New Britain herald., 1923-02-23
NEw YoRK. Saturday

NEw YoRK, Saturday,
ToR the sake Of his Job We shall
have to be content with call
ing the hero Of this interview
Joe, Furthermore Joe insists, also
IN the interest Of the same valuable
Job, that the name OF his ship be
omitted, You are assured. however.
that Joe used TO dispense drinks and
barroom philosophy in various Of
our very best cafes and hotels,
He entered the baFkeep business
away back in the days when Pitts
burEh was credited with a population
made up entirely Of overnight mil
lienaires, Irving Berlin was still a
singing waiter on the Bowery and
the Boston Dip was the menace Of
the ballroom when Joe started out.
pink and green from the County
Mayo, as a purveyor Of the outeasi
cocktail and highball, Joe was be-
hind the bar IN Broadway near For
ty-slxth street at the time he was
lesisisied out Of his profession.
For two months" said he. II
had a fine time seeing tho inside OF
theaters and getting acquainted with
my family. The Volstead law had
mt as out OF business and II was up
% ma q man OF IS. to get another
job. For years | had been putting
In twelve. fourteen and sixteen hours
o day behind the bar or going to and
coming from work. had spent
yssrs helping folks enjoy themselves.
! was getting my enjoyment second
hand but I was making money. The
vito nved II.
A Soda Water Clerk.
Two months Of loafng and I went
70 work on soda water bar in the
Pennsylvania Hotel. I'd like TO tell
you OF the men that used to drop in
for a sundae or a banana split or .
cherry phosphate or something and
look me over and say:
We'll. for heavens sake. II II
amt JOEL
"Many's the time I'd served him
cocktails. But to get on with my
story. I met an old barkeep who told
me he was working on an American
liner.
"'what doingT I asked. Stew
ardr
Steward nothing says he.
Tending bar
So you're soda jerker, too
says l.
soda terker nothing says he.
The old stuff
'Bootlegging?' says I.
"'And you're pickpocket,' yerls
he. ready to fight.
We'll, we shake hands and he tells
me he's come to get me job. That
was eighteen months ago. He takes
me- to Washington. where I was as
signed to one Of the Shipping Board
iners as barkeep. and I'm now serv-
ng booze the same as ever under the
stars and Stripes on liner leased
" the Shipping Board to a well
Known corporation.
when I landed from trip before
asst I noticed that they were raising
he devil in Congress and the Prohi-
,ition Directors office about booze
IN American ships. The Shipping
Board came back with the statement
hat they had to sell booze or lose
II their customers. In other words,
olks going abroad were not unmind-
I'll that they were going to have the
opportunity to have a drink or so
,efore returning The majority OF
hem decided to drink as soon as pos
ible, which means the moment the
hree mile limit Is crossed going east.
Now, I'm nothing but a barkeep.
mats all I've been all my life since
was 10. Personally take a drink
1yself now and then. but that's
either here nor there. l mention
merely to show you that I'm not
ne of those barkeeps who never
rank drop and sneered at folks for
ools who did. And despite the fact
AXE a drink now and then and enjoy
own my own home in Newark and
mother house in jamaica Long ISL
nd. II should drop dead the wife
ont starve. My two girls are mar
led to bright yerng business men,
nd my boys dentist with whale
I practice.
An Open Minded Man.
ct mention this merely to show
lat all the drinking / ever did never
ade a bum Of me. So you see
ave a claim to being open minded
bout this booze game-that is. from
~ personal standpoint There's
lose drink has ruined. There's those
lat It never harmed. Corn fritters
Ill kill you IL you go crazy on them.
ct me? What I'm trying to say is
lat I'm neither wet nor dry; one
de or the other. don't want what