Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-19

An elevator attendant can tell by the
manner in which a person approaches his
caller bent on investigating the house with
curious or evil intentions. The house guest
almost invariably will enter the car with
certain expression of inquiry on his face,
man or woman who has no right to enter
that same car, will have an indefinable bra
yado or effrontery in carriage.
An Embarrassing Situation.
A western woman, key in hand, was re-
Gently met by male guest of irreproach-
able references, wandering anxiously in the
corridor. She could not find her room in
the velvety maze and she appealed to her
chance acquaintance. The man knew no
more than she, but he stopped the next
elevator and asked the attendant where
room No. - was. It's occupant Mrs.
X of Denver could not find her bear
ings.
In three minutes, house detective was
politely, but persiStently endeavoring to
find out why the unfortunate if obliging
gentleman was interested in the location of
Mrs. KS room; what he was doing in New
York, etc. The news seemed to travel from
the smallest page to the floor clerk, and the
man felt that he was under surveillance
during the remainder of his stay and all
because he had meant to be courteous to
woman, who, as he said afterward, ought
not to have yentured into New York with
out guide.
A peculiar duty of the regular detective
force is following up the servants when the
latter leave the hotel after the days work
Is over. In this way they ascertain what
sort of home life the help" lead. where
they choose their companions, what their
amusements are, how they spend their
money, and most important Of all, whether
they live within their income. A surpris
ingly low percentage of thefts are traced to
servants. though it has often been said that
crooks get hotel positions with keen eye
to business. The house detectives are sup
posed to keep in touch with the municipal
police department, to know their rogue gall
lery and prevent any possibility of a man
or woman from the underworld securing a
position in the hotel. The majority of
thefts are traced to guests and in some in
stances are due to "kleptoma MIA"
There is everything to invite crooks.
Money is spent with prodigal hand. and
jewels dazzle. The average check for a
meal Is S1O and walters who receive reg
ular salary of S25 a month carry away
three times as much in tips. On New Year
night 5000 people sit down to supper the
tables overlooking the dining room into the
corridors. This means that at least $4,000
is spent on eatables, drinkables and cigars
between I pm. and 1 am. every day.
The Power of Money.
Money will buy almost anything here. A
guest may telephone to any shop and have
goods sent approval, with a shop en-
ploye in attendance. Without stepping from
the house man may summon a valet, who
will clean, press and tailor his garments
A barber will come to his room to admin
lister a shave. Stationery, cigars and the
alter tickets will be sent up to him from
the main floor, and a maid will go down
and select the flowers he would send to
his lady fair. 1t is told that a western man
o. Influence was saved from a most embar
RAISING position recently in this house. He
was returning on a windy night from the
theater wearing the only evening suit and
high silk hat he had with him. In trying
to catch his hat, which was the victim of
sudden gust, he slipped and fell and tore
his suit, arriving at the hotel a sartorial
wreck, for an electric car reached his hat
before he did.
Under ordinary circumstances a Broad
way shop would have come to his rescue
the next morning. but, alas! this happened
to be Saturday night, and he had a dinner
engagement for Sunday evening. He sent
for the hotel valet, who smiled and pro-
tested. The suit surely was past renovat-
ing. bat there was hope. Upstairs he had
many suits unclaimed by men who had been
called out of the city unexpectedly. And
hats? Oh, yes, several of them in fine
state of preservation, all cleaned, fumigated
and in perfect condition against Just such
an emergency as this. If monsieur did not
mind,
Monster did not mind. in fact, he re-
garded the valet and his unclaimed raj
ment as a gift from the gods and the
salvation of his dinner engagement The
matter was arranged quickly and to the
satisfaction of the valet, for as before
remarked in this article, the western men
are considered admirable spenders.
Odd Hotel Fads.
Nearly every large hotel has its fad,
its best advertised feature. For instance.
last season one particular tea room was
literally swarming with fashonables be-
tween four and five o'clock every after
noon. Not to be seen there at least once
or twice week was to be forgotten An
other hotel has acquired a Reputation for
a certain brand of pulled Italian bread.
and men talk about its digestive proper
ties as gravely as if their lives depended
upon It,, while women vow they are diving
to get the recipe for their own chefs Rut
rest assured the recipe is guarded zeal
ousiy Another house prides itself on its
CHINA, which is in exquisite design and
made from private and exclusive designs
in France. Still a fourth has the most
noted maitre d hotel in the country, a
man whose opinions are deferred to bv
social leaders and who owns "a few hotels
and yachts and things to quote the popu-
lar Nancy Brown
There are certain occasions too whom
all the world and his wife feel called unon
to grace the hotel with their presence The
horse show brings them from every corner
OF the Union and then rooms are at a pre-
OF servants increased and the passing show
something worth travelling miles to see.
AT the same house are given MANY nota-
bic public events" It's ball rooms beine
particularly well adapted to semi-public
functions, such as charity bazaars, musi-
Gales etc.
There. is one room, formerly a public
restaurant, now known as the directors
room. 1t is fitted up with massive furni-
ture, and here in secret conclave MANY
railway and trust magnates have gath
cred to put through deals that later have
astonished the world With millionares bv
the dozen on the register with perhaps a
horse show or dramatic event of inter
national interest drawing hundreds of sight
seers, they were free to take up their tenn
porary abode and hold secret conferences
without attracting the slightest public at
tention- And there is absolutely no one in
dlvldual who can SO emulate the Sphinx in
this day and age as the hotel clerk who de-
clincs 10 give forth information
. Nowhere in the world can one see a more
striking exposition of the modern CONNER
cial system, the specialization in work. the
executive mind of the hour at work. Be
hind the scenes in this great hosiery are
scores of men and women who do but one
thing unremitt ngly every day in the wear
There Is one man who cuts ice into blocks
as 1t comes from the ice plant and losses
ii into pulverizer. There are half a dozen
hn Itch