The Republican journal., 1901-12-12

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guests quartered upon the upper floors
lighted one when they went to bed.
The lower floors were lighted by gas.
Among recent guests registered at the
Black Swan were Carnegie and James
G. Blaine. 1t is quaint old hostelry
and we found it very comfortable.
But what a transformation when we
arrived at the Russell Hotel, London!
The location is fine. The hotel fronts
on Russell square, with its grass and
trees enclosed by an iron fence. 1t is
not open to the public, and we were told
that, with all the land III the neighbor-
hood it is owned by the Duke of Bed
ford. AS the hotel stands by itself,
entirely isolated from the surrounding
buildings, all the light and air possible
are obtained, and this is ali important
consideration in so over-crowded and
usually gloomy place as the great city
of London. The hotel is one of the
handsomest modern structures we saw
on our travels 1t is built of light red
brick and terra Gotta, with beautiful
colonades and balconies, and rises to
the height of eight stories. The in
terror is magnificent. You enter a
marble hail. the floor of mosaic, with
the signs of the Zodiac in the center.
Here are comfortable seats, huge fire
place, and the handsome stairway lead
ing to the upper floors. Opening from
this hall is the winter garden, or Cen
trail lounge" where the guests meet to
talk, to take their afternoon tea, and in
the evening to listen to concert by a
fine orchestra. Under rows of palm
trees are little tables and easy chairs,
and you may order here refreshments of
any kind and gentlemen are at liberty
to smoke their pipes, cigars or cigar
cites. The banqueting hall is a bright,
cheerful room in the French Renais-
sance style with a frieZe of large mir
rors at the back rejecting the winter
garden with its palm trees and other
tropical plants. Also on the ground
floor are a business room for business
men, a sumptuous reception room and
reading room, wainscoted in oak, "a
smoking room and billiard room in SIM
dining rooms are lined with warm COL
ored marbles and divided by two rows
of marble columns of the same warm
hue. There is one office where you get
your mail and the key to your room,
another is a bureau of information
and adjoining is the cashiers office.
Seated at desk on the right as you
enter the hall is the head porter, large
man, evidently foreigner, and wearing
a handsome uniform. On the opposite
side is room for luggage and pack
ages. In front Of the hotel stands a
i good looking young man i'll fine uni
form whose duty it is to welcome the
coming and speed the parting guest.
On arrival he assists you to alight and
summons the porter to carry in the lug
gage. If cab is required, you say you
want four-wheeler or hanson, and
his whistle quickly brings one to the
door. He tells you the proper fare,
closes the front of the hanson when
you are seated, and directs the driver
where he is to go. He greets you with
pleasa 1t good morning; perhaps tells
you the fog will clear away before
noon; and is always ready to impart
such information as the stranger in
London may need. But to return to
the hotel. 1t has about 700 rooms, all
elegantly furnished, bath rooms and
lavatories on every floor, and large
staff of most efficient servants. The
elevator service is the best have ever
seen. Two spacious elevators, speedy
and noiseless, ran day and night. You
can 60 to your room on the 9th floor
our party were all on that tloor-and
return in less time than it would take
to go up and down single flight of
stairs. If some one calls on you, his or
her card is given to bell boy, or ''but-
TONS" and with the card on a salver he
goes through all the rooms on the
ground floor calling 1921, please; 627,
please" If that is your room you an
swer and go to the reception room to
meet your visitor. The hotel is run on
the European plan. The rooms are
from As cd ($1.Os) per day for single
bedroom to 25s ($6) for suite con-
tanning sitting room, bedroom and
bath room. You can have breakfast
for Is, rs Sd, or IS 6d-5O cents to 81
cents; lunch rs to IS Sd go to 81 cents;
dinner IS ($1.25). If you take the low
est priced breakfast and lunch your bill
for the day, with single room, would
be about $3.50, which is very reasonable
considering the luxuriance Of your sur
roundings This includes lights and at
tendance, but baths are extra, and are
cheap at shilling.
We were five days at the Russell, but
only took our breakfast there. Most of
the party lunched and dined at the
, | Holharn restaurant MAGNIFICENT oS-