The evening world., 1894-09-15
Flowers HOTEL VENTURE.
The States Partnership in the Surf
Hotel Business an EXpen-
SiVe Luxury.
MANAGER MERRITT Is ALL RIGHT
He Insists that Politicians Who Ate al
His Table Must Be Charged
Up at Full Bates.

| pAuyro>- s.rt IA Cav t-lovyor will
,oyo. mo aILs +, noint win any degree
| ~, rri1o m tho rccord rrade nv the state
-, N,u yorl, 4, tho h.,taI business The
! so,so, inst closod at Fire island has not
been one Of Iualloyed happiness for man
| ,,a,s ar o,,os,s ~ tho surf Hotel nor
has II rasuIt.d in adding to the revenues
Of the state. Ontbe contrary. it is alleged
there viii be big deficiency for some
person or CORPORATION. public or private.
| To make good
| Whom tho cholera scare took nossession
| n, no co,,,n,,ni,y 4, ana arnund Now
OF the community III ana "rou'u Ne"
| York two years ago GOV Flower pledged
/ the State so far ms he had n right, to the
| no,,,,,ar, of an oVorbi,,rt Gum for the
pay men VI an 'No' ''."''t 'u'
SURF Hotel property, to DE USED as
| haven for cabin passengers on incoming
Ist.anors from, ,hnIer, norts
.', - ,Do c,,,o
After the scare was over the state
authorities discovered they had the great
est kind Of a white elephant on hand.
Dr. Nliliafh " JENKINS the fieai'h On,
Ger If the port of New York, Is credited
with having proposed that the State enter
,.,. .. =, .,,,o.,ht, ,,,,,h = bo,,I
| iilto SUI VI Pai '"e' '''ip WIN "o'e'
man and open the popular resort, and
banking on the name made by David S.
. samr,is for tho house aarn somo
o. oai',''l's ~, ,n' nouse' GU" '''e
money for the state out OF the place
| They found the hotel man In Charles
| Marri,, ue una taLen into mart
rau,h,,, aaa -, ~ 49,, 30 80,
nership' ana from all that can be learned
this was not the only way he was
",aLan I, q"
The state, as represented by DR.. Jen-
kins. agreed with Mr.. Merritt to nut the
bote, ana surround,nys in erst-c,ass
ny. anu SUI ,ou"u'nss I',S.
and water. and to secure a license for
49,, 80 -, =, s,,n,,, -, -,
r'e sn,e Oh iiquol. ,b ur' f asIeeu 40
B ,,D ana fire isianu; me match a.
men employed ABOUT the place were TO
De Paiu by me STATE.
| All MI Merritt was TO be called upon
| 70 90 was 10 assume the manasemeht OF
the hotel on and after July 4, and until
the close or the season, when ne was TO
receive as his portion one-third OF the
running expenses of the house. In
other words. the supplies, the Kitchen,
| dining-room, chamber. office and bar.
| room help were first to be paid out OF
| the receipts of the hotel. The remainder
was to be divided between Mr.. Merritt
and the state, one-third to the hotel man
| and two-thirds to the State.
The books were kept by A. II.
Wheeler, who was recognized at the
hotel as the State representative. Mr.
|
Ter, audited ali bills chargeabie against
| the Surf Hotel copartnership. and the
| States Representatives signed ali checks
in payment OF the bills
| The hotel man considering how he
| was handicapped by politicians of high
and low degree, did remarkably well.
He ran the hotel In irst-class shape. The
| table was satisfactory to the people who
had been guests of the house IN the good
old days when Bleecker Banks and Eras-
tus Corning used to journey from Albany
to the seaside to eat one of Dave
SammIs's dinners. 1t is claimed, too,
| that Mr.. Merritt ran the house at a pro-
fit In spite of hindrances and annoyances
growing out of so odd partnership. He
and that while his one-third will not
make him independent, It is n source of
satisfaction that he succeeded where
regulations might have failed.
The two-thirds. the portion which will
be left to the State after the divide. II
dollars short of paving for losses. in.
Cured in other directions. over $500,
was expended In putting the house In
order. The steamboat has been run al
expenditure of another 5000 to balance
claims against her, Then there have beer
expenses for maintaining docks, fol-
dredging, for watchmen and for Incl
dentals which will swell the sum Il
nearly $1,000 that the State will be re
CURED to make good as the first fruits
| Oh us venture III the notel DusllleSS
Manager Merritt Is not inclined to tall
freely at this time of his cause of com
plant against the State and Its repre-
sentatives. From other sources II wa!
learned that he would demand damages
: from the State for failure to live up tC
the contract made with him. The un
certainty with which the steamboat wat
2 run, and the frequent mlshaps which
? overlook the boat in the hands OF al
a unskilled pilot employed by the state, \
claimed to have damaged the bushes
Q OF the hotel several thousand dollars II
the early part of the season. Then, toe
II Is asserted the State failed to provid
the light and water, which was part o
D the agreement, and that the families o
1 certain politicians were quartered at tn
, house a good part of the season, an
= left without intimating any intention I
I cash up. Gov. Flower and his famil
. were at the hotel several days. but the
, did not come under the category q
dead heads" and paid the usual rate.
e Mr.. Merritt insists that he Is not
D be expected to feed any State dead
- heads at his table, and that If the stat
= Is willing to lose its two-thirds OF thcs
I bills he Is not willing to surrender hi
e one-third. He is also demanding an a
. lowance for. extra expenses INQUIRE
through the failure of the States agent
:, to live up to the agreement with hin
q and also further allowance for loss IL
/, CURED through the mismanagement
the ferry. Thus II will be seen Il
Y, States two-thirds of the net profits
hA hot AL N.Ha N a