Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-05-01
CLERK so YEARS
TELLS OF PIONEER JAYS

r. M. Fish OF Wichita Falls, Tex,
recently celebrated the completion of
o. years in the hotel business. n in
Ine course OF an article in the Denver
Hotel Bulletin he relates his experien-
ces during the early days. Among
other things Mr.. Fish says:
II commenced as bell hopper in the
Old Pacific house, Council Bluffs, Ia,
IN February. N63. The civil war was
tnen on. There We're no railways in
that part of the state and the Union
Pacific railway was Their under discus
slo in congress. Stages were the only
means of transportation. Council
Bluffs was then larger than Omaha or
KANSAS City. In 1866 the old St. Joe 81
Council Bluffs railway crept up the
Missouri bottoms and was afterwards
extended to Kansas City via Atchison.
During my earliest engagement as
peii mop there was no electricity. Every
pen 10 every room vas connected to an
lndivldual bell in the office. If a guest
!erked the cord too hard it would
break and then there was great trouble
IN connecting 1t again. Lamps We're in
general use. 1875 being used in the
PACIFIC dining room. There We're no
canned gods except oysters from Bal
.l1lore. and the chef was more of a
butcher han a cook. There was no
such thing as a 25-cent restaurant. A
person desiring a meal for less than so
or 10 cents had to hunt a boarding
house. In 1858 the Union Pacific was
completed to the coast, and as steward
OF the Metropolitan in Omaha, had
the pleasure of serving Boss Tweed and
FAMILY. Henry Ward Beecher, Theodore
I1lton, William Cody, and other no
tables of hat time.
Only One Street Car.
II h came to Kansas City. serving
as steward and head waiter at the
Coates. Pacific and Lindell. The Coates
was then managed by Kersey Coates.
the owner. 1t was asy to see the cor
ner or Firth and Delaware from the
coates entrance at hat time. At that
time there was a single a pulled by a
single mule and guided by a single
Niger up Broadway hill from Fifth
street. 1t made the round trip from
Fifth street every 80 minutes.
"A popularity Of h old Pacific was
a notation on the foot of the bill that
guests should be patient as to, their
orders, as 1t was a long way to the
Kitchen" and 81 it was.
The old Lindell was noted for it's
superb coffee and fruit pies-each guest
peia ae served a whole pie. 1 then went
to st. Louis on the Fanny Lewis boat
to the Eads bridge opening in 1876, and
from there to Philadelphia to the CEN
tenn1al on a diner for the ST. Louis
club. Afterwards 1 managed and
clerked in Iowa houses and on the
oiiOi i SlllC SySI6I1.
Didn't Like Des Moines,
one time 1 answered an ADVERTISE
ment in a Des Moines, Ia, paper. for
q hotel clerk. I took the train and went
to the good little town of 1900 people.
Went to the principal hotel, which was
neatly furnished. Asked the proprietor
If there We're no other duties except
clerking. He said. oh. yes! You clean
" lamps daily. milk three cows, drive
the bus to the train. and take care
of the horses. I asked him for the To-
cation OF my room. He said 1 didn't
need a room-could lie behind the coun-
ter whenever I wanted to. and ON
Wednesdays and Saturdays could help
scrub the house. I resigned in advance.
Forgot to Call Guests.
My first engagement az night clerk
ended In disaster. The house ($s per
day) had a great many transient peo-
PIE as e%migrants to Nebraska,
Kansas and the Dakotas. The call book
had been used so long that the corners
OF the leaves had turned up. I turned
over two leaves instead of one and left
rs people. Discovering my error in
time. 1 took the first train out of town
and spent the summer with my uncle
on the farm. The error cost the hotel
over $4,000. as the guests were travel
Ing on limited tickets.
During my engagement as manager
OF the Union Pacific hotel at Hunting
ton. Ore. h Markell. I found my entire
Kitchen crew OF five lying on the floor
drunk and asleep. The water back had