The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-03-17

Then there is the walters dining room,
where four walters are employed, and the
mechanics diningroom, where two walters
are employed.
Just who waits on the walters who wait
on the walters the, Sun man failed to dis
cover
These numerous divisions and powers
are necessary to supply the orders that
come from five sources, and that are grouped
in the restaurant department, which is
Immediately under the maitre hotel, who,
like the chef, is in the stewards domain
The maitre dhotel has under him the
ladies restaurant, the gentlemen's restau-
rant, the garden cafe, the private dining
rooms, and the foor walters who serve
orders to private apartments. In the la
dies restaurant there are head waiter,
three assistant head walters, sixty walters,
and twelve omnibuses. The latter are
apprentice walters, and are employed to
remove dishes between courses and other
wise aid the walters.
In the garden cafe there are two head
walters, fifteen walters, and five omnibuses.
In the gentlemens restaurant there are
two head walters, eighteen walters, and six
boys. The private diniDgroom force is
merely skeleton organization composed
of head waiter, four assistant walters,
and two women, who wash by hand the
fancy china used in the private rooms.
This force is increased as the size and num-
ber of the private divers require. Meals
are served in rooms by the floor walters.
On each floor there are head waiter,
waiter. and an omnibus always This
force, too, is increased as required. The
floor walters never go to the kitchen, their
orders being supplied by the dumb-waiter
service
In the ladies' restaurant, the big one on
Fifth avenue, there are six checkers and
two cashiers, and in the other two smaller
restaurants two checkers and two cashiers
each. That completes the organization
through which meals are served, except the
interesting little operation which proceeds
at the foot of the dumb waiter This is
on the kitchen floor The dumb walters
are two hydraulic elevators. They can be
operated only from the bottom, and two
men alternate in watches at the ship-like
wheel which is turned to start and stop
them. When tray has been placed on
the elevator the operator touches button
which notifies the head waiter on the floor
to which the tray is consigned, and then
turns the wheel As the elevator ascends
an indicator marks its location, and another
turn Of the wheel stops it at the right floor.
There was something vaguely humorous in
the sight of the walters who were serving
course after course into those elevators.
The walters were dressed Just as those in
the restaurant, had to undergo the same
inspection of their linen and finger nails !;
their trays had to- be exhibited to achecker
just the same, yet they never saw nor went
near the people they were serving, and,
what is of more Importance, the people they
never "saw" them.
That ends the restaurant service, except
that there is another active division requir-
ed to care for the china and silver carried
out to the pantries by the omnibuses. From
the pantry men carry the dishes to the
steam dish washers, where eight men are
employed, and to the silver cleaner, where
a chief and twelve assistants are employed
Dishes are washed by steam, knives cleaned
BY machinery, and silver FURNISHED by cleo
tricity. And, by the way, the humble bot
tie washers merely touch button when
they want something to revolve ike light
ming inside bottle, and the ice cream man
moves lever when he needs another ton
of crushed ice.
Before going into the mechanical depart
ment few words more will conclude the
list of those whose services are for the per-
sonal comfort Of the guests. There are
ten BARRIERS, two ladies' hair dressers, one
manicure, one chiropodist, and two Wallets.
All the mechanical departments are un-
der the stewards supervision. There is
one chief engineer and two assistants Gone
for day and one for night). Each assist
ant chief engineer has four firemen, two
oilers, and one coal passer. There is one
ice-machine man and one tank man. No
ice is used in the cold storage; the low
temperature required for meats, vegetables,
wine, milk, and other stores is produced by
cold air.
The machine shop, where all repairs to
engines, pumps, and elevators is DONE is
run by master mechanic and two assist
ants. In addition the mechanical force III
cludes one head painter and two assistants,
two steam filters, two plumbers, two car
penters, one electrician, and two assistants.
The plant operated by the last-named fur
nishes 10000 sixteen-eandle power inean-
descent lamps, and the twenty seven pumps
have daily capacity of 100000 gallons.
You see what a simple thing it is to organ
ize the force required to run big modern
hotel.
The Curious Letter q.
From the New York Times.