Evening star., 1897-02-13
THE NEW ASTOR HOTEL.

S4 feet long. from center to center of pins,
to narrow top chord. II feet in length
The central column of the building car
ries colossal load of 100000 pounds. 1t
IS only 30 feet long, and yet it itself weighs
$4,000 pounds. In the manufacture of the
10 and 12-inch pins by which the main
members of the big trusses are Joined to-
gether, the finished pins were subjected to
such test of resistance and strength that
1t was some time before a tough enough
metal could be made to stand the require
ments of the architect.
The main trusses over the dining room
are 70 feet deep and 81 feet long, and both
these and the ball room trusses are so con-
cealed in the partitions of the building that
no one passing through the corridors would
for an instant suspect the presence of these
giant pillars and atlas-like spans. by which
the weight of this mimic world is borne
There Will be roof dining room and
garden, inclosed on all sides and top with
glass and iron, outlook from which is al
most without obstruction to every point of
the compass. 1t takes in New York bay
the Hudson, East river, Grants tomb and
Washington Heights, Long Island sound
and the distance bills of Jersey One of
the upper floors is to be set apart for club
purposes. and there will be many private
dining rooms and special apartments which
1t will cost kings ransom to occupy.
The "Bnck' of the Hotel.
Hardly less wonderful. in many ways
even more, is the world below ground
Two floors beneath the sidewalk. will be
given up to the electric lighting plant, the
size of which may be imagined from the
fact that it will supply altogether some
thing like 10000 lamps. 1t is indeed, the
largest, finest and most complete isolated
electric lighting plant In the world and
the illumination. which it will provide for
the larger apartments. like the dining
room and lower floor. the ball room and
the large gallery, will be dazzling in its
effect and beauty.
For that matter. the laundry room, like
wise, Is worth study, for here at times
10000 or 10000 separate pieces must be
cared for within the span of a single day
and night This requires the equipment of
an immense laundry simply for this hotel
alone, and so fast must it do it's work that
there is no time for drying in the open air
This is done artfically, in ten or twenty
seconds. with hot air supplied from the
engine room. The latter. TOO, is worth a
WISH. here, below stairs, fifty or sixty
men Will be employed constantly running
hfteen or twenty engines, that perform
every variety of work. There is an ice
making and refrigerating plant, capable of
supplying twenty-five tons of ice per day.
Tor the Waldorf alone. That for the new
hotel will double this. And round about
In odd corners there is a paint shop, a
cabinet shop. and blacksmith shop, ard a
printing Office, and no end Of curious
Things. each supplied with it's staff, who
attend TO nothing else. There is one man
VINO ooes nothing but wind clocks and
there Is another staff that does nothing
put ciean windows, and another that
scrubs floors, and for every separate de-
, tall or all the multifarious work of tbis
great establishment there is an appointed
attendant, or a staff with its chief.
Provision Bills Three Millions Year.
Altogether, the combined hotels will re-.
quire over a thousand employees, and the
pay roll for these alone will be over $50 600
per month. But this Is a mild item. Last
year the provision and wine bill at the
Waldorf alone was more than a million
dollars, and as the new hotel will cons;d-
erabiy more than double the accommoda-
IONS IL IS easy to see that between two
anu aa ,htee millions a year Will be required
tor the purchase of foods and drinks for
the completed caravansary.
Nearly 100000 worth of wines ara tan.
on hend all the time, in q locked wine cell
fdr. Where nine men are constantly en-
ployed. and no one is admitted withon. the
ringing of a bell ' 'A'
Add to the monthly pay roll. and the
provisloh Dill, and the amounts paid for
supplies and renewals and repairs of ey,rry
scrt-add to oil this the annual rental and
stroke OF your pencil will disclose a sum
reaching into several millions What the
rental for these twin hotels will be nroh.
aoiy very few people will ever know. Ger.
tainly 1t Will not be made public. for the
tax assessor has q watchful eve for dis.
erepancies that might appear were the
nsure named In print. 1t Is certain thai
the sum VIII not fall below three or four
hundred thousand dollars, and It NAV he
twice this. The two hotels, with the eround
upon which they lie. viii have = value
OF not less than ten or twelve pofJlto,, AL