El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-06
SHELDON WATER COOLER SHAKES THE
THIRST Of MANY EL PASO CITIZENS
New Place Must Be Found
When the Hotel Closes for
Repairs.

The passing of the old Sheldon will
cause sorrow in the hearts of the traV-
cling public which has been making
the old hostelery their stage station
on the southwestern junkets for the
past % years. 1t Wont seem quite right
to come to FL Paso and not drift
! through the open doors Of the Sheldon
and get the glad hand at the resk. The
old hotel is to close on August %. The
doors will be locked for the first time
since it was opened as a hotel 10 years
ago and the pens stuck in the piece Of
potato on the counter will corrode with
disuse
Equal TO the sorrow of the travelling
men whose only home IN the southwest
has been the Sheldon, will be the re-
greet of the city's thirsty. The benevo-
lent water cooler which modestly re-
tires behind the clock plaster of the
lobby, has slaked the thirst of the
thousands since the hotel was opened.
No one is refused drink at this sub
stitute for the town pump. There is but
one place downtown where the public
knows that a cool drink of ice water
may be had without even the asking
That is at the Sheldon. When the wa
ter from TN alligator pool hydrants is
luxe NaTIH ~ the summer and l1nQOSS1-
bic to drinkyE the old copper cooler in
the arcade ON ME Sheldon lobby is per-
spring under Is load of trapped thirst
quencher
Many Thir Ones Attracted.
During the hon summer afternoons an
almost steady sNeam of the thirsty
may be seen drifting through the front
entrance of the hotel and I'D TO the
spigot, where their thirsts are quenched
10 years the big rectangular cooler
has been filled regularly with ice wa
ter Presumably for the guests of the
hotel, the water cooler is In reality a
public benefactiOn Not one of 100 of
the drinkers are guests or ever would
be guests at the hotel Thew are the peo-
pie who cone downtown to shop, plaza
lOungers, street car men and others who
know of no other available source of |
supply
1t requires a total of 500 pounds Of
ice to keep the water in the old cool
err at point where il will produce the !
pleasant shaking feeling as il floats |
down the parched throat of the thirsty |
The cooler holds % gallons of water and |
it is often filled as many as five times |
during the day, making a total of 100 |
gallons of water that is consumed by !
the passing throng. This is provided |
and 70 date no one has ever been known |
to express an appreciation of the &C
commodation by so much as a thank |
you"
Test Proves Popularity.
AS an actual test of the coolers popu- |
larity, an account was kept of those !
whose thirst was satisfied For 90 min |
utes q count was made of the persons, |
and during that time from $3.50 to 4 !
n11n
exactly % persons. Although it was an /
off hour for the ice water business.
according to the hotel men. the cooler !
was doing business at the rate of al !
most a thirst a minute, and Thursday |
was not particularly hot day Sunday
is the best day of the week at the |
cooler and line may be seen In front !
OF the spigot resembling the line in |
front of theater box office.
Of the IS persons who drank at the |
Sheldon cooler. II were business men.
five street car motornen and coneiuc- |
tors, six were kids, including three Her |
aid newsboys, two were women. enc a /
small girl, one Mexican and one negro. !
why by the way was the only one who |
drank from his own glass which he had |
brought with him from a barber shop. |
OF the total number, but one was 4 |
guest of the hotel and according to |
chief clerk Cole the guest who drinks |
at the cooler is the exception.
Ice Consumption Large. i
The, quantity of ice water consumed |
at this semi-public drinking place dur |
ing years time is truly encrraous
and the ice used In cooling it sufficient !
to build a respectable ice palace in the /
plaza If the sun would stand for it. |
Where these patrons Of manager John |
Fishers free ice water fountain will go |
for their thirst quenchers in the future |
Is not known There is no other drinking |
place where ice water may be had bv /
everyone The old, old. adage that one !
does not miss the water until the we'll |
goes dry, applies to the Sheldon cooler. |
for there viii be many persons carving
thirsts around with them, after the |
Sheldon closes with the old cooler. rs |
dry as death valley drouth