The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-03

Boys Who Used their Brains. The
boy wh" saw spruit N Hourtcs!.
Under these captious Judson STUART.
noted writer speaks of Ellsworth NJ
Statler. Of New lurk CRY, az present The
owner OF the largest strinS - hotel" IN
Inc United States. HmuuS ihru being
the largest hotels IN til World. My. Stat
Ter began his nfc's career IN Wheeling.
as bcli-hvp at IN" Mcl.alC Huicl.
In oroulug hi, article. which appears
in the August l>,u' O. tn, AmvT!,Iu
BOY. Mr. Stuar: briefly outlines the ear!E
Iitr Of MI. StAtlcr hoy he started work
INK at II, McLurc Notc, At s. per month
and ~ ais. 81 III" az. 81 twelve years.
and Of his desires - h"r"m" something
bigger In the world. lie tells Of how
the 'ocll-hops" a; the Mcclure hotel
were compelled 20 climb ;hc stairs, they
being prohibited from using The elevator
which was for the use OF guests only.
and Of the plans the weary boy made
al the end Of his long days work.
Mr. Stuart also describes The court
eSls extended guests at the Slater
Hotels in New York Detroit. Cleveland
and the Other big cities throughout the
country. declaring Mr.. StatlCr started
his career by being courteous. and h" Is
still as courteous a. ever. In part he
says
By the time young :itatlcr had rra he'd
the az. Il fifteen h" hid IdNyuC"d {"
check BOY then he became nIEh' clerk
and later sill day clerk. and alter I
little he changed 70 another hotel over
In Akron where H." held u Nt.i h"tt"r
clerkship job. During AL tins time the
boy was saving his money that Is. what
WAS left after h had shared his rain-
ings with his mother. Then came Il pos
sihility Of realizing IN Il small way
steadfaSl ambition NJ his II" heard that
the billiard room mad been closed ~ ia"
Mcclure House where H. had t"rmcri!
been employed. Here WAS his chance.
With his savings u" WAS abb I" buy the
concession and to make over thy old bill
lard quarters into a Layout wh!rh coin
CldCd more with his own IDEAS. ;" 1T
eighteen years OF az" young Statlcr
stepped out OF the hotel employee class
into the lists Of hotel operators. This
venture paid such u bis prom, that soon
thereafter lie opened up i bowling alley
and billiard room Il block or tw" up thr
stree. and because h" kept his p'a""
clean. closed al right hours and eN"'nd"!
nudcSira bic lOaterS. he soon had the best
people Of til" city for patrons
One day while At dinner with his
mother and sisters. young StIt!,r in
quircd the cost OF the meal they were
eating. None OF them knew. but they
set abou; 10 figure i out. y rough CAL
Culation showed a surprising prom; OBJ
tain,tbe in the preparation and sale OF
food. and 80 the tn" yong man dcri!cd at
once that nc would add e restaurant as
a side line 10 MS billiard and pool buNl-
ness. II was matter Of only very
short lime before ane end of his cStth-
ushmenr had become II lunch room.
There are people HING in Wheeling.
Wcs; Virginia. today wh" can remember
socinS r. NJ. Stat',r start out from his
home every morning promptly al ilNc.
rain or shine. carry ing with him tw"
large trays OF h"mc-c1"ked pics. Md
his lunch room pr"sp"r"d just as I'D his
other ventures. because hc never for
once forgot the value Of courtesy.
This little pic house OF las made him
a profit OF NIFTY dollars week. Tha,
was certainly Il very satisfactory
achievement. but tn" young man y"arn-
ed for still bigger things. dr' when
little later monster ufIirc building Wa~
put up in Buffalo. he lease! Il floor t"r
restaurant att rental OF 'lSh' thou
sand five hundred dollars year. II cost
him twcuty-siN thousand dollars I" ou'-
1T tho restaurant. and after h" had PUT
into the enterprise very cent that ne
had nc found himself seventeen thou
sand dollars in debt. hut by diui ~
un,irlng efforts he ;ul.ed through and
paid every penny tina, il" owed.
The Pan American Fair at Buffal" n
1901 and the Worlds Fair At 81. Louis
in 1904 were events ,hat St1ttcr realized
meant business opportunities Tor HIN.
His Fan American Hotel as close to the
Buffalo fair grounds a. lac could get. ana
his Inside Inn. on the lair grounds AZ
ST. Louis had prosperous seasons dur
ing tho big fairs. leaving him with S+"".-
0OU to go on with his plans Tor d Dig
permanent hotel in which he could w""k
out his own ideas Of what "oU-
roundcd-Oui hotel should b. ILL., m"St
was in Eutfal". lie insured = own
NJ, for $3.50. 600 and with his Insurance
for security raised more cash and "Iilt
another N Cleveland. following II III
ouick succession ,,lth third IN hctr"it
and a fourth In 81. Louis. md today
New York city just "rtrsI'" the f"nh'
s\IlanlA with is t"-nth--'tcn HOURS
its twenty-five hundr"! rooms. ITS
rv.crrS.tvu hundred baths, rs system
Of c,rr,:la'!n, tr" ware- ;hr" igh"ut nna
other wonderful conicni"u"Cs ana iuA-
uries.