The sun., 1919-02-21
Onetime Head Waiter. of Fifth
Ave. Hotel Companion Of
Generals and Presidents.
THE COCKTAIL
David II. Moffat Gave Him
Ranch and Took Him
to Europe.

lions, who remember the glory OF the
old Fifth Avenue Hotel half century
and more ago, the death of the most
famous hotels equally distinguished !
head waiter. will stir recollections OF
gathering place wherein Tom Gay was
known to nearly every one In the public
eye.
There are items of the mortuary news
which have the magic, doubtlessly, OF
renewing youth. however briefly. and the
intelligence of the passing of Tom Cay
a head waiter who was friend OF Presi-
dents. Generals gold mining nabobs and
editors, who was indeed quite figure
Of man In the BLUM, extravagant, richly
colored period following the civil war
will reanimate many "reminiscences dusty
with years.
Gen. scott VIII BE There.
These old ones may have a vision over
their toast and coffee of the personnel OF
the reception committee which might
well await Tom Gay when Capt. Charon
eases his boat into her slip and offers to
Tom a hand over the side-a courtesy
which would provoke. one well knows. a
bow OF thanks. but a negative shake OF
the head from Tom. Probably the tall
and portly figure of Gen. Winfield Scott
will be well in the front of that commit
tee, for the General and Tom were good
friends
No doubt Tad Lincoln will be cutting
capers under the very coat skirts or the
committee dignitaries. Just as Mr. Lin
coins boy used to prank about under old
Toms eye when the Lincolns came to
New York and put UP at the Fifth Ave-
nue.. And one may imagine Gen. Nc
Clellan-Little Mc-somewhere about.
along with Gen. William Tecumseh Sher
nj Arth
Marcy. Gen. McClellan's father-in-law.
and Ed Stokes. still cutting a great fig
ure. and Gen. Phil Sheridan and perhaps
even a short compact figure of a man
with a stump OF cigar barely smoking
In the corner of his tight Tipped mouth
L. s. Grant.
But the first hand outstretched will
be that of Dave Moffat. David H. Moffat
IF New York and Colorado Springs the
gold miner who took Tom Gay to Eu-
rope two or three times and who finally
gave him. all complete. a fine ranch near
Steamboat Springs, Routt county, Col.
They were all Toms friends. big
hearty knowing men who detected under
he Formally Of a headwaiter's pose the
many human, worthwhile and superior
traits that made up Tom Gays charac-
ter. Back in the '7os. before the suave
and polished Arthur ever dreamed Of
going TO the White House. 1t was his
custom to chat daily with Tom and to
see to 1t that none save Tom supervised
, the construction Of the shutdown toddy.
This was a function indeed which
Tom Gay essayed for Gen. Sherman.
who was very particular about his
tipple, and the cargoes OF champagne
that he guided over the bar OF the old
FIFTH Avenue for lesser men celebrating
| their triumphs in the stock market would
REQ lire the holds OF tall ships for their
s.s age, In the foFty-nve years thai
ron served the Fifth Avenue Hotel he
saw as much of life from the inside as
any other man no doubt and enjoyed
intimacies that have been denied to mil
liona!res.
Improved the Cocktail.
| In his heyday. which was in the '70s
and SOS, there were many guests of the
hotel who could scarcely be made to be-
| lieve that the dignified. calm faced per
| son at the entrance door of the Fifth
Avenues dining room was actually n
headwaiter. for Tom looked much morr
like a guest of the hotel than did most
of the guests themselves. Having risen
to rank in his trade which corresponds
| to that of Colonel in the army. though
much better paid, Tom acquired very
naturally a poise and SAVIOR faire, all
Enlightened by humor, which made him
a companion frequently sought by those
whose names were on every tongue. l!
he did not actually invent the old fash
Toned whiskey cocktail he certainly I'm.
proved IL, which is no small asset in in.
ventorying claims to fame.
Tom Gay came TO New York from
Cazenovia. Madison county, N Y. which
is not far from Syracuse, obtaining 6
post Office address in ls45. When the
South got her back up and began e
handle firearms regardless little Ton
deserted Cazenovia between days and
nended for this city In the hope of breG X
ing into the Union army. The recruiting
sergeants weren't too particular IN thai
war, but nevertheless Tommy was
bit too young and a shade too small
even for their tolerance. so they showed
fhirl the door.
Chance sent him 10 the Fifth Avenu.
Hotel, n grand place in those DAYS anC
chance got him his first job that OF
waiter The hotel had been open sine,
August "a. 1859. and was already III.
habitat OF the distinguished
He Meets Monst.
One day in the early sos Tom intro
duced a broiled spring chicken TO bl,
man from the West. big hungry. tiret
man, who had millions. but who didn'
beginning of a close friendship between
Tom and David II. Moffat OF Colorado
. oYEA..Sf gold mines and credltAsk WIZ!
the possession of $4,000, 600 even then.
The two took TO each other sincerel,
and naturally Dave Moffst got in tn
habit OF looking out for Tom. of pre-
senting him with lucrative tips in tn
stock market and of extending TO hin
useful advice. The Moffat bankroll grew
with the friendship and along in iS9
THE Sun carried this item Head Waite
, Gay Sails Away--Fifth Avenue Hote
Guests Bereft While He Visits Europ
with D. H. Moffat."
r They had high old time and repeate,
It seven years later, occupying on tn
e way over a suite aboard the Celtic tina
e princes had found satisfactory. Tim
= kept racking along and then ono da
g in 1905, Dave Moffat instructed his chic
= engineer OF the Denver, Southwestern
I and Poetic Railway ito keep an ey
= out for little place for Tom Gay some
! where along the line" Sumner, the chic
r engineer spotted 15S acre ranch nea
. Steamboat Springs In Routt county, Col
e orado. acquired title and stocked II CON
pietely.
G Mofat handed Tom the title deeds 70
:. the ranch. and pass through ST. Peter
gate wouldn't have fluitered the bene
ficiary more. He quit the hotel Just be
). fore II was torn down In 1903 and wer
y West to live on his fine ranch. But Co
orado and Toms rheumatism refused I
y make friends He round II impos slbl
) to live out there. so he came back Eas
: and bought a little hotel in Seymou
Conn. on the way from New Haven I
Waterbury.
. Death came to him on "Wednesday |