Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-06
MODERN NECESSITIES.
Value of Table Silver of First Class
Hotels Sometimes Half Million.


How many years ago was it that our
ancestors came to the conclusion that
food could be eaten more conveniently
with forks than with the fingers? Not
many centuries. certainly, but within
that brief period we have been very
busy evolving away from the eminent
ly simple and perfectly efiicacous
methods of the days of Queen Eliza
beth
II you want to realize how far we
have progressed toward complicated
elegance within the past 400 years
there is one place that will give you
just the right impression, and that is
behind the scenes in big hotel.
We speak casually of a '1ot of sill
YER and what care it is and so
forth when the number of knives and
forks and spoons in a house runs to a
dozen of each or something like that.
but il you want to see what f'lot of
silver really is you must go to the
silver room that supplies some fash
ionable public restaurant.
Half million dollars is a good deal
of capital. to the idea of the ordinary
man. but that, sum represents the in
vestment in silver alone of some of
our largest hotels. None of the first
class hotels in any large city proba-
BIZ has less than $500. 900 worth. The
value of the investment depends. of
course, ON the amount, for all have
varied and elegant services. These
sums represent from 100 10 100000 sep
arate pieces of table silver.
All these pieces not only represent
the enormous amount paid for them in
the first place. but they call for an
other expenditure to polish, repair and
guard in one way or another Indeed,
there are many businesses called large
which do not involve as much trouble
and expense as this single item in the
province of the hotelkeeper.
1t is an item. too, that passes half
unnoticed. Guests may wonder vague
~ now much silver ii takes to run a
large hotel, but they do not see half
the quantity and cannot imagine the
detail it's care involves.
Ifrthe steward of one of these great
hotels is so good as to let you look at
his inventory the items viii be found
to run something like this:
Table forks, 5000 banquet spoons,
5000; knives, 5000: banquet knives,
5000; tablespoons. $500, dessertspoons,
$500; teaspoons. $500; dessertlnives.
$500: butter chips, $500.
Then he will explain that for ordi-
nary every. day use, the hotel must
have just about twice the amount OF
silver that is actually in use at any
one time; this of course, to allow for
washing and polishing.
But that is not all There are ban
quets at every hotel and these require
proportionately more silver than is
used in the regular dining room. For
the banquets the big hotels have al
most, or quite, as much silver again.
This does not include the special
services. The ordinary banquet silver
is like that used in the dining rooms,
but for small party, when the affair
is very elaborate. there is always a
service a little finer than the other,
and every hotel nowadays has it's gold
service TO give the final touch of ele-
gance
The silver that is not actually in use
is kept in a special room. Everything
has to be calculated by what will be
needed during the height of the sea-
son, and when the season is waning
the storeroom begins to fill
1t is not a glittering and gorgeous
place. the silver storeroom, for its
thousands of dollars worth of beauti-
full things are covered up, but it is
none the less impressive to be told that
the chatting dishes that line the shelves
cost from $40 to so apiece. There are
dozens of them and dozens more are in
use.
There are in the storeroom more
kinds OF forks than can well be count
ed. There are, to begin with, the
usual large table forks for the mea
courses and the smaller forks fol
breakfast and for dessert. There arr
the oyster forks and the ice cream
forks and queer fish forks in erea
numbers.
! There are asparagus, forks-but 4
serve asparagus. not for eating-an'
| game forks, also for serving. of
sharpness that the other carving
forks lack. Hundreds and hundred
of every kind are piled about.
/ In the storeroom, too, are the mos
expensive pieces of silver, the enor
| nous ones used only for large ban
quets. They weigh tons, and eac
piece has cost at least 5000 or S30C
| Most of them never go before tn
| guests, but stand on the serving tabl
in a sort of glorious inconspicuous
ness.
\ Perhaps the most impressive thin
about the silver behind the scene i
after all. the number of silver tray
stacked all around.
There are trays to the right an
trays to the left--trays in front an
behind. They are piled on the table
where coffee is prepared; they al
: waiting, hundreds strong on shelvt
above the cook stoves; they rise
shining columns on every side.
When one thinks of hotel silver OF