The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-12

sideratiOn for the past year between
Sprunt of the executors of the Muir
Gibson estate, has been closed, by which
Mr.. Hinton becomes owner of the Or
ton Hotel. The executors favored a
sale rather han another lease and
again they desired to close UP
the estate within a reasonable
time. The price received was some
what below the original estimates Das-
ed upon the recent advance in Front
street property.
The trade was practically closed
the time in The Messenger, and yester-
day the papers were signed, sealed,
and delivered, and the deed was re-
corded. The deeu reads, heirs of late
K. M. MurchisOn, Katherine MurChi-
son, LOula NJ. Sprunt, Jennie NJ. Ellis,
Jessie M. Carter. Kenneth NJ. Murcni-
<Cn. enc Marion n. Hurkamp, the
five surviving children of the late
Kenneth M. MurchisOn, of Brunswick
county to ]. H. Hinton" The proper
~ fronts 131 feet and 9 inches ON
Front street and is 155 feet deep. In
addition to this is included a two
story brick building on the northern
side of Princess street, % by &c feet.
This building is now occupied by W. E.
Springer and Company as a warehouse.
Under The Orion proper is the store
of NJ. H. Curran, j. w. Murchison
and Company, and the Peoples Savings
Bank.
When asked about the improvements
to be made, Mr.. Hinton made the fol-
lowing statement.
THE entire lobby and hall leading
to the dining room and elevator are
to be tiled; also metal ceilings On
same. The walls will have panel work
of Italian marble. eight feet high. The
location Of the Office will be changed
to west end of lobby. The space oc-
cupied by the present Office will be
thrown into the lobby n fitted up
with handsome leather settees and
comfortable chairs to be used as a nook
for private conversations, etc.
THE entire basement arrangement
will be changed. The lavatory and toll
lets will be installed with new fixtures.
The space occupied by the pool room
Will NC uSOu 1Ol odIlplt loO1llo. IL
entire basement will have a concrete
floor.
The piazzas on south side of the
hotel are being torn down, which will
give the rooms on that side of the
house more light and make them cooler
in the summer time. The entire house
will be wired and lighted by electricity,
and Nernst lights will be used in the
lobby and dining room. The motive
power of the elevator will be changed
to electricity. Another story will be
added to the north wing, over the dim
ing room. which will give fourteen ad-
ditional sleeping rooms Will install
fifteen new bath rooms which will
give, with those added a little more
than a year ago, thirty oOm with
private bath. | expect to put in a cir
culating hot water system, that has
always been one of the troubles with
the hotel. When the house was built
the hot water system was put in
wrong.
1.-The interior of the house IS to be
painted in old ivory. Quite a number
of the rooms are to be papered aud
new carpets put down. The carpets
and furniture have already been or
dered for the handsome parlOrs. Just
as soon as arrangements are complet-
ed | will bring down a northern house
keeper and use white chamber-maids
and scrub women. At some later date
l may install other white help in the
house.
by fall | will have in service a large
boiler and engine which will be sufi-
cient to run my own lighting plant.
elevator, water supply from an arte-
sian well to be bored on the premises;
will also operate my own laundry
plant. By making above changes the
house a be run much more ecOnom1-
cally in every way. The improvements
will be commenced at once and wnen
completed Wilmington will have the
finest commercial hotel in the state.
No n ever hears a complaint of the
table or service, but it is true, the in
terror of the house has been neglected
the past few years. Wilmington will
certainly have sufficient hotel accom-
modations for some years to come.
"a telephone will be put in every
room and will not only be connected
with the office but also the Bell Tele-
phone Company's central Office, en-
abling guests of the hotel to carry on
a conversation in Wilmington or dis
tant points if they desire. The rooms
now used as sample rooms are to be
divided off for guest chambers and
when all additions have been made the
hotel will have about 125 rooms"
Architect Charles Mcmillan is now
preparing plans for remodeling the
building on the interior and Mr.. Hin
ton expects to have the plans so in a
few days that he can get bids on the
work which will be rapidly pushed &c
completion.
The cuisine at The Orion is already
OF a high class and when the rooms
have been refurnished and the interior