The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-19
AN ECCENTRIC CLUB.
Queer Customs of the Tender
lOiners Of New York.
THE OLD EEL POT RoOKERY.
How Some OF the Good Fellows in the Metrop-
oils Enjoy Themselves One Night
Each Week.

Q1StlnctlOQ OIL being enClrelE peculiar. lCS
horne is the Anticipated wooden building
that once stood somewhere between TWEEN
ty-eighth and Twenty-ninth streets, near
Seventh avenue, but was moved up to the
street line, directly opposite the Tender /
Ioin precinct station house on Thirtieth !
ytreet, when Thirtieth street was laid out (
by the municipal street commissioners.
It is notable rookery. Years ago it was
called ''The Eel Pot" and was the resort
of men whose doings often brought them
into conflict with the police. In this build
ing Inspector Williams ran against cele
brated ghost mystery, and ran the ghost
down. 1t is owned by State Senator
Murtha, and his agent insists that it is
over 40 years old. 1t is just about year
now since the Tenderloin club took posses
sion of it, and made it o typical haunt Of
men who are in love with the odd and
picturesque things of life that make the
cream of Bohemian existence.
"LEAvE CARE BEHIND"
Senator Murtha would not recognize the
old rookcry now in the transformation
wrought by the eccentric fancy of its mem
bers. Once under the archway that bears
the club motto "Who enters here leaves
care behind" the visitor meets a series Of
surprises. Six thousand playing cards, for
example, constitute the novel papering of
the walls of one of the rooms. These cards
represent the astounding possibilities of
the game of draw poker, and duplicate
actual hands The ceiling is frescoed with
poker chips in unusual design. This deco
ration is only an unusual fancy of the
treasurer of the club, who used up over
12,G00 tacks in the decoration. Gambling
is not pastirne of the Bohemians of the
Tenderloin. Whisky poker and whist are
their pet recreations with the cards.
The next room is papered with photo
graphs. These reproduce joyous scenes and
Jolly personages of the club. It is one of
the customs Of the club to preserve souve-
Mrs Of its iollier experiences. The most
interesting Of these souvenirs are scenes by
the fashlight camera A camera is al
ways set up in the rooms, and whenever a
particularly good story is told, or anything
thoroughly enjoyable occurs. a magnesium
light is fired, and the effect of the joke or
of the experience is captured in photo
graph of the mem bors. About every style
: of laugh known has been produced in this
galaxy of Tenderloin faces.
Another room is devoted to the exhibi.
ton of curiosities that the members have
collected. There are knives, pistols, opium
! pipes cartridges, bits of bread, wax candles
! and other fotsam and jetsam that tel
some sort of story or recall some queer
happening A piece of switchboard pick
E ed out of the ruins of the Western Unior
building fire is the last addition to the sin
gular miscellany. Still another room is
/ decorated with stone mugs and pipes of al
sorts. In this room, before the great oper
fireplace, the members meet every Satur
day night and make the air blue with
S smoke.
: These gatherings begin at midnight ex
actly Midnight, in fact, is the hour fol-
beginning everything in the Tenderloin
:, Actors drop in and entertain the smokers
: after midnight. They get up something
? new constantly. Composer Stahl saunteret
. in one nis, t. took out the front of the up
right piano and picked harp accompani
ment on the wires with his right hand
. while he played new composition wit
- his left. Every cork drawn is saved as
! souvenir. The center is drilled out and
, pipe stem is fitted into it, and it becomes
= perpetual reminder This custom is copie
:. from German fancy.
SOME OF THE FUN
Deviled crabs are special dish at tn
Tenderloin So is the sandwich of har
Is and chicken and Boston brown bread tia
> was invented by the chef of the Union clul
Plugged watermelon is another grea
- speciality with the Tenderloin. 1t is SCOTT
Is ing, seductive and mysterious. Nobod
u knows what he is going to strike. TIL
Il melons are plugged with claret, chan
V payne, brandy and crushed strawberrie
W and then mixed up so that it is impossib
&c to discover whct they are without eating
u them. 1t is a new kind of pot luck ths
I'll meets with favor and is provocative
great sport.
&c There is always Il friendly rivalry anon
III members to think up new methods of e.
III joyment.
The purpose of the founders of the TEE
ie derloin was to open to men of all prOfe
sd sons the charms of Bohemian good fellow
lie ship that make the Fellowcraft club an
the Press club enjoyable retreats. Bot
the Fellowcraft and Press clubs have a r
stricted membership that shuts out effcc
ell ually from its enjoyment Of the delight
vn society found within their walls many me
ne who long for such romantic surrounding
irl Both Feilowcraft and Press club membe
n are in the Tenderloin, whose membersh
be door is opened in hospitable welcome,
at officers say, to all men who can lay ju
Oh claim to the title of good fellows in t
ne worthier sense of that much abused tit
The Tenderloin lays down single compl
to hensive rule in choosing its members.
is this, as President Keller bluntly puts
in "The first requisite Of Tenderloiner
es- that he shall not be stuck on himself
ley There are 200 members of the club Und
ac- this rule they ought to be very companio
ar able persons indeed.-New York Sun
iv ------
pt- Dainty and Useful Table.