The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-24
GOSSIP OF NEW YORK
Good Old Oliver Hitchcock and
His Famous Patrons.
SUCCESS OF FRANK slDDALLs.
New Jerks Cheap Restaursnts-Prom-
fnence of Southerners In the
Great Metropolis.

spondence. MANY a multimillionaire in
this town must have been astonished 10
see all the newspapers devoting much
space-some of them more than column
to obituaries of man they would con-
temptuousIy call a "coffee and cake fell
low of whom most of the multis now
heard for the first time. They see dead
citizens, whom they considered eminent
and distinguished, dismissed with line
or two, and wonder what made toe coffee
and cake fellow worthy of so much men,
ton. 1t was because the coffee and cake
fellow was, not only what we conven-
tionally call a character, but man of
character sterling citizen, and especial
ly regarded by newspaper men. He was
Oliver Hitchcock, who for twenty-six
years kept one of the cheapest of cheap
restaurants under the old French's
hotel and then moved to the
basement of Lovejoy's, still keep
ing on Printing House square, within
reach of the patrons who made him rich.
For rich he was years ago; worth. per-
haps, $500. o00-and as rich as he wanted
to be, which made him Weather than
Gould, Sage, any Astor, all the Wander
bits, or any man of millions who wants
more millions. With all the rest-ebund-
ant means, a happy home, business
which so we'll suited him that, when he
retired, as he thought, TO life of leisure,
he was glad to buy it back again-he was
rich IN charity. No moneyless man ever
came into mis- place and went away united.
Every morning the baskets of crowds Of
poor children were filled with TODD 10
carry TO their poor homes and poorer
parents. He was good man. This cheap
=. = L..
ever was DeImonico's. IL was open al
day and all night the year round. But il
was most notable ar night. when Il
gathered in reporters, pressmen, compost
tors, critics. editors. neWsbovs. and all n
any way connected with the neWspap ~
printed in the region roundabout The
menu was limited; coffee and cakes. q
course-the coffee good and the cakes those
compromises between hot biscuii and
what country cooks Of the feminine per-
suasion call short cakes" Then cold
corned beef and beans; pic. cruiicrs and
perhaps real 'doughnuts." Thirty cents
would carry . hungry man through the
entire menu. To this cheap place and
cheaper fare have resortei such men as
Greeley. Raymond, Oakley Han. Wilfrsd NJ
Hurlbert, 'Chet" Arthur. as the bows were
wont to call the collector, afterwards
president. ''old Clapp." in fact every
one who had any business in that vicinity.
Ii was the pioneer place Of that peculiar
kind. and the patronage was as unique az
the place itself. My old-time journalistic
friend. who favors me with occasional
"reminiscences, tells me that there used 10
be more or less romancing among the
newspaper boys about the gorgeous man
ner IN which the downtown shnt sleeves
and white apron Oliver lived as "Oiiyer
Hitchcock, ESQ.," up town. All the details
of fashionable street, brownstone front,
carriage. coachman, livery and so on were
filled in. 1t is certain that Oliver loved
fau owregrfne horses, anu afwsy fa1
lively stopper for his own driving. And
he gave his children every advantage of
the best teaching and training. One of
the boys is an instructor in a conserva-
tory of music down South. Another car
ries on the old mans business here, aud,
of course, is making another fortune to
add TO his fathers. I don't know
which of the two boys my friend encoun-
tered-literally encountered" - for the
boy, then, mayhap, 20 years old. stood be-
hind the counter taking in the change for
coffee and cakes. 1t Was years ago. Max
StrakoSch was then in his first season with
Campanini and Nilsson at the old Acad-
envy of Music. As my friend stepped up
to pay for his coffee and cakes a musical
critic of one of the morning journals said
to the boy behind the counter: "I didn't
see you at the opera last night"
well, no, said the boy, making change
for quarter, sit was nothing but I'll TROY
atore,' and don't trouble myself TO 20 to
the opera unless the performance is up to
my standard"
Ny friend looked at the youth, meekly
climbed the cellar stairs to the street, and
walked half block before he recovered
sufficient breath to calculate very faint
"Whew"
Cheap Food for the Million.
What Hitchcock is as a "reminiscences.
bennett is as a living and actual presence.
With the general progress of the age he
has, OF course. greatly improved upon
Hltchc7ck's methods, and while he liter
ally feeds the millions, he do, s il with no
small display OF style. D.s, ct has made
II possible for man to lunch at a cost of
from Toto % cents, ant yet feel that ever >
thing he gets is prepared with as much
care and is OF as good quality as it would
be at Delmonico's at cost of IS. w. A.
bennett is rapidly putting a girile round
this side of the world with his chap lunch
rooms-he avoids the word ''restau-
rant IN describing his places,
ana perhaps wisely. Some idea of
the extent of his business will
he had when L say the number OF per-
sons who lunch daily at his Park Row
place, near the Adeeitiser building, aver
ages AGO. George Parker his superin-
tendent, tells me they have fed as high as
4,oOO IN one day. And this is but one of
hlteen places he has in New York Brook
iyn, Baltimore, Philadelphia and San
FRANCISCO During this week he will open
one IN Boston. Ii cost him So, 900 to tit
up the Park Row place, but there are fea-
lures about IL which might be adoptel
with benefit by some OF the aristocratic
dinlng places up town. For example.
tnere 10 no woodwork or paper hanging
on the walls or ceilings. All that part of
the establishment devoted to restaurant
PqIpoSes-toors, wall, ceilings and all
Is hned With tillng. This absorbs no
steam from the cooking. and by this
means the restaurant odor IS overcome.
Inc customer who calls for beer or wine or
any other hard" drink with his lunch at
Dennetts will not get il. Though not
always temperance man, he is now and
mas been Tor nfteen or twenty years, and a
part OF his lie Is given up to temperance
work. The missions in all the cities where
ne does business are generously remem-
bered by HIM in aid of their temperance
and evangelical endeavor. | understand
that 1t Is one of his fixed rules of business
10 give away certain portion of his in
inquire on Park Row. Tall and spare. he
Hooks Va