The Detroit times., 1910-11-30
A Hotel University
BY FREDERIC ! HASKIN

vent the business from degenerating
into a charity. The hotels were found
ed for the sole purpose OF affording
the poor men OF New York a decent
place TO stay and eat ut as low a
price as possible. There Is no desire
TO make profit out of the business.
ine variety Of things which the
steward OF a modern hotel must buy
Is Practically inexhaustible. One
large New York restaurant imports
$4,000 snails every week from Brit
tainy, while another requires several
thousand pounds of frogs legs
month. Al Fulton Market In New
York 100000 pounds of frogs legs are
sold annually, most OF them going to
the hotels and restaurants OF that city.
Missouri Leads the United States In
the production Of frogs legs.
For intelligent buying the man who
for years sold the largest sandwich In
New York for nickel. takes frst
rank among all hotel and restaurant
men. He died not long ago and his
estate was valued at $250,000 He al
ways claimed that his largest sand
wish" was the basis Of his entire for
tune. II Is said that the most valua-
BILE eggs ever eaten by any man were
those used by the late z. II. Hartman
during the early part OF his final Ill.
ness. The whole financial world walt
ed each morning to hear whether he
was able TO take his poached egg on
toast, and the fiuctuation OF the stock
market incident to his ability TO eat
the eggs wrought many changes In
values
no rIIx.
tauranteur to travel six thousand
miles TO cook single dinner and buy
the materials therefore. but such was
the experience OF the late George NJ.
Harvey, the famous restaurant-keeper.
OF Washington. An Englishman had
visited his place and had eaten Of his
terrapin la Maryland. When he
later wanted to give a dinner, he ask
ed Harvey what he would take TO
come TO England and prepare It, Har.
vey replied that he would take one
thousand dollars, with all expenses
paid. The Englishman WINGED a little
at the price, but agreed to meet the
conditions. so Harvey took his terra.
pin with him and cooked the dinner.
he returned to America the day after
the banquet.
given took place in Paris in 1905,
when covers were laid for Sc 900 peo-
pie. AT this feast $4,000 quarts Of
wine, $4,000 quarts of ale and 10000
quarts OF champagne were consumed,
to saY nothing OF the seventy tons OF
solid food. Ii required $500 walters
10 serve the banquet. One of Az r-
| ics-'s largest banquets was held In st.
Louis In honor OF the victory Of Her
bert 3. Hadle' In the race for the
governorship Of that state a few years
ago. This banquet cost Sc, 1000 with an
extra allowance for help and equip
ment. Another American banquet
| held at Springfield. Illinois, In honor
] or the hundredth anniversary OF the
olrth or Abraham Lincoln cost $780,
oVo, or twenty-five dollars a plate.
| eW York Is the greatest hotel city
IN the world. 1t is estimated that
Sli4,OOO.O 600 Is invested in hotel prop.
erty there, The task OF provisioning
/ L 2l5 principal hotels on Manhattan
Island Is a large one under ordinary
circumstances, but when the stewards
nave 10 provide for 100000 more peo-
I pie than they expected. as was the
case during Hudson Fulton cele.
J Drauon, IL becomes a task indeed
During that celebration the hotels and
restaurants OF the city bought 900 900
broilers. 100000 soup chickens, %.
600 eggs, 100000 pounds of lamb.
100000 pounds of beef, $500 900
pounds of pork. 100000 pounds OF
scale fish, 500, 900 Holsters and 10000.
0Co oysters. New York will probably
furnifh more pupils to the new Hotel
! University tan any other two cities