The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-14
On Topics of General Interest
to the Public.
NEW YORE'S UPTOWN FLIGHT
Death OF a Typical American Soldier-The
Smart Set" is Net so Wealthy as
Stated by Its Servant"


trial, which is just below Third street, is a
mile from the Battery, and when it was
built 1t was considered too far up town.
In point of fact, it was several years before
business reached that point in its upward
march, 80 this hotel started in by being too
far up town, and is now closed for all time,
because it is too far down town. The
property is owned at present by Eugene
higgins, son Of the wealthy carpet mer-
chant, and when it is again opened it will
be as business houses. 1t is valued at ST.
QUO, goo. To reconstruct the enormous
building into stores and offices will cost
s250,o00 w. H. Hayman and Charles
Sprague, the lessees, have been losing
money for some time, not through any lack
OF good management, but simply because
the town has been steadily slipping away
from them. That part of New York, ex
ceptlnR only the Bowery-between Cham
Ders street and Fourteenth street, is prac-
tically dead at night, and this historic hos
telry is about in the centre of the gloom.
The rent is $50, 600 year, and there was not
sufficient income TO meet this rental and
the expense required to run the hotel. The
site is excellent for mercantile purposes, so
when 1t is reconstru cted it will again re-
turn fair interest on the inves tment.
The Grand Central will be missed by many
visitors, particularly persons from the
south and west. with whom it has been for
twenty years a favorite stopping place.
The southern trade was the last to forsake
it. 1t lost this, as it did other trade, chiefly
on account of its location, and also because
the southern people of late years have re-
covered from the catastrophe Of war and
are able to patroniza the newer and finer
hotels up town. During the past few years
the southerners have been found basking
in the more gorgeous sunlight-though it 10
mostly electric ligh:-of the Hoffman
house, the Fifth Avenue and the Bruins
wick Not few of them pick their teeth,
without any false pretense. in the shade of
the still more expensive Delmonico's; 80,
it may be said that the southern people,
when they come to New York these days,
have the best that's going. The Grand
Central has for years been the headouar-
tiers for Masonic bodies visiting the city
and this, with a large baseball cientage,
has been for some time its main stay. 1t
was on this site in 1850 thai the Free
Masons held their great meeting in Trip
ler's hail.
Thirty years ago or more the Lafarge
hotel occupied this site, and a part of the
same property was TrIgler's hall. In this
hall Jenny Lind was to have made her
debut IN this country, but as it was not
completed when she arrived, the golden
throated songstress was brought out in
Castle Garden, now falling TO decay.
Tripler's was an immense place, with
three galleries, and, after Jenny Lind dedi-
Gated it TO music and song, it was the scene
of many notable gatherings. Beauty and
fashion, as they existed in New York at
thattime, were often assembled in Tripler's
bp11 q tnsfiUo1 pF I;r
function. A fire completely Quilted this
place, ana the regeneration brought the
Winter Garden, occupying the same spot
now occupied by the immense lobby and
reading room Of the hotel. As Jenny Lind
bad achieved her first American triumph in
Trlpler's hall, on the site of this property,
so Edwin Booth in the Winter Garden, met
with his first success as an actor. The late
William Stuart, who had more faith iu Booth
than Booth had in himself, engaged him for
a season at this theatre, and the young &C
tor scored such a pronounced success that
the engagement heightened into years. 1t
was early in this engagement that Booth
played Hamlet for 100 consecutive nights.
the first long run in this country of eny
play with the exception of Uncle TOMS
Cabin" During his stay at the Winter
Garden, under the management OF Stuart.
he also played Julius Caesar" with his
brothers, Junius Brutus and John Wilkes
Booth, in the cast He played here after
John Wilkes had assassinated Lincoln. and
his first performance after the event was
received with much bitterness by many in
the audience, because of the popular re-
sentiment felt toward the name. Police
were stationed in the parquet and galleries
and also in the wings on the stage. The
draft riots during the war took place in the
street in front Of this theatre, and at the
corner of Broadway and Third, immedi-
ately above, was the scene of the bloodiest
work.
Edwin Booths engagement at the Winter
Garden made both himself and his manager
comparatively rich men. At all events.
Booth felt able to build his own theatre al
Twenty-third street and Sixth avenue al.
though he overstepped himself in this
business venture and lost the fortune he
had made at the theatre down town. Be-
fore Stuart and Booth left the Winter Gar
den, William E. Burton moved in with his
company from the Chambers street thea
ire, which stood on the site of the Amer
lean News company's present building,
opposite the city hall Burton had a com
pany in every way worthy of his own
great talents. Dion Boucicault began his
wonderful career with Burton in his
Chambers street theatre and played with
him for some time. Agnes Robertson.
afterwards Mrs. Dion Boucicault, was in
this company. So was Lester Walsck and
the CREST Placide brothers, who were un-
rivaled in their time. The present Mrs.
John Hoey, then Mrs. Russell, was a
star in Burton's brilliant galaxy. The
veteran Charles Fisher, so long in Dalv,s
company, who died recently. was another
OF the Chambers street favorites. Burton
made big fortune in this theatre, but he
could not take his audiences with him
when he moved into the Winter Garden.
This was, in part, due to the fact tha
Lester Wallack seeded from his company
about this time and started one of his own
taking some of Burton's best players with
him. But whatever the cause, Burton
failed in financial sense in the house
where Booth had achieved such an artistic
and financial success, and Stuart. the lessee
of the theatre, was also heavy loser by
the fire which wiped out this famous
theatre. This was the beginning of Stuart's
losses. which ultimately became total. Re
died poor man, but one whose accomplish
ments in literature and art made his
society sought by prominent people of this
country and Europe.
Another interesting character in connec-
ton with this scrap of history was John
Lafarge, who built the Lafarge hotel
which was followed by the Grand Central
Lafarge was man Of affairs at that time
He was Frenchmap sent to this country
by Emperor Napoleon as his financial
agent. He was supplied with apparently
unlimited means, and being shrewd bust
ness man, is reputed to have made million
or two here for himself and his ROYAL prin
cipal. He owned fine summer residences
on the Hudson, somewhere about Tarrv
town, and also maintained one the bes1
establishments in this city. Among the
business properties which he held, presum
ably for Napoleon, were the buildings a
the corner of Broadway and Dey street
where now looms up Jay Gould's lofty
Western Union building.
A TYPICAL AMERICAN SOLDIER.
General Henry A. Barnum, who diet
here last week, was a typical American
soldier I had known him for quite n Will,