The Washington times., 1901-10-01
FAMOUS AS A RESTAURANT
Chamberlin's Doors Closed, Not to
Be ReOpened as Club.
Passing of Landmark Among the
Hosteiries of the CITY - where
Statesmen Ate. Drank, Gained, and
QuarrcIed-somc Historic Events

Chamberlins famous restaurant ard
| club house is n thing of the past 1t Is
permanently closed. and big To Let
sign is posted on the door through which,
for many years until the past summer,
the most prominent men cf tie country,
politically, socially, financially, ald Cther-
wise, came and went.
The closing of Chamberlin,s Is popularity
recognized as marking the end of the con-
ditions under which the hostal-y was es-
tablished. As was SAID yesterday by a
former frequenter of the hotel, 1t is no
longer possible ito leglsla.e throneh the
stomach" and that Is why ckamberlin' S
is no more Prior to the establishment of
the club house a Fifteenth and II Streets.
where IL has been located for twenty
years. John Chamberlin had been The host
of two other Washington houses -one on
! the present site of the Army and Navy
! Club and the other on New YorK Ave
nue.. short distance away. aftcrward the
site of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation.
When he opened the place whose career
has just ended it at~once became the
meeting place for those who We're tempt
ed by the fame of the dishes prepared
according TO the recipes of the famous
bon vivant whose popularity continued to
the day o. his death. Chambe-lin's early
became more than hotel; more than
club, and developed into the closest of
close corporations. John" was the load
stone which brought together under the
roof of the hostelry the representative
gatherings always TO be found there dur
ing his life. =
There, between the courses of his un-
equaled viands. politics was discussed
with all the freedom possible. Every fel-
low around the board was rated a jolly
good one, regardless of his nationality, re-
ligion or politics. Sometimes bad blood
came to the top with the, good wine, and
then there was trouble.
There in their moments of relaxation
would the statesmen gather and battle
with the cards, with as much or more
earneStneSs than exhibited on the floor
of the Senate or House for stakes the
amount of which would have filled their
constituents with horror There are many
men in official life today who can remem-
Der the night when a Cabinet officer, in dis
cussing with another member OF the
Presidents official family a question of
national import, grew heated through
force of argument or aush Of wine and
struck his colleague in the mouth with his
clenched fist.
The participants immediately retired to
a private room with their friends. where
the name of the historic sdueling ground
OF blaQeHSDurB was again DrOUknt into
prominence and~there was much talk of
honor and satisfaction" The matter
was at last pacifcally adjusted. largely.
ii is said, through the intsrcession of
Chamberlin himself, and the exercise of
his personal influence with the partici-
pants. Other famous quarrels occurred,
as when two Senators rolled about the
floor in deadly embrace during a poker
game. when one was accused of playing
a bogus flush.
On the death of John ChamberIin at
Saratoga the hotel bearing his name
passed into the hands of Edward NJ. X.
Somborn, his intimate friend and finan-
cial hacker in many of his undertakings.
and il was continued for the benefit OF
Mrs. Chamberlin under the name that
had made IL famous. But while many Of
the intimates of Chamberlin stopped
there for old associations sake, the place
had lost its prestige and gradually but
surely slipped out of popularity.
1t was continued under the same man.
agement until last spring. when 1t was
closed for the summer months. Recently
Somborn announced that he would not
resume the management of the house.
When Chamberlin died IT was found
that a host of men, many of them being
prominent in Congress and l9rt, of it,
owed him large sums of money Very
little of IL was collected. John Chamber
lin never pressed his friends for payment
and they took advantage of his gener-
osity and lax business methods He had
many friends among the wealthiest and
most influential men of the country. His
place did a big business, but he died
poor man.