The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-08-24

| branch Of the intramural railway has
BEEN offered as an inducement to visitors
to see the Fflplnos.
4 visit to the Inside Inn is worth a
trip to the fair. even though you do not
leave the portals of this huge caravan
sary during your stay. The Inn was erect
ed Tor money-making purposes and II it
Is not gold mine appearances are de-
eeptlNe. 4 number of humorous observa-
lions have been inspired by the extensive
proportions of the Inside Inn. some of
them based on fact and some on fiction.
However, one can hardly be blamed for
exaggerating In the fact of SO much real
exaggeration.
There is an "army'' of bellbovs. an
army of chambermaids, an "army'' of
Mattresses, regiments of other employees
and one night during our stay 1000 guests
slept beneath the hospitable roof of the
Inn Here are to De met human beings
u Every type and when they begin to
tramp up and down the enterminable
corridors or surge along the lobby they
offer a passing show that is fascinating to
a student of human nature. MANY of
them are people of wealth. and proroI-
nenee. others have never been In a hotel
before and did not know how to register
their names when they arrived.
The Inside Inn Is essentially a tempo
rary structure. The visitor Is Impressed
by this fact at every turn, but 1t serves
its purpose admirably and the system by
which this enormous establishment Is con-
Quoted Is marvellous
| The business district OF the Inn Is con-
fined to the lobby. Here are to be found
drug store, dry goods and notions store,
five or six souvenir establishments, post
office, cigar and candy store, telegraph
office, baggage transfer office, railroad
office, check room, buffet and the hotel
offices. The postofhce does business
that would make the postmaster at
Esopus turn green with envy and all the
/ lobby merchants seem to be prospecting
The Kansas editor who occupied room
In the Inside inn and went over to Mob
erly, NO., every day to take lunch prob
ably had No. 5000. 1t is fact that a
tramp down a corridor of the inn calls
for trained pedestrians and by the time
you do reach the dining room you have
a healthy appetite. There are no passen-
ger elevators in the INIT is only two
stories highland walking is therefore
very popular. However. there are enough
chairs scattered around to accommodate
all the hotel loafers In Alabama, so one
can sit down-when he is fortunate enough
to find a chair vacant
| The bell boys have too great an admir-
alton for the coin of the realm, but here's
to the waitressesi Some of them are not
dazzlingly beautiful and others are in
considerable of the English language bur
all are pleasant, polite, fast workers and
cannot be tipped. There is some innate
restraint which prevents a southern man
from tipping a white waitress, although
he may be accustomed to tipping negro
servants and as 1t is not the fad to tin
the girls at the Inn they do not wax
opulent on revenue derived from guests
But they are a cheerful lot, always ready
to start a conversation, wise in the ways
of the world, and willing to bring you
a second helping of desert If you want 1t.
The chambermaids had ball In that part
of the dining room conducted on tho
American plan. The next morning our
waitress was discussing the affair In fine
scorn.
Me there? Well. guess not. We don't
do their kind of work and we wasn't CO.
ing to their ball II they had give us
bid
But we shall always cherish a pleasant
recollection of the mattresses at the Inn
because one of them promised us-there
was only one of us this time-four plates
of soup II we wanted 1t and plenty of ice
cream besides. PAUL COOK.