New-York tribune., 1908-04-04
SEEK RELICS OF HOTEL
Souuenir Hunters Worry Employees
at Fifth Auenue.

Extraordinary vigilance has been necessary
around the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which VIII Close
it's doors for regular business tonight. on ac
count Of the fact that souvenir hunters are steal
ing about everything movable The employees are
on the alert to prevent the piIferng. but they are
not always successful Guests take knives. IorAs'
spoons. pepper and salt boxes. match boxes
brandy and wine gasses-in fact almost anything
that can be carried away without the asslstance
of a truckman. The hotel people are nearly as
tracted over il and they will be glad wnen tle
auctioneers begin the first of the week 10 sen
things from the catalogue.
An elderly woman and middle aged man ashed
the room clerk yesterday afternoon il they couio
see Room No 363 When they reached il the matron
said: My SON. this is the room in which you were
born and you the first child born IN the hoVei-
1 wanted you TO it before the Motel Is torn
down. The room looks pretty much as II did IN the
early 60s.'
MI and Mrs n L. Bradley OF Meriden. told
Charles N Villas one of the rroprietors that they
would be on hand to-day TO see the closing OF lhe
hosiery. They said that they were present the
night it was opened for business, in 1883. twenty
couples. mostly elderly people. have dropped IN 10
revisit the scenes OF their honeymoons Nine peo-
pie from quite distance registered at the hotei
to attend the closing dinner tonight. MI Was
said that he had received many applications for
dinner tonight that he could not accommodate ali
of them in the main dining room
Three hundred requests for souvenirs TO De oousht
at the auction have been received by the hotel peo
pie. One man wants the step which Blaine stood
when he made the speech at the time Dr. Burcnard
gave utterance to his Rum, Romansn and Fe-
beIlion' sentiment Another man wants floor
tile another a billiard and another the top OF
the fagpole. Still another wants the bed in which
the Prince of Wales slept when he came to this
country in the COS
II was said last night that Senators Piatt and
Depew would be at the hotel at O'Clock to-day, In
the Amen Corner.
Ca-rs rich nd au7fab old citizens
who for years have been sanpIng the liquors at
the Fifth Avenue Hotel were deeply chagrined yes
terday when they learned that they will not see or
sample certain brand Of brandy Of the vintage
of 1893
Elmer A Darling proprietor of the hotel ad
mitted yesterday that few bottles OF brandy Of
this great age were left, but ne said they would
be offered for sale.
Z am going TO keep it myself" said Mr.. Oar
ling There is so little Of that particular brand
that it would cut an inconsiderable figure in the
auction Of the liquors, and it won't be offered
at all.
"Paran Stevens and my uncle bought good
many barrels Of the brandy when they were run
ming the old Revere House in Boston. in the so =
When this hotel was built they bought a large
supply Of liquors wines and brandies, costing go
0oo, and this old brandy was among the rest II
was in the wood the time. bu. when the stock
began TO dwndIe which it rapidly did after this
hotel was opened and drinking people began TO
talk about the brandy, Mr.. Stevens took the liquor
of the casks and bottled it. TO prevent evapo-
ration
That bottled brandy of 17s9 acquired resPecta-
Bile notoriety among a select coterie Of drinking
following the war, and they soon had the
stock way down None Of that particular kind OF
brandy has been on sale for ffteen years. When
l learned that it would be gone I gathered
up the remaining bottles and put them away
Even after 1 that a guest of the hotel al
legged that he had made a bargain years before
with Mr.. Stevens for dozen bottles of the brandy.
and he made requisItion on ne it 1 turned
over him a dozen bottles. and now there is so
little of the stock left that is hardly worth
mentioning There is not the slightest doubt about
the age Of the brandy, it duly authenti-
Gated when Mr. Stevens bought it