Unofficial Historical Website for the Palace Hotel, San Francisco.
Unofficial Historical Website for the Palace Hotel, San Francisco.
January 2nd, 1907: STURDY OLD WALLS CRUMBLE. Another portion of the remains of the old Palace Hotel was razed yesterday afternoon. A section of the Market Street wall fifty feet front fell about 2 o'clockwith a thundering crash after the workmen had been at work loosening the foundation by means of cables. The debris all fell within the enclosure with the exception of a few bricks. Traffic was in no way impeded by the falling wall. Cables were attached to the wall at the top of the first story and pressure brought to bear. The old building stood the strain for about thirty minutes, but finally crumbled and came down!
January 15th, 1907: MORNING BLAZE DRIVES GUESTS FROM THE PALACE. Defective Wiring Starts Fire In Hotel Kitchen and Aroused Inmates Flee Into Cold Street. The clang of fire engines and the ringing of the house alarm roused the guests of the temporary Palace Hotel at 3 o'clock yesterday morning and sent them scurrying from their rooms to the street in all conditions of attire. Smoke was seen issuing from the kitchen, and when the firemen arrived the flames were eating through the roof. After a hard fight in which the wall between the kitchen and the hotel was burned through, the flames were extinguished. The damage is nominal and covered by insurance. The cause of the fire was defective electric wiring.
January 16th, 1907: F. W. McDonald, industrial commissioner of the Santa Fe, had a narrow escape from death on last Monday afternoon. He was in his office In the Monadnock building, when the west wall of the Palace Hotel was being torn down. A part of the fire escape tore loose from the falling bricks and was hurled across the alley. It broke through the window of McDonald's room and also smashed the glass partition that divides his office from that of John Duffy. McDonald jumped from his chair and so saved his skull from being fractured.
January 27th, 1907: MASTER PLUMBERS HOLD FEAST. The largest banquet yet held in the new Palace Hotel at Post and Leavenworth Streets took place last night, when the Association of Master Plumbers of San Francisco held its annual spread. Covers were laid for 200 guests, and the music and viands were unexcelled. Frank J. Klimm, president of the association, acted as toastmaster and there were many speakers. After the repast had been disposed of and clears lighted, Toastmaster Klimm introduced the speakers. Among those who discoursed on the association and its work in rehabilitating San Francisco were Daniel A. Ryan, the association's attorney; Edward Snook, John L. E. Firmin and Henry Hufschmidt.
Tables were arranged and the dinner served under the direction of Victor Ritter of the Palace Hotel.
January 28th, 1907: The new Palace Hotel will be nine stories in height and will contain 700 rooms, each with a bath.
February 12th, 1907: Palace Hotel management and contractors may clash over ownership of precious stones found in debris. RUINS OF PALACE HIDE FORTUNE. Clash Between Management and Contractors Likely When Jewels Are Found. OWNERS ARE ANXIOUS. With $300,000 worth of precious stones, ornaments, valuable bronzes and heirlooms at stake, there is likely to be a clash between the Palace Hotel management and E. W. McLellan & Co., contractors, when the work of clearing away the debris on the Market Street side of the old site begins next week. When the walls of the building crumbled and collapsed during the fire of last April, great quantities of precious stones, precious metals, many of the jewels being family heirlooms, belonging to guests, were buried under the 28,000,000 bricks and 2000 tons of iron that had once stood as the most famous hotel on the Pacific coast.
All the valuables in the two safes were taken out before the crash, but the riches stored in the apartments of most of the guests in the front of the structure were not saved. When the McLellan company submitted a contract to the hotel management stipulating that all of the debris should belong to the contractors, Manager Kirkpatrick balked. He insisted that all of the gold and silver found should be returned to the hotel company for restoration to the guests. He was informed that it would cost just $5000 more to have the work done if the clause were inserted. Kirkpatrick agreed to these terms and the silver and gold will be carefully turned over by McLellan. But not so the precious stones, bronzes, etc. There is not a word in the contract about them and all those not identified by the owners will be retained by the contractor.
BUT LITTLE RECOVERED
So far nothing has been taken out except odd pieces of tableware and lumps of gold and silver coins melted together, but the big gang of laborers digging in the debris is rapidly eating its way from the rear toward the Market Street front and will reach the huge mass of bricks, lime and iron within a few days. The excitement among the workmen is intense. The hopes of the "'high graders" in the richest gold mine in Goldfield were never raised to a pitch than those which put ginger into the muscles of the debris laborers on the old hotel site. They work with feverish haste and their eyes are continually bulging with the expectation of shoveling out a $10,000 pearl necklace or a glittering string of diamonds and smuggling it unnoticed into a grimy, tobacco-stained pocket. But the men are closely watched and the contractors believe they will be able to secure everything of value found.
OWNERS ARE ANXIOUS
McLellan is kept busy answering inquiries regarding the progress of the work from those who lost jewelry and silverware in the building. Frequently the owners of lost articles take him to the exact spot where they are sure their treasures lie buried and implore him to be careful when the workmen reach the place. Men and women prominent in business and social circles are among the anxious ones. Mrs. E.S. Pillsbury, who was Miss Kohl, lost wedding presents valued at $50,000; Dr. Breyfogle silver valued at $50,000; L.C. Sheldon and friends, pearls and diamonds worth $12,000; Mrs. William Cluff, rich silver and jewelry. Others who suffered great losses were Captain Friele, John Morrisey, Mrs. Dr. Whitney, Mrs. J. C. Kirkpatrick, Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Canfield and Kenneth Jackson.
February 26th, 1907: Jay Miles Smith, the new chief clerk of the Palace Hotel, entered on his duties there yesterday. Smith was previously connected with the Buckingham and Del Monte hotels and also the Tahoe Tavern and the Pismo Beach Hotel.
March 2nd, 1907:
The work of clearing off the Palace Hotel lot is being done expeditiously, and there is good reason to believe that construction will be commenced at the time set. George W. Kelham, of the firm Trowbridge & Livingston, has prepared all his new plans for the Palace, which will retain many of the features of the old. It is understood that the building will be constructed in sections and that one wing will be occupied by guests while work is progressing on the other. Kelham spoke freely of the plans and in the course of an interview said,
"I have given my entire time thus far to this work, since coming to San Francisco. In planning the new hotel, I have tried to keep in mind many of the features of the old Palace, which were desirable and charming. I hope and believe that when the building is completed and opened to the public, its patrons will find much that will make them feel that they have come back to their old home improved, but not too much changed in its general scheme. The court will be retained as large as before and will be carried up through three stories, to give the necessary height such a space demands. Adjoining the court on either side and extending the entire length will be the ladies' dining-room and men's grill rooms. These together with the court in which guests will dine as before, will give a restaurant space much larger than anything that existed in the old hotel.
Entertainment Features
The entertainment features of the first floor have been given a great deal of thought and the new hotel will not only have the spaces to take care of the many functions which will be given there, but it will all be done more easily and pleasantly than of old. The entire southerly portion, with its entrances on Jessie Street, can be closed from the rest of the building, and it will be quite possible to have several entertainments going on at the same time without disturbing in any way the regular life of the hotel.
There will, of course, be reception rooms and parlors on the second floor and in addition, we have provided two special apartments on this floor and one on the eighth floor. These will have very large rooms with salons, dining rooms, etc., and will be decorated and furnished in a manner to make them the equal of any of the state apartments in the great continental hotels, so that the Palace may offer accommodations to its future distinguished guests which will be worthy of its traditions.
We intend to make all of the interiors of the new Palace as attractive as those of any hotels that have preceded it, either in this country or abroad, and it is the desire of all concerned in its building that simplicity, together with the best materials, shall be its keynote. There will be 650 sleeping rooms in the present building, and 600 baths, while the construction has been made heavy enough in the steel columns, foundations, etc., to enable the owners to build on an additional 250 rooms at any time, without disturbing the business of the hotel.
Finally, I can only say to you that we have endeavored in making these plans to keep the highest possible standard of construction and that no money will be spared to make the new Palace one of the best-built hotels in the country. Messers. Mahony Bros. have been selected as the contractors, which alone speaks of the class of work that will be done."
April 7th, 1907: FRIENDS GIVE DINNER AT PALACE TO KIRKPATRICK. Wish Him Bon Voyage on Eve of Departure for Europe. Colonel John C. Kirkpatrick was given a dinner at the Palace Hotel last night by a number of his friends as a farewell on the eve of his contemplated trip to Europe. The feast took place in the red room. The big round table was superbly decked with large, pink peonies and dusters of purple and white lilacs, nestling among which were a myriad of incandescent fairy lights. About the room were great bunches of tall woodland ferns and a wealth of beautiful flowers. From the midst of a bower of evergreens directly over where the guest of honor sat blazed forth the words "Bon voyage" wrought in electric lights.
April 17th, 1907: The men under whose hands and within whose experience lies the rebuilding of San Francisco gathered last night in the Palace Hotel, 250 strong, at the annual banquet of the Builders' Exchange, the organization of contractors and dealers in building materials. An elaborate menu was served, rich wines were quaffed, and prominent men in the construction world spoke good cheer and congratulations to the builders and their guests.
April 18th, 1907: The bill for the removal of the debris of the Palace Hotel, one of the many big buildings destroyed by the flames, calls for $90,000. Still this is nothing compared to the gain that will follow. The new Palace Hotel will represent an outlay of $3,500,000.
April 24th, 1907: PALACE HOTEL COMPANY LEASES THE FAIRMONT. Annual Rental for Ten Years Will Be More Than $100,000. MAY BE PURCHASED. W. H. Crocker Announces Plans for Hostelry on Hill and in Market. By the deal consummated yesterday, by which the Palace Hotel company leased the Fairmont Hotel, the three largest hotels of San Francisco will practically be under one management. William H. Crocker will dominate the Palace and Fairmont as well as the St. Francis. Before the fire, Crocker owned a controlling interest in the San Francisco hotel company, the corporation which conducts the St. Francis. Immediately after the fire he became one of the heaviest stockholders in the new Palace Hotel Company, and now he will dominate the management of the Fairmont and eventually have James Woods, the present manager of the St. Francis, succeed John C. Kirkpatrick in the active management of the three big new hostelries.
By the deal effected yesterday the Fairmont hotel passes into the hands of the Palace Hotel Company for a term of 10 years at an annual rental of $105,000. At the expiration of the lease the Palace Hotel Company will have the option of a renewal for 10 years at an annual rental of $120,000 or an out and out purchase at a sum in the neighborhood of $3,000,000. It is the intention of the Palace Hotel Company to assume control of the Fairmont without delay and close the Little Palace at Leavenworth and Post Streets. The Little Palace is to become the temporary home of the university club. In the negotiations which led up to the big hotel deal Thomas Magee acted with the Laws for the Fairmont and James Newlands Jr. and William H. Crocker acted in behalf of the Palace Hotel Company. The plan was given its impetus by Crocker, who was one of the first men to recognize the importance of the local hotel situation.
All the furniture will have been installed in the Fairmont in September and the opening of the fall will see the hotel in full swing. Something like $400,000 worth of furniture has been ordered and will soon be here. This furniture, originally ordered by the Laws, has been purchased by the Palace Hotel Company. Crocker regards the hotel problem as the most pressing in San Francisco at the present time, when thousands of tourists are seeking to engage accommodations. He has given orders to have the St. Francis put in shape as rapidly as it can be done. The north wing will be rushed to completion and it has been reported that another addition will be constructed to occupy the site of the old News building. Work is soon to be begun on the new Palace.
April 25th, 1907: Palace Hotel Staff to go to the Fairmont. On May 1, the lares and penates of the Palace Hotel will be moved from the shingled building at Post and Leavenworth Streets to the big, gray granite Fairmont on the hill above. O. Rich, acting manager of the Palace, will fill a like position at the new caravansary, pending the return from Europe of Manager Kirkpatrick.
May 18th, 1907: The sum of $2,000,000 is required to finish the Palace Hotel. That money cannot be procured here. It will have to be raised in the east and if we can show that San Francisco is a well governed city and that the labor market is not fluctuating, no difficulty will be found in securing the necessary means to complete the hotel.
May 28th, 1907: Mahoney Brothers were granted a permit to explode blasts to remove foundations of the Palace Hotel.
June 3rd, 1907: OLYMPIANS MAY TAKE LITTLE PALACE HOTEL. Club Directors Have Under Consideration Five Year Lease Proposal. The directors of the Olympic club in casting about for a plan, which will give the greatest benefit to the members have finally hit upon one which is expected to prove of great benefit to the big athletic organization. The club officials have under consideration the leasing of the Little Palace Hotel for a period of five years and it is expected that before the lease expires the club will be comfortably housed in a building of its own on the big Post Street lot.
July 11th, 1907: STEEL FOR THE PALACE ON WAY TO THE COAST. Four Hundred Cars Will Be Required to Bring the Entire Shipment. The first four carloads of structural steel to be used in the construction of the new Palace Hotel were delivered yesterday by the Pennsylvania line to the Rock Island line in Chicago. "This is the first of a consignment of 8,000 tons of steel which will leave Ambridge, Pa for the Palace Hotel." said E. M. Pomeroy, Pacific coast freight agent of the Pennsylvania lines. "The rest of the steel will be delivered to our company as fast as it can be turned out of the mills. It will require about 400 cars to bring it to San Francisco. As the freight situation is normal, this steel should be here in about two weeks. We made the distance between Ambridge to Chicago, about 650 miles, in two days."
July 20th, 1907: LITTLE PALACE LEASED BY THE BOHEMIAN CLUB. The Little Palace Hotel at Post and Leavenworth Streets is to be the home of the Bohemian Club. Arrangements were completed yesterday, for a lease for a period of three and a half years. The delighted club members will take possession on September 1. The big dining room, which since the fire has been the scene of many brilliant entertainments, will now take the place of the famous art room in the old club home at Stockton and Post Streets. The little front room will be used as a library and reception room. What is now the breakfast room of the Little Palace will be used by the club as its dining room.
August 18th, 1907: Photograph of the arrival of the members of the Bohemian Club at their new headquarters in the Little Palace.
Currently the only known photograph taken inside the Little Palace during its brief existence.
August 31st, 1907: The district court of appeals yesterday decided in the case of H. J. Garnett, who was convicted of having killed Major McClung in the Palace Hotel, and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, that Garnett was legally in custody, and ordered him remanded to the county jail pending the hearing of his of appeal. Garnett brought the matter before the court yesterday on habeas corpus proceedings claiming that there was nothing to hold him as all records of his conviction were destroyed in the big fire.
September 17th, 1907: BANQUET TO CELEBRATE PALACE HOTEL OPENING. Plan Two Years Ahead for Gathering of Most Famous Guests. Though the Palace Hotel will not be completed for two years, arrangements for its opening are being made already and according to present indications the day will be a memorable one in the city's history, the particular feature being a magnificent banquet. Among the guests to be invited will be the President of the United States, the diplomatic corps, the governors of all the states and their staffs, together with the most famous men of every profession to be found in the United States. The California Promotion committee has arranged to set aside that day as one commemorating the Rehabilitation of San Francisco and to celebrate it by a California state dinner. As a banquet it is proposed to make it the most notable that has ever taken place in the United States. Artists are already engaged working out the color schemes and though two years seems a long time in which to prepare for a banquet, in this instance it is thought it will be none too long. The opening of the famous hotel will be but a medium of showing to the world the indomitable courage which San Francisco possesses, and which has led Its citizens to lift themselves to their former ranking despite almost insurmountable obstacles and over whelming obstructions.
September 20th, 1907: Bank Obtains Lease in New Palace Hotel.
December 1st, 1907:
December 8th, 1907: The Greatest Dinner Ever Given. A vague "what we think the dinner will look like" article with no real information worth mentioning aside from each plate may cost $100 pp.
December 17th, 1907: The Pennsylvania office in this city has word that the last of the15 cars carrying steel for the Palace hotel was delivered by that road to the connecting lines in Chicago last week and that the material should be in the city in about two weeks. Fifty carloads already have been received and are now stored in a warehouse.
December 25th, 1907: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with Winslow Bros. Company, Otis elevator company — Ornamental iron, elevator work, on building bounded by Market, Annie, Jessie and New Montgomery Streets; $144,260. Same with W.B. Abbitt company— Erection and riveting for Palace Hotel; $9 per ton.
December 29th, 1907: WILL BUILD NEW PALACE HOTEL. The Palace Hotel Company has applied to the board of public works for permission to erect a nine story class A building on the site of the old Palace hotel at Market and New Montgomery Streets. The estimated cost of the building is $2,500,000, and the city's fee from granting of the permit will be $1,030. Trowbridge & Livington are the architects, Mahoney Brothers will superintend the construction.
January 9th, 1908: EXCAVATION FOR NEW PALACE HOTEL COSTLY. Foundations Will Stand on Piles Driven Through Sand to Ground. The excavation for the foundations on which will rest the new Palace Hotel has recently been completed. The work proved one of the most stupendous tasks undertaken since the fire and consumed many months. The cost of tearing down ruins of the far famed hotel represented an expenditure of $90,000.
It was necessary to drive heavy piles through the sand to the hard ground bottom. On these piles, the foundations, consisting of heavy steel bars and concrete, were laid. The work of erecting the steel framework is expected to proceed rapidly now that most of the material is on the ground.
It is expected that the new hotel, nine stories in height, will be completed on the fourth anniversary of the fire. The opening of the hostelry will be marked by one of the greatest banquets ever given in any land. Invitations will be issued to the President of the United States, his officers, the rulers of many foreign countries and diplomatic officers from all over the globe. This dinner will be given under auspices of the California Promotion Committee and is expected to prove the most notable event in the history of San Francisco's reconstruction.
January 19th, 1908: MRS. OELRICHS TO REGAIN FAIRMONT. Requires Income Property to Maintain Present Standard of Living. Rialto and Crossley Buildings Pass Again Into the Possession of Laws. Mrs. Theresa Oelrichs is to be the mistress of the Fairmont Hotel again. The deal involving the transfer of the magnificent structure on the crest of Nob Hill to its original owner has not been closed yet, but it has progressed to a point where the friends of Mrs. Oelrichs believe that her future ownership of the property is assured.
January 25th, 1908: Progress of the Palace Hotel.
January 31st, 1908:
The Metropolis Trust & Savings Bank is completed where the Grand Hotel once stood.
February 8th, 1908: Of the 150 cars of brick which are on their way to this city from Brazil, Ind., be used in the construction of the new Palace Hotel, 10 cars have already arrived.
February 27th, 1908: PALACE HOTEL WORKER HAS SERIOUS FALL. Catches Girder in Descent, but Breaks Leg and Wrist on Landing. Christopher Nolan, an iron worker employed in the rebuilding of the Palace Hotel, narrowly escaped death yesterday afternoon, when he lost his footing and fell from, the second floor of the structure to the street. Nolan was engaged in riveting steel girders when he stepped from the one on which he was standing. In falling he grasped a girder in the floor below and to this is due the fact that he was not dashed to pieces on the pavement, is it changed the course of his fall and he landed at the bottom on his feet. He was taken to the central emergency hospital and treated for a fracture of the left leg and one wrist.
April 16th, 1908: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with Clinton Fireproofing Company — Fireproofing, metal furring and lathing for Palace Hotel in block bounded by Market, Annie, Jessie and New Montgomery Streets; $183,200.
April 30th, 1908: A. Stowel, a carpenter, while working on the Palace Hotel building, missed his footing and fell 45 feet to the cellar below. He landed on a pile of bricks. His right arm was broken in two places, his nose was broken and both his legs were bruised. He was treated at the harbor emergency hospital and later removed to his home.
July 4th, 1908: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with William S. Snook &. Son — Plumbing fixtures for Palace Hotel. Market, Annie, Jessie and New Montgomery Streets $105,359.
September 17th, 1908: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with Robert Dalziel Jr. Company - Heating and ventilating ducts and air washers complete for eight story and basement class A building in block bounded by Market, Jessie, and New Montgomery Streets; $35.497.
September 18th, 1908: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with American marble and mosaic company - marble work for eight story and basement class A building in block bounded by Market, Jessie, and New Montgomery Streets; $41,653.
October 29th, 1908: Real Estate Transactions. Palace Hotel Company with Conlin, Roberts, and Forderer cornice works - Seven ply felt gravel roof. Copper flashing and sheet metal work, skylights, etc. $17,646.
November 10th, 1908: W. H. Williamson, a steel worker whose left leg was fractured and probably permanently weakened by an accident during the rebuilding of the Palace Hotel was awarded $2,650 damages.
November 21st, 1908: PALACE HOTEL CO. WILL RUSH STORES. It is the intention of the Palace Hotel Company to complete the ground floor stores on the Market Street side fully six months in advance of the main building and according to A. J. Rich & Co. every store has been rented with the exception of one. This move by Colonel J. C. Kirkpatrick will be appreciated greatly by the throngs of people who pass the Palace at least twice a day on their way to and from their places of business. It will put the street in good shape and add to the attractiveness of the city. Prior to the fire the railroad offices were located under the Palace, but the class of stores that will be there next year will be among the finest on the coast and will prove a powerful magnet in drawing the shopping community still farther downtown.
November 29th, 1908: James McDonald, a laborer employed by Mahony brothers in the building of the new Palace Hotel, was instantly killed yesterday afternoon by falling from the fifth floor to the pavement in New Montgomery Street. He was about 50 years old.
January 1st, 1909: RET (Real Estate Transactions). Palace Hotel Company (PHC) with George Goodman artificial stone company - Artificial stone for Palace Hotel. 11.5 cents per sq. foot.
January 3rd, 1909: MAN WHO BUILT OLD PALACE HOTEL DIES. Christopher Chisholm Expires in San Rafael at Age of Sixty-Nine. Christopher Chisholm, one of the best-known building contractors in San Francisco, died of heart failure at 9 o'clock this morning at his home, 711 Fifth Avenue. He was 69 years old. Chisholm superintended the construction of the old Palace Hotel when it was first built 30 years ago. Among other places which he constructed are the homes of the Roos brothers in San Francisco, L. Sloss and Bert Lithenthal.
March 15th, 1909: HUMBOLDT ROOM TO BE FINISHED IN REDWOOD. Unique Feature Decided Upon for New Palace Hotel. A "Humboldt room" is to be a prominent feature in the new Palace Hotel according to an announcement made by Palace Hotel Company officials yesterday. The room will be finished in Humboldt County redwood and hardwoods exclusively. For these products the northern county is famed. The floor of the room will probably be of tan oak or pepperwood. Redwood burls will decorate the walls and ceiling. A large painting depicting a woods scene in the redwood groves of Humboldt County will be used. Several mills in the county have been asked to select fine specimens of redwood for the purpose.
March 30th, 1909: CITY'S LARGEST HOTELS MAY BE CONSOLIDATED. Plan to Merge St. Francis, Fairmont and Palace Is Considered. Scheme Discussed at Conference of Stockholders and Favorable Report Made.
April 13th, 1909: RET, PHC with United glass works, Pacific manufacturing company. San Francisco cornice company and Ingerson & Glaser - leaded glass, mill work, and kalamein work. $51,659.
April 17th, 1909: FAIRMONT HOTEL MANAGER CHOSEN. Charles A. Cooke, Conductor of Tours, to Guide Destiny of House on Hill. Charles A. Cooke. who for a number of years has been conducting the Raymond-Whitcomb tours to this coast, has been selected to guide the destinies of the Fairmont Hotel after the present management has taken charge of the Palace Hotel. Cooke has been closely identified with the management of the Palace Hotel Company, as most of the Raymond-Whitcomb tourists have stayed at the Fairmont. The complete force of the Fairmont Hotel attaches has not been announced, but it is definitely settled that Cooke will head the management of the hostelry on the hill.
Colonel J. C. Kirkpatrick, general manager of the Palace Hotel Company, will direct both the Palace Hotel, when it opens in the fall, and the Fairmont Hotel. Obadiah Rich, at present assistant manager of the Fairmont, who for a number of years acted in the same capacity at the old Palace, will resume his old duties in the Market Street hotel.
The Fairmont Hotel will be conducted after the opening of the Palace just as it is now. The Palace Hotel Company has a 10-year lease on the property from Mrs. Teresa Fair Oelrichs, which has several years yet to run. While the site offers peculiar advantages to families and large bodies of tourists, the transient trade will not be overlooked. In fact, the Palace Hotel Company believes that there is plenty of opportunity in the city for both hotels and the competitors. Charles A. Cooke has been staying at the Fairmont during the winter, but is now living at San Jose. It has not been decided when he will take charge of his new post.
April 23rd, 1909: RET, PHC with Winslow Brothers company - Ornamental iron and bronze work for main rooms of the Palace Hotel. $24,000.
May 3rd, 1909: The next semiannual banquet of the Knights probably will be held in the new Palace Hotel, as the fraternity has secured the privilege of being the first to use the banquet hall at the Market Street hostelry.
July 8th, 1909: It is understood that the city ticket office of the Western Pacific and also the offices of the Missouri Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande and other Gould lines will be located in the northwest corner of the Palace Hotel, right across the alley from the Santa Fe offices in the Monadnock building.
July 17th, 1909: The transportation of the furniture for the new Palace Hotel has been canvessed for steadily by the different transcontinental lines, and it is reported that the management of the Palace has given a share of the business to all the lines, the Southern Pacific and the Harriman lines, however, getting the lion's share. There are 150 cars of furniture to be brought west, not taking the carpet into account. There are two and a half acres of carpet to each floor and all the carpet is cut and sewed in New York ready to be laid on arrival. The haul of the carpet alone is a plum well worth getting.
August 5th, 1909: The first consignment of furniture for the new Palace Hotel, it is said, will leave Boston, Grand Rapids, and New York about September 1 and will fill 175 cars. The haul will cost $5,000.
August 6th, 1909:
August 29th, 1909: The Transportation Club of this city, which has its headquarters in the Flood building, is making preparations to occupy its new quarters in the Palace Hotel by Thanksgiving Day.
October 17th, 1909: The Hermoso Cotillon Club is completing details in connection with the coming winter dances, and the members of this popular assembly are anxiously looking forward to the opening party, which will be the first dance to be held in the new Palace Hotel ballroom the evening of November 21.
October 30th, 1909: The subcommittee on the banquet to be given at the Palace Hotel the evening of December 15 reported, that it had been arranged that the price should be $30 a plate.
November 3rd, 1909: The opening of the new Palace Hotel has been settled for Thursday, December 16, which will be one of the notable winter dates for several reasons. There will be probably 1,500 guests at the opening, as the occasion is one of the most important in the annals of the new city.
November 11th, 1909: MILITARY CLUB TO BE IN THE PALACE. Rooms Will Be Sumptuously Furnished at Market and Annie Street Corner. The Army and Navy club will have its future home in the Palace Hotel. That was the decision arrived at Tuesday night, when the club held its meeting at its present home, 2111 California Street. It will occupy its new location January 1, 1910. The rooms chosen at the Palace are situated on the ground floor, at the northwest corner of the building, at the crossing of Annie and Market Streets. The club will have three large floors on the street floor, and an equal number in the basement. The main floor rooms will be divided into a large reception room, a library and a general lounging room. The basement rooms will be devoted to a cafe and a dining hall. The fittings of the club will be sumptuous. Colonel Kirkpatrick has promised to make the apartment as luxurious as any club in the world. When Colonel Kirkpatrick went abroad last year, he investigated thoroughly the needs and wants of the club.
November 15th, 1909: FRACTURES HIS SKULL IN THE PALACE HOTEL. Osborne Webster Falls and Sustains Probable Fatal Injuries. Osborne Webster, the 20 year old son of Mrs. Evelyn Webster of 3272 Central Avenue, Alameda, and well known on both sides of the bay, fell yesterday from the first floor of the Palace Hotel to the basement, sustaining injuries that may result in his death. He was taken first to the harbor emergency hospital and then to Bellevue Hospital, at Van Ness Avenue and California Street, where he was operated upon by Dr. T. E. Tillman and Dr. Reuben Hill for a multiple fracture of the skull.
Webster was assisting William Kirkpatrick, son of J. C. Kirkpatrick, manager of the hotel, in arranging furniture on the first floor. In the room where they were engaged at work is an aperture opening into the basement. As the furniture was brought in young Webster grasped one end and began walking, backward, overlooking the opening, and stepped off. The fall sent him a distance of 20 feet to the cement floor below, where he struck on his head. When Kirkpatrick and several by-standers reached the basement Webster was unconscious. He was immediately removed to the Harbor Emergency Hospital. An examination disclosed the fact that a severe fracture, of the skull had occurred and the young man was removed to the Bellevue Hospital. At 5:30 Drs. Tillman and Hill decided that the only chance for saving Webster's life lay in trephining the skull, and this was resorted to.
At a late hour last night the patient had not regained consciousness and his condition was considered critical. The physicians expressed the opinion that there was a bare hope for recovery. Young Webster is a son. of the late Clarence Webster, who was well known as a newspaper artist. The boy is employed by William Kirkpatrick, who is the manager of the draying company that has the contract to install the furniture in the hotel.
*He died the next day from his injuries.
November 20th, 1909:
SAN FRANCISCO'S GREAT HOSTELRY. Sumptuous New Palace Will Be Regularly Opened for Business December 16. Representing an investment of $10,000,000 in land, building, equipment and furniture the new Palace Hotel, standing on the old site, with a great frontage in Market Street, will be opened regularly for business December 16. The event will be heralded by a banquet, which will take place December 15, with Governor Gillett as toastmaster and with a great representation of all the commercial factors in California's substantial progress as guests. The hotel will be opened under the direction of Colonel John C. Kirkpatrick, managing director. Historical interest and the significance in its effect on downtown realty of the opening of the new structure will combine to make the event noteworthy. The site that the structure occupies is central to the downtown retail business section. The value of this fact is not lost to merchants of all classes, who are duly appreciative of the trade benefits which will result from the resumption of the Palace. Within nine stories everything that is modern in hotel architecture, in hotel equipment and all the elegances and conveniences known to the best modern hotels is combined. The glories of great columns of variegated marble, the picturesqueness of splendid chandeliers of bronze and prismatic glass and other evidence of liberal expenditures are no more indicative of the purposes of the management than are the great arrangements below stairs and throughout the structure that are calculated to give the new Palace place and fame.
MANY NEW FEATURES. With nine stories of great length and depth already provided, the management, even now, is looking forward to the time when additional construction in the rear of the present building will be necessary to supply rooms sufficient to satisfy the demand. A new wing will be extended some time, but the date is not fixed. No immediate action will be taken in that matter. There are now 685 rooms and suites that before December 16 will be in readiness for guests. Colonel Kirkpatrick says that the present accommodations are sufficient for 1,200 guests. Through the new Palace runs a splendid corridor from Market Street to Jessie Street, which is 344 feet long, 20 feet wide and 22 feet high, finished throughout with marble and caen stone. The floors are of marble. All the marbles on the first floor of the hotel were imported from Italy, and all were selected by men who were sent to Italy as experts. They are veined and handsomely marked marbles that coax one to look at them the second time for their own intrinsic beauty. The finish of the corridor is all in this costly stone.
MAGNIFICENT GRAND COURT. Occupying the same position and space as the old Palace court, the new grand court is a much more, elaborate construction, much more durable, vastly more expensive, and altogether artistic. In place of the old wooden ornamental columns and pilasters there, are towering columns of marble. The pilasters are likewise of marble of the French variety known as escalette. The walls are faced with caen stone. An ornamental cornice runs around the court, and above that is a wealth of bronze and ornamental glass. The dimensions of the court are: length, 120 feet; width, 85 feet; height, 45 feet, which height is equivalent to that of many of the finer residences of the city. From the ceiling hang great chandeliers, swinging on bronze chains, and composed of bronze and beautiful glass prisms.
GALLERY FOR MUSICIANS. At one end of the main court there is a gallery for the musicians. At the opposite end of the court is the ladies' gallery and the ladies' parlor, finished in "old" way with golden furniture, so designed that guests can step from the parlor into the gallery and overlook the entire court. Fronting on the main court is the grill, which is a very large room, much greater than its predecessor with five entrances, and extending the entire length of the court. The grill is 105 feet long by 52 feet in width. It is finished entirely in marble and caen stone. The marble is known as tavernelle-fleuri, a French marble. The grill floor is of Welsh quarry tiles, large and presenting a substantial and pleasing contrast. The grill is of marble; the broilers are of charcoal. Off the grill is a barroom, which Is especially ornamental, with a celling of gold and ornamental glass ceiling lights. The sides are paneled in English oak. The barroom Is 65 feet long and 32 feet wide. Behind the bar will be a painting by Maxfield Parrlsh, the painter of the famous picture of "Old King Cole" in the Knickerbocker in New York. There is a private dining room adjoining. The barber shop off the main corridor is on the first floor. It is finished with white Italian marble. The first floor, on the New Montgomery Street side, contains also Colonel Kirkpatrick's office and the offices of the assistant managers. These are finished in mahogany. They are provided with private elevator service for the use of Colonel Kirkpatrick and his associates and extend to all parts of the house. All the woodwork in the offices is in mahogany.
An additional convenience for guests is supplied by the construction of a safe deposit department on the first floor, numerously supplied with safe deposit boxes which are given all the protections of the safe deposit vaults. These are on the New Montgomery Street side of the hotel. The main court is approached by the main driveway in New Montgomery Street, which passes under a vaulted stone entranceway. On this floor also are the main offices of the hotel. All the floors of the first floor are of marble with the exception of that of the grill. All stairways including the wide flights at the ends of the main corridor are of white Italian marble.
MAIN DINING ROOM. The main dining room is off the main court. It is in Louis XVI style, in gray and gold with wooden walls and enamel finish. This is a sumptuous room, 105 feet long and 52 feet wide with a height of 25 feet. The ornamentation is elaborate. Ten huge chandeliers of artistic design made resplendent with bronze and prismatic glass, will furnish light for the tables. Possibly the most beautiful of all the large and imposing rooms on the first floor will be the ballroom. The colorings are of low tones of gold. The design of the floor is parquetry — all of old oak. The ballroom is 100 feet long, and 52 feet wide. It contains a large open fireplace and stone mantel. Special attention has been paid to the ventilation of this apartment and it is estimated that 500 persons in the ballroom can have 30 cubic feet of fresh air a minute. The draperies will be of cloth of gold. At one end suspended between the floor and the ceiling, there is a gallery for the musicians. The height of the room is 22 feet.
In connection with the ballroom there are two private reception entrances from Jessie Street. When a large ball or reception is given in the Palace in the ballroom the guests can go in and out without coming in contact with other guests. Connected with the ballroom there is also a supper room and a large reception room, together with a large reception corridor.
LATEST IDEAS IN KITCHEN. The main kitchen is also on the first floor. This is more than 100 feet long. It is finished in tiles. No artificial light is needed by day, as the windows admit the sun. All the tables for the cooks and all the counters in the main kitchen are of tiles. The cold storage boxes are also of tiles. In every respect the kitchen and the working department of the kitchen in the basement are declared to be the very latest of hotel kitchen work in the United States. Below the first floor there are many modern contrivances and on such a large scale that the effect is that of a formidable industrial establishment.
The basement occupies the entire ground space of the hotel, which is 344 feet long by 265 feet wide. In huge apartments, there are installed the engine and boiler room, great dynamos and other mechanical plants included in the array of appliances and devices are a fire pumping system, a vacuum sweeping apparatus of the most modern type, a ventilating plant and, other costly appurtenances. The electric intallation, the heating and the ventilating apparatus for the entire house, which is situated on the Market Street side, alone cost about $300,000. To serve for fire protection, there is a large tank in the hotel with a capacity of 600,000 gallons. In case of a shortage of city water to extinguish a fire. 600,000 gallons may be pumped to any point where fire protection is. On the Annie Street side of the hotel there is a huge baggage room, with service elevator to all floors of the house, so that nearly all handling of the baggage is dispensed with. A great space is devoted to a cold storage room. By the ventilating plant every part of the house is ventilated perfectly and completely.
BIG ICE PLANT. The basement contains the bake shop, the pastry room, the vegetable room, the butcher shop, and other work rooms, all of which are finished in tiles. The ice plant in the basement has capacity for the manufacture of 10 tons of ice per day, besides supplying refrigeration for all the cold storage boxes. An added convenience is a driveway into the building by which all goods and wares can be delivered within directly and there will be no handling of any goods on the outside. Among the other basement apartments is a large wine room thoroughly fitted. There are also locker rooms for the servants.
Great care has been taken to provide proper conveniences for the servants. The basement accordingly includes the servants dining room, the servants' kitchen, etc. In the basement also there are large storerooms for china and for glass and also linen rooms. The laundry is on a largescale, with huge mangles and other modern laundry machinery. The equipment is sufficient to take care of all of the laundering for the hotel. Among the 685 suites and rooms what are known as the state rooms are conspicuous. There are three of these, each of large size. Each is provided with a dining room. The dining rooms connected with the state apartments are paneled in oak. The salons are finished in paneled wood walls enameled a French gray in the style of Louis XVI. These have from one to four large bedrooms adjoining, all of which can be thrown together as a suite. The bathrooms connecting are finished in marble. The state apartments may be used on the occasion of a visit of The President of the United States with his party, or for the entertainment of some other dignitary. Throughout the house the rooms are arranged so that from one to six bedrooms may be combined in a suite with a parlor.
The auditors offices and the laboratories for testing foods, the silver room and the writing room are all on the mezzanine floor. On the eighth floor a balcony runs around the hotel immediately adjoining the suites at that level. There are other balconies below which serve individual suites. The furniture in all the guestrooms is of mahogany. The bedsteads are of brass of a special pattern and all manufactured especially for the new Palace Hotel. The best draperies have been hung! Each bathroom is tiled. Every room has its own telephone service and also a bell service, which can be used in case the telephone is out of order. All suites on the eighth floor have private bathrooms. Every bathroom has forced ventilation which is sufficient to ventilate the adjoining rooms. The exterior of the Palace is very handsome. The structure is strictly class A with steel frame and reinforced concrete. The exterior has a base of stone and the remainder is of brick and terra cotta. The stairways are all fireproof. Eight elevators in all serve the building. The entire work of construction has been under the charge of the supervising architect, George W. Kelham.
The complete staff of the hotel has not been named, but it is known that Colonel Kirkpatrick will have O. Rich and Julius Brownell as assistant managers.
December 9th, 1909: SEATS FOR PALACE BANQUET GOING. Acceptances From the Invited Guests, Including State and City Officials, Received. A meeting of the committee representing the commercial organizations having in charge the Palace Hotel opening banquet Wednesday evening, December 15, was held at the Fairmont yesterday afternoon. Secretary Colburn reported that he had received more than 500 paid subscriptions, and the prospects are that before the day of the banquet all the available seats will have been taken. Contrary to statements that have been made to the effect that no California wines will be served, the committee expressly states that all the red and white wines on the menu will be California products, the champagne being the only imported wine.
December 11th, 1909: NEW PALACE HOTEL SECURES OLD MEN. Patrons of Hostelry Will Find Familiar Faces in Office and Dining Room. The personnel of the working force of the Palace Hotel has been announced and when the new house is opened for guests at 1 o'clock, December 16, many of the fares familiar in the old hotel will be seen behind the desk and in the dining room. Colonel J. C. Kirkpatrick will be general manager, with Obadiah Rich as his first assistant. Julian Brownell, who for the last three years has been at the Fairmont, will also hold the title of assistant manager, relieving Rich of some of his duties in the front of the house. John Hernan, formerly of the Hotel Coronado in San Diego, will be chief clerk, and O. L. Chaffin, formerly of the Hotel Green in Pasadena, will assist him in rooming the guests. Leonard Coppell will be mail clerk and Ralph Tobin and Norman Jones front or information clerks. Frank C. Martin will return to his old duties as cashier and will be assisted by S. W. Barr. Lisle Kent will be head bellman. Kent has been at the Fairmont for the last three years. Victor Reiter, the maitre d'hotel, will exercise a general supervision over both the Fairmont and Palace Hotel service in the dining room. Ernest Abrogast, the chef, will act in a similar double capacity, having charge of the kitchens of both hotels. Charles A. Cooke will remain at the Fairmont as resident manager. Fred MacDonald and Anton Harder are the room clerks that will remain on the hill. George Kayes retains his place as mail clerk and Charles P. Fish, formerly of the Union Square Hotel, will be information clerk. William A. Page succeeds Lisle Kent as head bellman He has chosen as his captains Chris Bartels, for some time with the Hotel Pleasanton and George Grindell.
*There have been several articles about plans and finishing touches to the Palace for the grand reopening, but nothing worth noting here.
December 15th, 1909:
GOVERNOR WILL PRESIDE OVER GREAT BANQUET
Palace Hotel Will Welcome the Local Commercial Bodies and Leaders in City Affairs
Mayor Taylor Will Join in the Celebration of Rebuilding of Famous Hostelry
After three years of planning, every day of which has been devoted to the task of building a hotel that would excel everything in the United States, the management of the Palace Hotel will tonight open wide its portals and bid welcome to the large local commercial bodies, to 763 men big in finance, in politics, in business achievement, in art and social prestige. It will be a big night for San Francisco, something like the night when, in 1875, the old Palace, then the wonder of hotels in the world, first opened its doors under the magic spell of William Ralston. Tonight will be a greater night than that of 34 years ago, in as much as the new hotel is a greater hotel than the old, more artistic, more enduring, built at greater expanse and with greater possibilities for the future. A golden key has been made for ceremonial purposes and after the formal opening this key is to be attached to a small balloon which is to be let loose from the roof of the hotel. Whether it goes Kirkpatrick cares not. There will be no further need of it.
New Permanent Residents, Opening Night Guests, Menu:
New Numbering Scheme. There are 686 rooms in the house. The numbers of the rooms run from 2001 to 8133. A room number in the 8000s may cause some misunderstanding as to the size in the beginning among those who are accustomed to the applications of hundreds in the key scheme. The management has its reasons for the innovation, however, the principal one being that there are more than 100 rooms on each of the seven upper floors. An arrangement by hundreds would therefore lead to confusion as to where the room really was located. The use of numbers in 1000 for each floor does away with this difficulty.
Victor Reiter noted he served 1,500 people at the banquet last night at the Palace Hotel.
Senator W.C. Ralston signed his name first on the new hotel's register. He was 13 when the original hotel opened and was among the first to sign that register as well.
Palace Phoenix Order Formed. A unique organization has been effected in celebrating the reopening of the Palace Hotel. It is to be known as the Palace Hotel Phoenix Association. Guests in the old Palace at the time of the fire are eligible for membership. There are no dues, but the members will hold a reunion April 18th of each year to recall the great disaster.
Balloons Carry Hotel Key Away. The doors of the Palace Hotel were thrown open yesterday at 1 o'clock to remain open for all time. The discarded key, its use gone with the reopening of the famous hostelry, was set adrift from the roof dangling from four toy balloons. Manager Obadiah Rich himself attached the key to the balloons and cast it forth. Assisting him in the ceremony were Assistant Manager J. M. Brownell, Cashier F. C. Martin, William Kirkpatrick, James King Steele, Colonel George-H. Pippy, Dr. Winslow Anderson, John Rothschild, Chief Clerk John Hernan and Maitre d'Hotel Victor Reiter. While the eager crowds were swarming through the doors, just after they had been opened to the public, the party proceeded to the roof with the key and the toy balloons. Manager Rich was assigned the task of setting the key adrift in the cloudless sky. There was unusual significance in the course the key took, as it mounted high into the. air. From the Palace it flew to a point almost directly over the Fairmont, the hotel which has been managed by the Palace Hotel Company most of the time since the destruction of the old Palace. Having made this neighborly call, the key took its course out through the Golden Gate. When last seen it was drifting out toward the ocean. Possibly someone will pick It up at sea and thus gain a memento of the reopening of the Palace which many would prize highly.
December 18th, 1909:
December 19th, 1909: Palace Hotel Pharmacy Opens. The Palace Pharmacy has been opened in the Palace Hotel, Market Street front, by a corporation composed of Colonel John C. Kirkpatrick, Charles McCoy, Charles Abrahams, C. Swenson, Samuel Rosenheim and Bertin A. Weyl.
December 20th, 1909: Dr. Julian L. Waller has been appointed house physician of the Palace Hotel.
December 23rd, 1909: The distinction of being the first guest to become a bride, at the Palace Hotel has fallen to the happy lot of Mrs. William Henry McNeal, who was Martha Emma Wood of Suisun. **While I focused on who got married at the old Palace, I will no longer keep track with the new hotel.
December 28th, 1909: PALACE HOTEL A FINANCIAL SUCCESS. Surplus of $1,300 Left After All Expenses of Entertainment are Met.
January 13th, 1910: The Palace Hotel announces service of Afternoon Tea in the Grand Court each afternoon. Palace Hotel Company.
January 15th, 1910: The Army and Navy Club is to have a new home, but where? That is the question agitating the club at the moment. The lease on the present location (the former home of Mrs. Voorhies) will expire February 23. The club made arrangements last November to take rooms at the new Palace Hotel, but when the committee looked over the proposition after the hotel was opened, it was found that it was impossible to make the alterations to suit the club's requirements.
February 20th, 1910: CARQUINEZ BRICK IN PALACE HOTEL. Over 3,000,000 Bricks for Hostelry Supplied by Carquinez Brick and Tile Company.
March 28th, 1910: William Frederick Hoffman is at present leader of the orchestra at the Palace Hotel and is one of the most widely known musicians and composers of the Pacific coast.
April 8th, 1910: Cornelius R. Wells, the negro porter at the Palace Hotel who stole about $7,000 worth of jewelry and other articles from hotel guests pleaded guilty yesterday and was sentenced to serve two years in the county jail.
April 10th, 1910: CLUBMAN IS BURNED IN PALACE LOBBY. Douglas Grant's Clothing Set Afire by Cigar Lighter. Enveloped in flames from an overturned cigar lighter in the lobby of the Palace Hotel while the society ball given to aid the Columbia park boys club was in progress, Douglas Grant, the Burlingame clubman, son of Joseph Grant, was seriously burned on the face, hands and arms last night shortly before 11 o'clock. Society men standing at the cigar counter with Grant smothered the flames and Dr. Edwin Breyfogle and Dr. William Ward attended the sufferer. Templeton Crocker, Rudolph. Schilling and Ward Barron rushed to Grant's aid as the ignited alcohol spread over his body, and tearing off their coats wrapped them around him. Grant was hurried to a room and the physicians were called. The society man was standing at the cigar counter talking with Crocker and Schilling, and after, lighting a cigar, he turned and started away. As he did so the cigar lighter was caught under his arm and as it pitched downward the blazing alcohol splashed over his body. Although badly burned, Grant's condition is not serious.
April 17th, 1910: Ernest Abrogast noted as Chef of the Palace Hotel.
May 19th, 1910: GUEST AT PALACE KILLED IN ELEVATOR. Joseph Griffin, Ontario Millionaire, Attempts to Leave Moving Cage. Joseph Griffin, a millionaire engaged in the meat packing business at St. Thomas, Ontario, was killed instantaneously yesterday when he attempted to leave an elevator in the Palace Hotel while it was in motion. He was caught between the elevator floor and the shaft, the door closing on his protruding body and the upper frame of the cage striking his head before the operator could bring his machine to a halt.
In the machine at the time, about 9:30 o'clock, were two other passengers, Alfred Lilienfeld, the clothier, and Len A. Brunson of Los Angeles. Both of these men declare that Griffin tried to get out of the elevator after the operator had set it in motion.
DEATH INSTANTANEOUS
Dr. J. Waller was immediately called and he said that death had been instantaneous. Britton Stevens, the operator of the machine, was arrested on a charge of manslaughter and later released on $50 cash bail by order of Judge Daniel Deasy. Stevens' story relates that he heard a woman in the cage say third floor on the ascent and stopped his car. It was Miss E. McHenry of Seattle. After waiting to see that she was well out he lifted his foot from the lever and the door automatically began to close. At this instant there was a voice from the rear, of the cage raised saying "Wait a minute," and Griffin pushing aside Lilienfeld and Brunson, attempted to leave the now ascending car. He was partly caught between the closing door and his head struck the casing on the head of the cage. Griffin was 70 years of age. He came from Vancouver Monday and to make a trip through Mexico. Obadiah Rich, assistant manager of the Palace, stated that the accident, however deplorable, was purely accidental and that the statements of witnesses absolved Stevens from all blame.
May 30th, 1910: NEW TROPHIES ON VIEW AT MUSEUM. Columbia Park Boys Add to Large Collection in Golden Gate Park. Throngs Spend Sunday Viewing Antiquities From Around the World. A number of papers pertaining to the earthquake and fire were presented by I. Stienman. The papers include the bill of fare at the Palace Hotel the night before the earthquake.
July 18th, 1910: PALACE HOTEL ROBBED; WAITER UNDER ARREST. Employes Suspected of Stealing More Than $1,000 Worth of Silver and Linen
Detective O'Day Becomes Star Boarder and Watches Out for Thieves. After an investigation which has been carried on with great secrecy for a week by detectives living as guests in the house, R. W. Winter, a waiter, was yesterday taken into custody, on suspicion of being a member of a band that has in the last three months taken more than $1,000 worth of silver, linen and bric-a-brac from the Palace Hotel.
Silver valued at $300 has been traced and recovered through Winter's arrest and he is now on detinue at the city prison. Detective Ed O'Day has been working on the case. He was assisted by the house detectives of the Palace. Much difficulty was experienced in tracing the missing valuables and fastening upon a clew. There are hundreds of waiters in the hotel, besides a large number of employes, who have the freedom of the house. There was nothing in Winter's record that suggested that he might be the guilty person or one of a number purloining valuables. A canvass was made of the pawnshops and much valuable information gained from this method. In the meantime, O'Day lived the hotel and secretly moved about the kitchen and upper floors, watching for an opportunity, to land his man. The pawn tickets obtained, the police say, show that the valuables stolen cover -bric-a-brac, silverware, silver sets, cut glass, fancy linens and other portable articles of ready disposal. How far Winter himself was implicated in the thefts the police are not ready to say. It is the general opinion that there were several employes involved in the thefts.
October 7th, 1910: PALACE HOTEL IS SUED FOR $40,000 DAMAGES. The Palace Hotel was sued for $40,000 damages in the United States' circuit court yesterday for an alleged infringement on a vacuum cleaner patent. The Patent Selling and Exporting-company alleges that despite protests the Palace continues to use the machine, which the company patented.
October 15th, 1910:
February 7th, 1911: Thomas Potter has been appointed as the third assistant manager at the Palace Hotel.
February 19th, 1911: Mentions the Publicity Bureau at Room 9030 in the Palace Hotel. Previous articles said the highest room number was 8133.
May 14th, 1911:
July 9th, 1911: ALEC D. SHARON IS SUMMONED BY DEATH. Former Manager of the Palace Hotel Succumbs to Illness. Alec D. Sharon, for many years manager of the Palace Hotel before the fire, died yesterday after a long illness. Sharon was born 72 years ago in Ohio, and as a youth was in the law office of Edward Stanton, secretary of war during the civil war, of which Sharon was a veteran. Sharon was a nephew of Senator Sharon, who owned the Palace at one time. A wife and one daughter survive. Funeral services will be held tomorrow.
September 22nd, 1911: Yesterday's Fire Report. 11:41am, Still alarm chemical 3. Palace Hotel, grease flue on roof; no loss.
October 11th, 1911: Dr. Julian Waller, noted as resident surgeon at the Palace Hotel.
October 13th, 1911: President Taft visits California and the Palace Hotel. Aside from mentioning there were banquets there for him, there is little else about his time at the hotel.
March 10th, 1912:
J.C. Kirkpatrick
April 24th, 1912: SAN FRANCISCO TO DO ITS PART. In aid of the families of the musicians of the Titanic who went to their deaths playing "Nearer My God to Thee," San Francisco proposes to do its part in contributing to the fund now being raised by Walter Damrosch in New York. A benefit concert, in which all the leading professional and amateur musicians of the city will take part is being arranged by William A. Hoffmann, director of the orchestra of Palace Hotel. Several orchestras have volunteered their services and there will be a gathering of singers such as San Francisco has never before heard on one program.
April 27th, 1912:Civic Luncheon at the Palace Hotel.
May 8th, 1912: Secretary of State Knox Warmly Welcomed to City By Mayor Rolph and Fair Officials. The banquet tables were spread in the immense palm court of the Palace Hotel and 1,500 of the foremost citizens of California and San Francisco gathered to pay their respects to the honored guest.
May 8th, 1912: Victor Reider, who has been connected with the Palace Hotel of San Francisco for many years, has accepted the position of manager of the Hotel Oakland. He will begin June 1st.
May 11th, 1912: I. N. PATTISON OF S. P. DIES AT THE PALACE. I. N. Pattison, right of way agent of the Southern Pacific, died yesterday in his apartments at the Palace Hotel after an illness of several months. He was attended by his wife in his last moments and his daughter, Mrs. Foote. He was a charter member of the Transportation Club and known all over the west in railroad circles.
May 12th, 1912: DR.DODGE TELLS EXPERIENCE IN TITANIC WRECK. Survivor of Greatest Marine Disaster in History Bares Details of Tragedy
Immense Audience at Luncheon of Commonwealth Club Hears Recital. Need of More Seamen and Boats Told; Company Blamed for Loss of Life.
DR. WASHINGTON DODGE, one of the survivors of the Titanic disaster, gave an interesting address yesterday at the luncheon of the Commonwealth Club at the Palace Hotel on his personal experiences during this greatest of all ocean tragedies. His appearance attracted an immense audience.
May 17th, 1912: DR. WALLER CATCHES ON FIRE IN HOTEL LOBBY. Dr. Julian Waller, house physician of the Palace Hotel, was a human smokestack for a few minutes yesterday afternoon. How he got on fire was a mystery. In fact the physician did not discover the smothered flame until Joseph Fredericks, a local capitalist, threw his overcoat about him to smother the fire. Three packages of matches the doctor was carrying had ignited.
May 31st, 1912: Victor M. Reiter, Honored Today By Hotel Associates
Retiring Head of Dining Services of Palace and Fairmont Hotels Given Loving Cup.
Palace Hotel employes will present Victor M. Reiter a handsome silver tea service and a loving cup of beautiful design this morning. Reiter has been connected with the hotel for 25 years. He has been to San Francisco what Oscar is to New York. In conducting the dining room services of the Palace and Fairmont Hotels he has come to be one of the most widely known maitres d'hotel of the coast. He leaves to accept the management of the new Hotel Oakland on the first of the month. The service that is to be presented this morning is a sterling silver tea and coffee set of seven pieces. The loving cup is engraved with an inscription telling of the loyalty of the waiters and captains that have worked with him in the two hotels. Officers and heads of departments in other parts of the hotel have prepared a surprise in the form of a beautiful stickpin, a large sapphire set in diamonds. Obadiah Rich, manager of the hotel, who returned from Dallas yesterday, probably will make the presentation.
July 13th, 1912: O. L. Haeberli is noted as head waiter at the Palace Hotel.
December 10th, 1912: FLASHLIGHT PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WHEN THE MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THEIR GUESTS WERE SEATED IN THE PALM ROOM OF THE PALACE HOTEL AT THE SECOND ANNUAL DINNER OF THE CHAMBER, AND PICTURES OF SEVERAL OF THE DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS. THE ARROW INDICATES THE POSITION OF THE SPEAKER'S TABLE.
