The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-11-25
The Story Of Deserted Nevada Mansion.

All residents of Nevada will recall
what a famous resort Bowers Mansion
used to be in the flush times some fif-
teen years ago. Sandy Bowers made
some lucky turns in Crown Point and
Belcher, and almost before he knew it
was worth cool million, and some say
more. He believed that money was
made to use. and so purchased some
property near Washoe Lake and built
his mansion. 1t was by far the most
pretentious dwelling that ever had
been thought of in Nevada; and when
people saw the broad and solid masonry
going up, they wondered if it would
not bankrupt its builder. After the
house was finished the Bowers went to
Europe for upholstery and furniture.
The house cost 500, 900 to build and
the furniture cost about as much more.
1t was simple proposition with Bow
ers to have everything in sight regard
some bad advisers in those days, and
extravaganza. He was open-hearted
and liberal as the day, and the mansion
became favorite resort. He was never
happier than when he had big crowd
dancing in his parlors and drinking his
champagne. He gave grand suppers,
balls and receptions, and the bigger the
crowd the betterhe liked it.
This sort of thing went on for years,
and presently Bowers reached the bot
tom of his sack. Gradually the prop
perty passed out of his hands; it went
little by little, but it went all the same,
and finally Sandy Bowers died in pow
erty and left widow known as the
"Washoe Seeress," good, kind
hearted. genial old lady who makes
living by revealing the future. and is
looked upon as a wonderful medium by
the spiritualists. After his death the
glories of the mansion departed, and at
the present time it is uninhabited.
A few Sundays ago an appeal report
er visited the place. The gate was tied
up and the unbroken road showed that
no carriages had driven through it for
many day. A stroll over the grounds
showed that they were really deserted by
everything except the birds and jack rab-
bits. The dancing hall was empty, and
the old bath-house supplied with water
from the hot springs had been turned
into sort of hostlerie for the wayfaring
tramps, who, at the approach of foot
steps, crawled out and betook them
selves to the hills. The trees, no longer
assume the form and look of the natural
production, and called to mind the lines
from Hood Haunted House:
The very yew formality had trained
To such rigid pyramidal statue,
For want of trimming, had almost regained
The ruggedness of nature.
The fountain. which in better DAYS
had sent its jets of silver high in air and
showered its spray upon the grass when
the wind was high, had evidently not
been in state of activity for years.
The upper basin was as dry as lime
kiln, and the lower one was in but little
better condition.
The fountain was a dry-neglect and time
Had marred the work of artisan and
The efts and croaking frogs, begat of slime,
Sprawlcd in the ruined basin.
At the approach of the scribe num-
ber of the last named croaked lugub-
rious acknowledgment, which. if the
language of reptiles means anything,
was a palpable hint to take walk. A
blacksnaks lay coiled on the edge of the
masonry. Unabashed by human pres
ence, he continued basking in the sun,
and wore the air of party who knew
his rights. Lizards darted in and out
of the crevices of the stones, and mot
tied toads, with bellies of aldermanic
patterns, sweated and sweltered in the
grass, the growth of which no lawn
mower had ever worried.
The house had kept pace with the
premises in the matter of decaying.
The doors were all nailed up, and any
one stepping on the porch would wager
any amount that the building was empty.
Each tread was multiplied into score
of echoes which only empty houses re-
spond to. A peep through the windows
showed nothing but uncarpeted doors,
bare walls and ghastly white ceilings
Bowers had built a fish pond when he
was flush, and not forgetting that
scenery was something, placed an island
in the center. This was covered with a
delightful growth of willows, which
swept the water with truly picturesque
effect. The fish, snakes and turtles
held possession of this spot, and seemed
oblivious of intrusion. The water was
perfectly clear, and from the bottom a
curious vegetable growth was discerni-
BILE, which was in itself a sufficient at
traction to repay visit. The weed was
fine and green, and arose in such heavy
masses that half the pond was filled
with it,-Carson (Nec.) appeal.