the Firth Avenue hotel, New
York, which is sad to be the best paving
public house in the world, ami Mr. D trling
the Wealthiest hotel man. His riches are
estimated at S20,000,000, all made in bis
legitimate business. He was a bell-boy in
the Ba tie house, New Orleans. In time he
was promoted by Paran Stevens TO the
stewardship. Shortly after this the Fifth
Avenue hotel, which is owned by II. K.
Emo, was erected for Mr.. Stevens 1t
was SO generally predicted that such
a costly enterprise would be financial
failure that even Mr.. Stevens became fear
fol at the outcome. His name had never
been associated with failure, and his pride
in that record led him to adopt course
which was not typical of his character.
He brought Darling, the former beli-boy,
from the b tile house, and clerk named
Hitchcock. from the st. Charles hotel of
New Orleans, q d with himself as the SEQ"
organized the firm of Hitchcock, Darling &
%, for the management of the new hotel.
The lease was made out in the name of A.
P. Darling, and in that firm it exists until
to day.
Upon Stevens death, not very long after
ward, Darling became the senior member
Of the firm. Hitchcock, although he was
out OF the management for a time, is now
again in the firm, and small iterest has
been given a nephew o. bis named Villas.
How idle were Paran Stevens fears con-
corning the future Of the property is shown
by the fact that from its beginning the
hotel has never earned less than 5000, 900
year, and more frequently the annual
Da
was well demonstrated when h. K. Emo
wished to save his son, John G. Emo, now a
fugitive in Canada, from imprisonment on
account of his misuse of the funds of the
Seco nj National Balk. The sum of
S1.500,000 was needed Immediately, but
even such wealthy man as the elder Enc
could not raise such an amount on a DAYS
notice. In this emerge cy the former tell
boy of the Battle house advanced it all in
cold cash.
THE wINDsoR'S PROPRIETOR FRONT"
Another we'll known hotel man who be-
gan his career as a bell-boy is Gardner
Wet erbee, the wealthy senior proprietor
Of the Windsor hotel, the big hosiery in
which the New York brokers gather at
dark and fight over the ba tie of the day
in Wall street, and from which is tell
graphed throughout the country every night
gossip and rumors about the financial move
ments of the coming day. Wetherbee re-
| sponded to the call of Front"
in the old American hotel, whic1,
until recently, when it was torn
down, stood opposite Independence
hall, Philadelphia. He pushed himself along
and showed an aptitude for the life of which
he was a very humble part. The hotel busi-
ness was then in The process of development
which as had its elimination in its present
state Of perfection, and bright young fell
lows like We, herpee did not look in vain for
men Of money to give them backing. Hawk
Wetherbee is the firm name of the Wind
scr hotel management. The original Hawk
Is dead, but his place is filled by nephe y
who bears his name, and who inherited the
S3,OO0,000 which the uncle lett behind in
testimony of the profits of successful hotel
Keeping.
AND THE GILsEY's PROPRIETOR, ALSO.
James A. Breslin, who, with his brother,
manages the Gilsey house, in New York, is
one of the most popular hotel men in this
count y. He understands his business from
a to lizard. Why's He began as bell-boy.
ri to that he carried bucket OF spring
water abouJ Saratoga and sold the contents
LOT penny glass. From bell-boy he be-
came porter in a summer hot ell at Newport.
IL mad no elevator, and many prominent
people who patrOnize his house have