SUPPLEMENT T'O THE RBCORn AND GUIDK,   APRIL 29,   1899.    ■





The Buildinjr Trades  Club,







On -Moiidny evcniug last, the
Building Trades' Club celebrated the
tenth anniversary of its fouadation
by il fraternal gathering in the club-
rooms at No. 112a Broadway, whioh
was eutei'tained by appropriate ad¬
dresses and an elaborate programme
of amusements. Prom beginning to
end this funrtion was a pronounced
success—typical of the history of the
Club — and thoroughly appreciated
and enjoyed by the large nuraber of
members who filled the spacious
rooms now occupied by the Club.

An account of this celebration
wil] bi? found below. It is not
merely as a social gathering that it
has importance and deserves Ihe special attention giveu to it. because the
Ciub has had many soi'ial gatherings, but because it shows that when the
superatruclure of the Building Trades Club was raised, its creators, like
good builders as they were, placed it on secure foundations. Its incep-
lion grew out of the fact that changing methods of business llad left the
building interests without an organization capable of presenting their social
sides and giving them united public representation. There were more
prophesies ot its failure than of its success, but time has sustained the view
of the founders and given permanent establishment lo the only form of
organization by which so diversified an interest as the buiiding trades
can be held together for mutual protection and usefulness. How diver¬
sified this interest is and how thoroughly il is represented in the Ciub is
shown by the fact that the membership is gathered from forty-nine branches
of the traiie, cDunting all forma of iron ami of lhe stone businesses each
as one only.

The history of the Club has been written before, and is ably summar-
Vicd in the address delivered by Mr. Stephen i\I. Wright, and given below,
so thai it is not npcessai'y to go over that ground here. It should be
stated, however, that the Club has in the Townsend Building, on the north¬
west corner of Twenty-fifth Street and Broadway, a spacious floor, con¬
taining large assembly rooms with connecting committee rooms, a private
dining-room, cafe, a large open and spacious dining-room, billiard-room,
snioiiing-room, ladies' parlor and restaurant, comnlete kitchen, and the
usual accompanying et ceteras. By an arrangement peculiar to this Club,
aii the rooms can be thrown into one, and afford an ideal place for festive
gatherings. It has a paid force of 17i attendants.and issupervisedby a thor¬
oughly practical ai.d experienced House Committee, consisUug of the fol¬
lowing gentlemen: Stephen M. Wright, chairman: Ronald Taylor, secre¬
tary; Alfred Beinbauer. William R. Clarke, Leonard K. Prince, Charles A.
Cowen aud Frank M. Weeks, e.^-officio. A very important feature is the
noon-day table d'hote meal, which brings together the membership be¬
tween the hours of 11! aud 2. and makes the club-rooms just as effectively
a meeting place for business as if they were a trade exchange pure and
simple. The social side of the Club takes the form of informal gatheritigs
at the will of any number of the merabers, large or small; "stags" and
"smokers." that are given at intervals and always largely attended; an¬
nual outings, which are also highly popular. Financially the Ciub is
strong. When the removal, from No. 117 East Twenty-third Street to the
Townsend Building was decided upon, two years ago, the Club was free of
debt, but then .$0.01)1) were raised on certificates of indebtedness to meet
the expenses of removal, and arrangement and furnishing of the new
quarters. Of this .iiH.dOO were paid off prior to January 1st last, through
the operations of the sinuiug fund. The condensed balance'sheet for De-
cen-ber .^Ist last, is as follows:

Assets.





Cash in hand.

jJues outstanding.......

Supplies...............

Eurnilure, fixtures, etc.





Liabilities.
:fl,2'27.f)7   Certificates    ot   indebted-
2,'.i,sl,;i,S      uess,  with  interesl   ....

li(il.7J  Due   creditors   ......

7,(1011.00  Balance   ...............

Total    ............





*2,l!).o.,S.S
1.RSO. 17
7,7!*;-), Oil





Total  ..■.............    Iill 1,871.1 iii

This   handsome  showing  of  a  balance  of  .^T.TOn.C!)  over   all





.$11.871.61)

liabilities

on   Broadway,





proves   the   wisdom   of   the   move   to   the   ceutrai   locaiion
which  is  further evidenced  by  the  fact  that  lot!  new  members  have  been
enrolled  since the change.       These rooms are beiug more and  more appre¬
ciated  for lhe  meetings  of  Irade organiKations,  whose  members  find  there

that seclusion and confi¬
dence necessary for the
proper conduct of delicate
negotiations, either among
themselves or with the
labor organizations. Since
July 1. J,9il7. liie date of the
removal to the Townsend
i3uildiitg, 4ll(i regular meet-
IJ'gs ot employers' associa¬
tions identifieti with the
building industry have beeu
held in these rooms; besides
Jnany more of committee
and sub-committee meet¬
ings, and conferences witb
representatives of labor,
plainly showing tbe'appre-
cialioii thai the facilities of "
the club for.these purposes
receives. In Jhe further.
execution of its comprehen¬
sive     duties     towards     the







lation, and in preventing that that wnnid be injurious. Any one whn is of
good moral character, who is an employer of workmen, or has bis individ¬
ual capital invested in a business connected with the building iuterest, is
eligible for membership of the Club. For what it offers and for a metro¬
politan club, the fees aud dues are very small iadeed. The illustrations of
the interiors of the first and of the latest club-rooms, serve to show not only
the material progress made by the Club, but the high-class of the accom¬
modations it now otTers to members. The familiar liniaments ot tbe present
able President, the veteran, John L. Hamilton, audof thegeniaiandpains-
taking secretary and treasurer, William K. Fertig, will be perceived with
pleasure.

The gathering last Monday opened with enthusiasm, and was continued
to its close in the same spirit. There was not a dull moment the whole
evening. All the rooms of the Club were thrown into one, so that the
members could move witb freedom; and. instead of the restraint of a set
programme carried out on a stage before which the audience must sit the
whole evening, the various numbers on the programme were presented
wherever the party might be massed for the time being and in an easy un-
theatrical way that n-a-l? Ihem all the more enjoyable, ilefreshments were
served throughout the evening and the wine-cup circulated with freedom
tempered by discretion. Roland Taylor, who liad charge ot the entertain-
luent, very successfully gauged tlie tastes of the audience, bearing in mind
its proper requirements, and the merry side of the alTair. Sciarretta's
Neapolitan Quartette, mandolinists and singers; the Eureka Tria of real
negroes, with banjo, mandolin and guitar; nnd a company of cake walkers,
sustained the lighter and gayer part of the programme. The last menlioned
company consisted of a master of the ceremonies and three male and three
female colored people who by their fantastic attire and playful antics, were
very successful—as were also the judges—Messrs. Wm. H. Sayward, Samuel
I, Acken and Augustus Meyers, who may be said to have formed part of the
show, in that their serio-comii' criticisms and findings contributed not a
little lo the success of this
piece of merrymaking. Prof.
Ki'ieger, "The Merry Wiz¬
ard," created lots of fun by
his clever sleight-of-iiaiid.
The Metropolitan Male Quar¬
tette and the voluntary aud
artistic efforts of the weil-
known singer and member
of tiie iron trade. S. Fisher
Miller, furnished substan¬
tial vocal efforts that were
appreciated as much in
their way as were the light¬
er numbers.

At an early period of the
evening the company was
called together by the
President lo give formal
expression to their satis¬
faction at finding that the
Ciub had aged so well aud
touud itself prosperous wilh

increasing years.    The par-              WILLIAM   K.  FBKTIG, Secretary,

ticipants in  this celebration were  lhe t  llowing;







Johu L. Hamilton,
Alfred Beinbauer,
Samuel 1. Acken,
Wm. K. Fertig,
i-"'dwln Dobbs,
Wm. W. Ames,
Lovell H. Carr,
William Gaskell,
F'-ancis M. Weeks,
Clarence W. Gaylor.
Rdwin S. Keefer,
H. M. Tostevin.
William Turner,
Chas. Andruss,
Ronald Taylor,
Jas. 1, Healey,
.roliii R. Voorhis,
Wm. T. Ritch,
T.ouis Weber.
WarrS'i A. Conover.
F. W. fip.-'^ri'it. ,7r.,
Will. R. Clarke,
Frauk '^pssing.
James """bnirson.
Jas. W. Carter,
Geo. S. Hayes,
Frank Hyde.
Wm. S. Wilder.





A. 3. Dickinson,
Henry M. Toch,
Hugh Gettv,
Geo. J. Wills,
Wm. H. Sayward,
Chas. T. Galloway,
Chas. L. Eidlitz,
Chas. A. Cowen,
S. Davis,
Allan S. Duncan,
Paul Pfotenhauer,
J. M. Mossman,
D. N. Mapes.
John H. Dale,
.lacob Mark.
Isaac A.  i-Iopper,
Geo. H. Pride.
Wm. H. Nesbitt.
.Tohn E   Nicholson,
Prank E   Cfunver.
John J. Radley.
.lohn Cooper.
P. H. Barr,
T^. A. Vaughan,
ra. P. I-Iicks,
"'m. A. Hankinaor.
Frank Wlllian's.
Alfrpd L. Poideri'-.





Johu J. Roberts,
John W. Mark,
E. Hudson Ogden,
Richard T. Davies,
Hugo Berger,
Augustus Meyers.
Wm. C, Smilh,
Vincent C. King,
Wm. Bradley.
Lewis Harding,
falrick Gallagher.
P. H. Klein. Jr..
H. S. Godsoe,
Edward P. Foster.
John C. Dey.
Francis N. Nowland,
Edwin Cutwater.
Stephen M. Wright.
i""inald Sfitchell.
Wm. H. Van Tassell.
Ftvron W. Greene. Jr..
Leonari K. Prince,
Frank L  Blake,
Jas   fiirra".
Alphonao E. Pelhar-.
Petfr L. P. Tostevin,
'^i'jkii'e Van Houten.
eV G. Haiitche, Jr.





.JOHN L.   MA.VHLTOX.  President.





building   trades,    the    Club





has Committees on Legislation and Ordinances, which carefully watch mat¬
ters affecting building interests at Albany and in the Municipal Assembly,
and are able to render valuable service iu aiding the passage ot good legis-





Mr. Hamilton e-pressed his personal salisfaction at seeing so large antl
representative a gathering, and particularly, in noting so many y;llow
ribbons or badges by which original members, or "founders," as tbey were
called, were distinguished. He said the Ciub was sirong and had money
with which to meet its indebtedness, but at the same time they would be
lianpv to have those connected with the building interests who were not
p-pp^bers, come in and share wilh them the many benefits and privileges
of the Club,

Secretary Fertig read a dispatch from Mr. John S. Stevens, of Philadel¬
phia. President of ihe National Assoeiaiion of Builders, who was expected
to be present, stating that it was impossible for him la come, aud convey¬
ing an expression of his regards to "all the hoys." Mr. Fertig also read
a letier of regret from Mr. Heury W. Redfield. the first secretary, rejoicing
in the success that had attended the effort tn found a building trades' club

Mr.   Stephen  M.  Wright  read  the  following  address reviewing  the  pur¬
poses and history of tlie Ciub:
Mr.  President and Gentlemen:

1 certainly rejoice in the privilege of saying a few words lo you on this
occasion, lo be memorable in the history of the Club, for among tbe various
organizations that 1 have labored for, during the past decade, no one have I
fell prouder  to  ba  identified  with  than  this  Club,  because  I  believe  it  to