St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-14

E European obstetrics
As/ h ave also servants
~ whose main object in
&c. life is the procurement
M q J; u u.
@A13 OF fees. but they have
EASS nothing to compare in
SSHu&' audaclty,in loneliness,
FlA in cyclonic rapidity
q aS when feed and tortoise
&NK@sp like pace when feeless,
with the wild terrors
VINO. III the home of the free, respond
to the call of ''Frontr' Their number
is legion in this country of hotels, and
III TIE larger caravansaries in the big
cities their positions have hundreds of
applicants anXiouSly awaiting them.
But the bell boys are like the office
holders, in that few die and none re-
sign, and they hold to their places with
such tenacIty that frequently the term
boy becomes laughable msnomer
when applied to bearded man with
boys of his own.
For climbing and descending the toll
some stairways, burdened with ice
pitchers, valiaes and cocktails, the av-
erage pay of hotel SpriUe in first-claSs
house is only SIG per month. The great
er portion of his Income. however, is
derived from tips, which vary in the
average from 81 to 81 per day, the fig
ures differing with the character of the
hOstelry and the cuteneSS of the lad
The hours of labor are eight, the force
being divided into three watches for
every twenty-four hours.
But into what is the bell-boy evolved?
What higher sphere of labor awaits
him? That is much more difficult
question to answer now than it was
twenty-five years ago. Then a species
of civil service controlled the manage
ment of hotels, and it was not infre-
quent for the lordly bell-boys to be-
come the princely clerk and
then the imperial proprietor. Now,
however, when enormous financial IN
terests are involved in the entertain
ment of the traveller, it does not appear
to be considered necessary that the
manager of hotel should be instructed
in every detail of his business, as it is
important that he should be possessed
of financial ability and heavily backed
by capital. There are numerous Illus
trations of this fact.
PROPRIETORS WHO WERE BELL-BOYS.
Early in the '60's Paran Stevens,
whose widows famous diamonds are
always associated in the public mind
with the mention of her name, was the
greatest hotel man in American. In
many respects he has never been
equaled since. He had chain of Io-
tells stretching from Boston to New Or
leans, and including the Continental
hotel in Philadelphia, the Fifth Ave
nue. hotel in New York, the Revere and
Stevens houses in Boston, and the Bat
tie house and st. Charles hotel i'm New
Orleans. He was rigid believer in
hotel MANAGER having been instructed
in his business from the ground up
ward, and it is due to that fact that bell
selves to-day proprietorS of big caravan
saries and milionaires.
The most significant Illustration of
this is furnished by A. P. Darling, the
senior proprietor of the Fifth Avenue
hotel, New York, which is said to be
the best paying public house in the
world, and Mr.. Darling the wealthiest
hotel man. His riches are estimated at
S2u,0Ou,30u all made in his legitimate
business. He was a bell boy
in theBattle House, New Orleans.
In time ne was, promoted by
f PsraG Stevens to o. the BE- e., stewardship.
tel, which is owned by Ii. K. Emo, was
erected for Mr.. Stevens. 1t was SO gem
orally predicted that such costly en-
terprise would be a financial failure
that even Mr.. Stevens became fearful of
the outcome. His name had never been
associated with failure, and his
pride in that record led him
to adopt a course which was
not typical of his character. He brought
Darling, the former bell-boy, from the
Battle house, and clerk named Hiram
in New Orleans, and with himself as
the Co" organized the firm of Hitch
cock. Darling 81 Co. for the manage
meDtof the new hotel. The lease was
made out in the name of A. P. OAR
ling, and i'll that form it it exists until
this day.
Upon Stevens death, not very long
afterward. Darling became the senior
member of the firm. Hitchcock. al
though he was out of the management
for time, is now again In the firm. and
a small interest has been given
a nephew of his named Villas.
fears concerning the future of
the property is shown by the fact that
from its beginning The hotel has never
earned less than S200,000 a year, and
more frequently the annual profits reach
S30J.000. Darling's wealth was well
demonstrated when II. K. Emo wished to
save his son, John G. Emo, now a fugi-
tlvein Canada. from Imprisonment on ac-
count of his misuse of the funds of tie
Second National bank. The sum of ST.
100000 was needed Immediately, bt
even such wealthy man as the elo, r
Emo could not raise such an amount II
days notice. In this emergency tie
former bell boy of the Battle house adj
vanced it all in cold cash.
THE WINDSOR'S PROPRIETOR A
"FRoNT."
Another we'll known hotel man who
began his career as bell boy is Gard
ner Wetherbee, the wealthy senior pro-
priet0r of the Windsor hotel. the big
hosiery in which the New York bro
kers gather at dark and fight over the
from which is telegraphed 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, which until re-
Gently, when it was torn down, stood
opposite Independence hall, Philadel-
phia. He pushed himself along and
showed an aptitude for the life of which
he was very humble part. The hotel
business was then in the process of
elimination in its present stage of
perfection, and bright young fellows
like Wetherbee did not look in vain for
men of money to give them backing.
Hawk & Wetherbee is the firm name of
the Windsor hotel management. The
original Hawk Is dead, but his place is
filled by nephew who bears his name,
and who inherited the S3,00U,O00 which
the uncle left 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 country. He under
stands his business from A to lizard.
Why? He began as bell boy. Pfior
to that he carried q bucket OF spring
water about Saratoga and sold
the contents for a penny a
glass. From bell-boy he became