The sun., 1902-03-09
WAS NEW rORK.s OLDEST BAKER.
The Late Frank G. white and the Business
His Grandfathe Established.

ivy SrenotaHer ESthobenVu'
When Frank c. White, New York's Oldest
baker. died a few weeks ago the poor OF
New York lost one OF their best friends.
He had distributed loaves Of bread among
the poor daily for nearly fifty years.
For sixty years he managed the old
bakery on Catharine street where his grand
father established 1t In the days Of the
Revolutionary War From the time the
grandfather died until Frank White was
old enough to manage the bakery, Franks
father, John White conducted II.
II was Frank White who introduced
up-to-date ideas into the baking busi-
ness in New York. He established the
wholesale wagon delivery business and
was the first 10 learn that catering to parties,
weddings and public entertainments was
a paying business.
When James and George Steers, tho
shipbuilders, launched the yacht America,
Frank White furnished the luncheon. This
was away back in the Cos When the
Young Mems Christian Association was
formed in 1852 Frank White furnished a
supper to those who assisted in organic
ing IL. Even farther back in 1850. on the
night that Jenny Lind, the Swedish song
stress, appeared in Castle Garden Mr..
White did the catering at a reception that
followed.
In 1857 when New York was visited by a
panic and families that had been well TO do
were reduced TO want, White went TO their
rescue and supplied bread. buns and bis
cult free. While he was doing this mobs
were trying TO break into other bakeries
to get something TO eat. But. as White often
said, no hungry man was ever compelled
10 wait at his bakery nor did any one ever
break In there to get something to eat
II was after the establish ment Of the
soup kitchens in 1857 that Mr., White con-
ceived the plan of feeding the poor daily.
He issued orders to his superintendent,
Tom Crutchley. 10 give away bread to
any one who entered the Catharine street
shop and asked for IT,
The news that bread could be obtained
free soon spread throughout the CITY and
each day crowds of men. women and children
swarmed about the bakery and filed
Chatham Square while trying to get near
the place Often the police would appear
on the scene and try TO get the people into
line, but Baker White would interfere
and say:
They're all right. Let 'em get enough
to question a starving man, but give him
something to eat"
It was Whites manager Tom Crutchley,
who conceived the idea OF baking special
cakes for special occasions. IL a crowd
Of girls from the East Side were getting
up a surprise party they called at Whites
bakery and handed over whatever articles
they wanted baked In a cake. For instance
they would take the names of the persons
who had been invited to the social gathering
and hand them over to Crutchley.
Then Crutchley would bake the names
In the cake so that a name would appear
in each slice. White enjoyed these cake
parties and often prepared the cake him
self Then he would make inquiries az
TO which young woman got the name Of
some young man at the party and which
young couple had become engaged to
marry through the names in the cake.
So many of these orders were sent to
the Catharine street bakery that the place
became known as the IAn Hallowe en-
Bakery They were called upon 10 in
sert hairpins, wedding rings, love tokens,
china dolls and other strange things in
the cake This branch of the business
grew so rapidly that Mr.. White was COM
PEELED to build special bake ovens for sur
prise party cakes.
Mr.. White was in the habit Of figuring
out each day just how much -four had
been used in the bakery. This was because
he liked TO be able to tell his friends just
how much flour the bakery had consumed
in fifty years.
In the same way his manager, Tom
Crutchley, was i'm the habit Of figuring
out the many tons of paper and miles OF
cord that had been used in wrapping up
bread and cake carried away by customers.
Grutchley would say
Take twenty pieces like that forty times
an hour and figuring the hours into days,
there has been all told thirty miles OF that
white, wrapping paper used since I've
been here
Baker White died at the residence OF his
daughter at Whitehouse. n. j. He left a
Torture estimated in the millions and the
bakery on Catharine street he left TO his
by previous generations of Whites. Frank
{. White was rs at the time of his death.