The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
HOTEL LOBBY GLEANINGS
NE<y CLAYPoOL HOTEL WILL BE
OPENED NEXT SATURDAY.
What Manager Henry w. Lawrence
I'm. Accomplished I'm Two Years
Building md Planning.

Th$ new CIaypool Hotel will be thrown
cpcp to the public next Saturday If no un-
tows-d circumstance occur in the mean
whis 10 prevent. There will be no fanfare
of ttumpets to herald the event Instead
Mantger Lawrence will on Thursday or FRI
day send kilograms to all the principal no.
tells tf the country announcing the date Of
the opening and requesting that the tele-
grams be posted where commercial men and
othez travellers may see it. This form of
annosncement will be sufficient to I'LL the
CIaysool within forty-eight hours after the
opening. for the travelling public that makes
Indianapolis has been looking forward to
the sent for months, and there is some lit
tie rsvalry as 10 who shall be the first to
register on the first day.
1t 4 almost two years now since the first
actusl work toward the construction of the
ClaysOol was begun-July p. 1901, was the
date tf the beginning. to be exact-and there
haves been many vexatious delays in bring
ing the work TO completion However,
millisn-dollar hotel is no small undertaking,
and. tan things considered. Manager Law
rene; congratulates himself that his hotel
is n,tx practically finished. The next few
days, will see the finishing touches put on.
The work on the ground floor cafe is being
pushed with an extra large force OF men,
and d. is understood that the contractors
will sc out not later than Thursday. The
hangings are being put in on the parlOr
foor.s the decorators finished the bar yes
terdaEv. all the lights in the rotunda will be
IN by tomorrow. and then, after a last gen.
eral cleaning up. the hotel will be ready for
guests.
DINNER TO STOCKHOLDERS.
The first function 10 be given in the Clay
pool syilI be a dinner to the stockholders
Thursday or Friday night of this week The
exact date has not yet been determined and
depends somewhat on the expedition with
which the finishing work Is done the first
days sf the week
'Tfs' formal opening Of the Claypool will
not take place until ten days a week
after; we have opened the doors TO the
public" said Manager Lawrence last even
ing "a the English. We want TO get every
thing In smooth running order, and that
viii tStke some little time. To get a hotel
OF tbs size in good running order is very
similssr TO starting a big machine. There
are afOut two hundred employees, and while
all of them are experienced hotel people,
yet ttey are green hands so far as the
ClayFSol Is concerned, and it will take sew
eral Gays for them to get started right
The sIachinery in the basement has been
runnifg for the past month. in order to get
IL in Ehe proper condition. and so it will re-
quire time 10 get the whole machinery Of
the hotel in good running order.
Wien everything is going right we shall
issue sinvitatiOns for the formal opening
which will probably be in the nature of
big reception. BY the way, l am having
the time of my life now trying TO get on
speaking terms with our chef and his as
sistanss. They are all French, coming here
from New York, and do not speak a word
OF EnNlish. L used TO speak little Cana
dian French, and / find that that helps
little, out j am having a hard time TO COM
municstte with the kitchen force"
FOR NEWSPAPER MEN.
One of the functions to be given shortly
after ,the hotel is opened is a dinner to
the newspaper fraternity of the city Man
ager Lawrence celebrated the passing of
the obi Bates House with dinner to his
friends among the newspaper profession
and h will start the Claypool off with a
simila4 affair.
Manager Lawrence said last evening that
he has scheduled not less than a dozen
meetings., conventions and the like for the
first Il irty or forty days in the new hotel,
and us3t be has beer forced TO turn away
similar. engagements that would have
brought at least one thousand guests 10 the
establishment because he did not have the
open Gates The first affair in the assem-
bly, ro0m will be a concert on the Friday
night following the opening. II has MOTH
ing TODD with the opening. but il will be
the first public use of the hall