The sun., 1894-05-05
TIE BIGGEST BARROOM GONE.
It Was In the ~. Charles at New Orleans
bat II Was Not Modern One.

IL was IN the ~. shHrles nt new OrIenn1
| bat 1t Wa. Not n NJ odern One.
! The destruction OF tho st. Charles Hotel IN
New Orleans By fire last Saturday night re-
moved the most impressive building In the
Crescent city. but It will be regarded as a piece
| OF good fortune by all who have occasion to 20
| to New Orleans and By most OF the pub spir-
| tied men who live there. The city has no flrst-
| class hotel. The 81. Charles and tho old st.
Louis or Hotel Royal were both owned by one
man and were both too old and too old fash
Toned to be satisfactorily run. They repre-
sented a series OF splendid hotels that
were put up in the first half OF the
century. and that were all. at that
time. considered as being among the most
wonderful proofs OF American wealth and
civilization. All are still standing except the
st. Charles. One is our Astor House. one is
the Pallard- Exchange In Richm N ond. a third 10
the Charleston at Charleston. and the others
are the st. Louis or Hotel Royal at New Or
leans. and its neighbor which has Just been
burned up. All were In great measure
alike. being OF immen SO size. built OF granite
and made more impressive by huge colonnades
OF luted granite pillars. The st. Louis or
Royal. still standing In New Orleans. had
served as the State House In troublous times
after the close OF the war; 1t made good
looking Capitol. but the st. Charles. which
Capitol. II the reader will imagine the Astor
House with doorway on tho second story.
and that doorway covered by a noble porch as
high as the root and supported by many huge
stone columns. he VIII appreciate how impos-
Some Of these old hotels, like our Astor House.
have had large sums OF money spent upon
them, and have been moderated as much as
possible. but this was pot the case with the
hSd sp.nt oS hem Wels
not modern. They were splendid to look at.
hotels Of to-day can boast. The barroom Of
the ST. Charles must have been the biggest one
OF the one that was arranged for In the big
hotel at RockaTay: where forty ,nartenders
The 81. Charles barroom was 70.
tunda. or circular room; on the ground
hoor,, s1a strangers Mere always taken to 4 to
same thing was said about a dung son-liks
room in the Hotel Royal. but in each case there
Real estate Auctioneers used a platform In a
niche IN the wall OF the 81. Charles barroom.
ton served TO attract great many persons
and to sell great many drinks.
Bgt the,s ,h Ti bn mo G1gHt about the ge9Glns-
ishing curiosity TO Northern visitors The sO-
called nxings" on the bar, were what inter
and Popular drink down there. the nxIngs
included number Of bowls ot sugar and OF
one big water pitcher for the means OF dis
solving the sugar Then there was mint In
cobblers. these two being the "high-toned"
drinks OF the natives. The bArtenders also
were OF the old school. being neatly dressed
and sedate white men. yerY polite and d!gni-
fed, and certain 70 address every well-elAd
man as Colonel and every snAbby man as Cap
tain. They knew every man OF note between
Richmond and ii Paso and studied their tastes
In a way that was fatterinR.
BUT IL is well for New Orleans that the ST.
Charles Is no more. II had not outliVed it's
usefulness. for It was crowded every year at
MATdi GTas time hut II had long outllved its
excellence. Visitors had complained OF the
lack Of modern accommodations, both in print
and in private, and a New loTk millionaire
who took party OF friends down there not
long ago had preferred TO stay with his friends
In his private car rather than fare worse In
the hotels OF the city, On account OF these
facts the more enterpIisiDg citizens OF the set
that compOses the dominant Boston Club
began this last winter a movement, TO
dollar hotel They have teen encouraged by
the belief that New Orleans has great future
as winter resort. II ts one OF the three gay
cities OF the country New York. New Orleans.
aud San Francisco Lelng the three. IL is ex-
tTemely foreign. Latin. picturesque. and
quaint In it, older parts and those who now 20
70 Florida would be likely to run over TO New
Orleans. II not to stay In that city. with It's
shops. theatres. opera. clubs, and race
course. In preference 10 the tanner JOYS OF the
sandy peninsulA State. They will not do so.
however. unless this recent nTs warns into
activity the scheme for a fTst-class modern
hotel. savannah has one and Atlanta has one.
IL IL time that New Orleans followed suit