It's 1912, you're an undercover cop investigating the Mafia.....what's your monthly expenses for booze and cigars?

[99call]

Love these snapshots of history.  Expenses chitty for an undercover cop in 1912

$30 in 1912 is $809 dollars a month in todays money. 

I can't quite work out in my head if this cop was taking the piss,  or actually living quite frugally,   I'm sure the US based members will have a better grip on how Romolo Pagano was conducting his affairs. 

 

[Jimmy_jack]

That’s pretty awesome. 

[99call]

Just now, Jimmy_jack said:

That’s pretty awesome. 

Thats what I thought

[99call]

It's looks like he originally put in £30.05.........then  thought "Hmmm maybe that's a bit rich"  and 'O'd around the '5'

[El Presidente]

Brilliant. 

I use the same wording when I submit my Havana trip expenses to the ATO/IRS

There are a few more zero's 

[Jimmy_jack]

Also in 1912

 

1912 Events

• Woodrow Wilson was elected president.  He took office in January 1913.
• http://www.aejmc100.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/RMS_Titanic_3-300x221.jpg

  RMS Titanic departing Southampton April 1912 (Author: F.G.O. Stuart. Public Domain.)

  The Presidential election featured a new party — the Bull Moose Party. Its candidate in the election was former president Teddy Roosevelt who was shot during the campaign (it was a flesh wound and he recovered).

• The Robert F. Scott exploration team became the second group to reach the South Pole (none survived to return). He was one month behind the first team (led by Roald Amundsen.)
• The Radio Act of 1912 was passed by Congress to regulate radio communication. It assigned three- and four-letter codes to radio stations. This was the first act in the United States to require radio stations to be licensed.
• The Republic of China was founded.
• The summer Olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden.
• Albert Berry made the first parachute jump from a moving airplane.
• New Mexico admitted as 47^th state, Arizona admitted as 48^th state.
• Alaska became an organized (also called an incorporated) U.S. territory, meaning it was considered part of the United States proper.  This meant that the U.S. Constitution and U.S. laws did apply to the residents of the territory, and as such were citizens of the United States. (Prior to this status, Alaska was a possession.)
• Fenway Park opened with a game between the Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees (who were known at that time as the “Highlanders”).
• The British ocean-liner Titanic sinks on its first voyage, and more than 1,500 passengers were killed.
• First neon advertising sign appears in Paris (for a barber shop)
• Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees to the United States as a gift.  They were planned around the Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park.  The first two cherry trees were planted in March by First Lady Helen Taft and the Japanese ambassador’s wife, Viscountess Chinda. These two original trees are still standing today near the John Paul Jones statue at the south end of 17th Street.
• The Columbia University School of Journalism was created.
• The University of Oregon Department of Journalism was created.
• The University of Wisconsin Madison Department of Journalism was created.
• The Girl Scouts of America was founded in Savannah, GA.

[Islandboy]

Did Albert Berry really make the first parachute jump from a plane? Or was he just the first guy to live to tell the tale.

[Woody Hayes]

Probably back then a cigar was a nickel. 

[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, 99call said:

Love these snapshots of history.  Expenses chitty for an undercover cop in 1912

$30 in 1912 is $809 dollars a month in todays money. 

I can't quite work out in my head if this cop was taking the piss,  or actually living quite frugally,   I'm sure the US based members will have a better grip on how Romolo Pagano was conducting his affairs. 

 

You gotta remember, that was 1912. Most dishes in restaurants cost less than a dollar, often about 30-40c. Cigars were 5c each, and beer was 5-10c for a glass. Heck, pre-prohibition, a cocktail would have been about 20c.

So if this guy is spending USD30 a month on drinks/cigars/cab fare, he's living kinda large.

Here's a menu circa 1913, from a New York cafe/restaurant.

[Shrimpchips]

PBR....apparently always has and always will be the cheapest option anywhere...

[Kevin48438]

Zoomed in on the menu and first thing I saw was “omelette with beef tongue and stewed apricots.”

I doubt that is still available.

[Akela3rd]

I want the 'raw meat' sandwich...

Sent by spooky action at a distance

[99call]

5 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You gotta remember, that was 1912. Most dishes in restaurants cost less than a dollar, often about 30-40c. Cigars were 5c each, and beer was 5-10c for a glass. Heck, pre-prohibition, a cocktail would have been about 20c.

So if this guy is spending USD30 a month on drinks/cigars/cab fare, he's living kinda large.

Here's a menu circa 1913, from a New York cafe/restaurant.

I'm just imagining the shit he's get from his missus when he rolls in at 3am absolutely steaming

Connie :   "OOOOoooo....look who it is.......New Yorks finest"

Romolo :   ".......Jesus Christ Honey.......not tonight"

Connie :    " what's the matter?... you tired!!!!!,  cracking lobster claws, and lifting bottles of champagne....with your FRIENDS!!!?

Romolo:    " You make out like I enjoy this!!.............YOU THINK I ENJOY THIS!???"

Connie:     " You've got birthday cake on your face..........."

[La_Tigre]

12 hours ago, 99call said:

It's looks like he originally put in £30.05.........then  thought "Hmmm maybe that's a bit rich"  and 'O'd around the '5'

“Forgot that last drink was on the house….” 😉 😉 😉 

[Ryan]

9 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You gotta remember, that was 1912. Most dishes in restaurants cost less than a dollar, often about 30-40c. Cigars were 5c each, and beer was 5-10c for a glass. Heck, pre-prohibition, a cocktail would have been about 20c.

So if this guy is spending USD30 a month on drinks/cigars/cab fare, he's living kinda large.

Here's a menu circa 1913, from a New York cafe/restaurant.

 

Given the menu, wine list (limited but not cheap), and even the selection of cordials, it looks like quite a high end place. Interesting to see there are no single malt scotches on the list. It's all blended. The only single-distillery whiskeys on that list are the Irish ones. 

Obviously it took a while for the world outside Scotland to start believing that single malt scotch is actually any good.

[Chibearsv]

13 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You gotta remember, that was 1912. Most dishes in restaurants cost less than a dollar, often about 30-40c. Cigars were 5c each, and beer was 5-10c for a glass. Heck, pre-prohibition, a cocktail would have been about 20c.

So if this guy is spending USD30 a month on drinks/cigars/cab fare, he's living kinda large.

Here's a menu circa 1913, from a New York cafe/restaurant.

Looks pretty similar to menus now except dollars now instead of pennies then.  

[Chibearsv]

There's a better than fair chance the cop was making a decent amount from the other side as well.

[Ryan]

The last section of the menu "Mineral Water etc.", some terms lasted longer here than most other places. "Splits" is the trade term still used for soft drinks/mixers in smaller bottles (between 200 - 300cc), "Splits" will be on pub price lists for staff use and cash registers .

And many Irish people still call soft-drinks "minerals". Go to any pub in Ireland and, if it's an Irish bartender, ask them "What minerals do you have?", they'll know exactly what you're talking about.

[Kevin48438]

24 minutes ago, Ryan said:

"What minerals do you have?"

On my one trip to Ireland I said, “Guinness please.  And when the pint is down to here,” *****points about a third of the way up the glass***** “please begin preparing another”

I wasn’t aware there was another option...  😋

[Fuzz]

5 hours ago, Ryan said:

 

Given the menu, wine list (limited but not cheap), and even the selection of cordials, it looks like quite a high end place. Interesting to see there are no single malt scotches on the list. It's all blended. The only single-distillery whiskeys on that list are the Irish ones. 

Obviously it took a while for the world outside Scotland to start believing that single malt scotch is actually any good.

The menu for the Waldorf Astoria was similarly priced. Some smaller joints were about 5-10c cheaper per dish. Couldn't find any bar menus that just had drinks. And remember, this was the era that offered free counter lunches as long as you kept drinking. Of course, TANSTAAFL was the rule.

[Nino]

That Menu would still be offered in any German Gasthaus ( outside of Mainz/Hessen for the cheese ) but somewhat limited like no Gefüllte Milz ( stuffed Spleen ) and all the US dishes.

Love that it has my regional/local Mainzer Handkäse but wonder if it is "mit Musik" or without farts ... 🙂

Strangers to this custom probably ask where the Musik is. They most likely are told, Die Musik kommt später, i.e. the music "comes later". This is a euphemism for the flatulence that the raw onions usually provide. A more polite, but less likely explanation for the Musik is that the flasks of vinegar and oil customarily provided with the cheese would strike a musical note when they hit each other. Handkäse is popular among dieters and some health food devotees. It is also popular among bodybuilders, runners, and weightlifters for its high content of protein while being relatively low in fat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handkäse

[Fuzz]

16 hours ago, 99call said:

I'm just imagining the shit he's get from his missus when he rolls in at 3am absolutely steaming

Connie :   "OOOOoooo....look who it is.......New Yorks finest"

Romolo :   ".......Jesus Christ Honey.......not tonight"

Connie :    " what's the matter?... you tired!!!!!,  cracking lobster claws, and lifting bottles of champagne....with your FRIENDS!!!?

Romolo:    " You make out like I enjoy this!!.............YOU THINK I ENJOY THIS!???"

Connie:     " You've got birthday cake on your face..........."

Why is it that when I read this, I heard in my mind an Irish accent? Must be the old stereotype of Irish cops in New York.

[Ryan]

11 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Why is it that when I read this, I heard in my mind an Irish accent? Must be the old stereotype of Irish cops in New York.

That's not a stereotype. There's a reason drunk Irish 19 year olds have a hard time getting in real trouble in New York.

One little anecdote. The police were called to party for noise in an apartment in New York in 1990. They were invited in, the floor was littered with drunk 18-19 year Irish students on summer work visas, hammered. One of the hosts of the party cycled out of a bedroom naked on racing bike and crashed into the first police officer. "Is there a problem constable?", he says (he had spent the previous summer in London). That didn't finish the party.  I'd imagine it might have for some other nationalities.