Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-04
CATCHING GTHECROWD
Big Prices for Damaged Furniture at
the Monongahela House.
THE HOTEL CORRIDOR JAMMED
With Curious Men and Women at the
Public Sale Yesterday.
OLD SAM GOLDEN AS SABLE COMEDIAN

The lobby of the old Monongahela House
was filed with crowd. of curious people
yesterday, at the sale of ragtail and bobtail
saved from the wreck. The people, mostly
women, jammed the corridor, and stood on
the grand stairway that faced the clerk s
desk. Auctioneer Henry occupied the coun-
ter, and amused the audience with merry
jangle of adjectives piled up In profusion.
The pleasant face of Charley Miller, the
old-time chief clerk, appeared at the CASH
ier's window, and to him was assigned the
pleasant task of roping in the Doodle. Old
Sam Golden, the colored porter, who is so
aged that he doesn't know whether be is 100
or 120, but who is still as spry as a spring
chicken, was there, and handed the pieces
to the auctioneer.
KEPT THE CROWD ROARING.
The ancient veteran enjoyed the scene
hugely, and he made many quaint and
curious remarks that kept the crowd roar
with laughter
The furniture sold was most badly dam
aged by the fire and water. The best of the
house furnishings were carted away weeks
ago for renovation, and only the poorest was
auctioned off. Whether the people were
after heirlooms, or they actually thought
what they were buying was worth
good price, certain it is
that Guctioneer Henry didn't make many
complaints about the niggardl1ness of the
bidders. They jostled and pushed each
other in their efforts to see who could out
bid the other. The fine cane-seated chairs
in the billiard room, the pride of the pool
player, with the arms burned off or the ma
terial rotted from the water, brought from 80
cents to 70 cents apiece. Old carpets
marked with ugly mud and water stains
were snapped at by the women with eager
ness.
A SCRAMBLE FOR A CHAIR.
There was wild scramble for the chair
that the centenarian colored uncle occupied
for so many years at the ladies' entrance.
The old man with his bald, shining pate, was
present. and his eyes filled with tears ofjoy.
Nobody seems to know how old he is, but
he does not bear his weight of years with
the same elasticity that Sam Golden ex-
hibits.
The onerous position held by D. F. Henry
was never felt so keenly as when he at
tempted to auction off the kitchen utensils.
He was in perpetual broil all the time,
and with nothing at steak, felt keenly that
he had got out out of the fire of cross bid
ders into the frying-pan of the most essen
tial portion of hotels requisites.
One old lady had set a loving eye and her
heart upon combination over which could
be cooked anything from roast chicken to
boiled eggs and cabbage, and bid something
like so cents for starter. She was aston
ished to see her coveted prize taken from her
at So, although the machine had not been
used for four years.
CROWDS OF COOKS.
The crush of bidders for cooking utensils
was one of the most remarkable features of
the auction, and if the sales made were at
moderate prices, which it is more than prob
able they were not, the Second ward will
have a frst-class cooking outfit, as the
principal customers visible hailed from that
locality.
The climax of the sale and of the absurdi-
ty was reached when one man with a STEM
torian voice and very red face insisted
upon the stationary ovens being put up at
auction. As Samuel Golden, who carried
up the goods and who claims to be e5 years
ef age, could not dislodge the iron work, the
ovens were not put up. Sam, who has been
known as the eolored porter of the
Monongahela House ever since it was
hotel, offered his services to carry up or
down the vases and other ornaments which
were so plentlfully distributed through the
house, but the exigencies OF the case re.
quired his services in another capacity and
the mating and dismantled chairs occupied
his attention exclusively for some hours.
When the City Hall clock struck the
hour of 6 and the auction was declared
closed for the day Sam Golden was sweating
ink, and reaching out his hand took tribute
from many man who neither bought nor
sold, but who wished to help the old land
mark along