Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-10
SOCIETY LIFE.
NOTES OF SOCIETY MATTERS AT THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The Fire in the Stewart Castle-Gen-
eral Grants, Receptions-A Re-
ply to Criticism.
WASHINGTON, December 81, 1879.

WASHINGTON, December 81, 1879
The fire in the Stewart mansion last
evening is the topic of conversation all
over the city to-day. The public has
always taken a deep and tragic interest in
that splendid pile. The most imposing
private residence in the city, it was erected
in lS72-the costliest year since the war
for building and has stood tenantless and
proftless for four or more years of its ex-
istence, the tomb of full 5000, 900 of dead
and buried capital 1t was too costly to
secure tenant. The Chinese Legation,
among other parties, were obliged to forego
the luxury of occupying it on account of
the enormous rental. Fronting the Con-
necticut avenue circle, and but few rods
from the British Legation block, in the
patrician northwest end of the city, its
location is proudly eminent, and its tower
ing architecture made 1t
AN AWFUL SPECTACLE OF BEAUTY
When the flames were raging through its
upper portion. 1t looked like a splendid
lost soul in the clutches of a demon. Much
of the furniture was made to order in Eu.
rope, and the carpets and lace hangings
were also imported and were very costly
These last, popular tradition has said, were
| rotting and prey to moths from long dis
use, only servant or two being in charge
during the owners long absence. Every
one was glad last June when the genial,
popular mistress of the mansion came back
to it, and put it in thorough repair, OPEN
ing it to guests but few weeks since.
Only CRATE fires had been used till yester-
day morning, when the enormous furnace
was fired up, for the first time in four years
the little ceremony of putting water in
the boiler being, it is said, omitted. The
ironwork soon attained white heat, the
communications melted, and the pine
woodwork Carolina pine, very
pitchy-was not long in taking the hint to
burn, the flames beginning in one of the
upper rooms at the rear. With Mrs. Stew
art were her sister (hIrs. WOODY and Miss
Page, sister of Mrs. Thomas Bryan, wife
of former District Commissioner The
latter lady and Mrs. Stewart had gone to
spend the evening with Mrs. Bryan, few
blocks distant, but were summoned home
by the flames Mrs. Stewart found her
kind neighbor, Sir Edward Thornton the
British Minister) and several members of
his Legation on the spot, and in the midst
of doing noble service in experimenting
the rescue of! valuables, he took Mrs.
Stewart and Miss Page on either arm to
his own home as Lady Thornton's guests
for the night. The six-year- old daughter,
May Belle, was also taken there, and when
she grows up she can have it to tell the
other girls how mamma and herself, at the
time of their great fire, were entertained
for day and two nights at the British
Minister'S. On tomorrow it is Mrs. Stew
arts purpose to locate for the winter. She
bears up wonderfully under the painful ex-
citement, fortified in part perhaps by the
comfortable knowledge that there was
$40, 900 insurance on the house and $50, 900
on the furniture. The property is decided
to Mrs. Stewart and the insurance papers
are made out to her. There is a mortgage
of $500 on the place. To-day the inte-
rior looked like
THE ABoMINATIoN OF DEsoLATIoN.
Tables of the rarest Florentine mosaic, such
as skilled workman of that far land may
have spent half a lifetime in working, and
selected by Mrs. Stewart herself, in Eu-
rope, had been ruthlessly broken and
crushed by the bevy of rough men who
rushed in 'to save things" Exquisite
vases of marble, and statues of gods and
goddesses lay in ignoble ruins. Drenched
carpets and pianos, and costly wearing APP
parel utterly ruined, sickened the eye.
The water which percolated in streams
from the upper stories did almost as much
damage on the main floor as the flames did
above About the sorriest sight was the
little daughters French governess bewail-
ing her own cherished piano and the mod
est accumulations of trinkets that were
endeared to her by long, slow years of gar
nerlng up Her losses are unsecured by
insurance. The firemen did gallant ser
vice; better was never seen; and when
water was found to be scanty District
Commissioner Thomas 2. Morgan, another
near neighbor, gave orders to have all the
water-cocks in the vicinity turned off, to
add to the pressure. Very many have
spoken to-day with friendly sympathy, of
the ex-senator away in California, and
felicitated him upon the buoyant spirit that
rallies so grandly from all reverses. Two
elder daughters, both married, reside in
San Francisco. Mrs Hooker was hand
some Bessie Stewart and had a brief gay
bellehood and grand wedding here few
years since.
SAFEGUARDS.
By the burning of this mansion and the
sadder Providence that removed Senator
Chandler from life, two homes that were
to have been centers of genial hospitality
this winter have been closed. This is
misfortune to our social world. Much as
Washington Society" has been abused
and undervalued by thoughless pens, it is
great safeguard in times of political tur-
MOL. 1t lubricates the machinery of par
tisan strife. 1t is an effort in the direction
of mutual brotherhood, and does away with
much unwholesome rancor and friction.
Fernando Wood, in owning home here
and giving handsome entertainments, has
done good thing for the State he helps to
represent. Assisted by his daughter, Mrs.
Hickok, he gave graceful evening recep-
ton to Miss Emma Thursby two weeks
ago tonight, when she was here with her
concert troupe. Cabinet officers, Senators,
the Chief Justice and several of his associ-
ates, with ladies of their families, were
among those who paid court to the gifted
songstress on that occasion. One cannot
help admiring the self-control and indomi-
table heart of that stiff, unbending old
survivor of misfortune. Of many griefs
his life has known, perhaps the very
sharpest is the insanity of his young wife
an inmate, it is said, of a private retreat
where his love provides beautifully for her
wants.
SOCIETY NOTES.
Another New York city Congressman-a
Republican I am glad to say-Hon. Levi
P. Morton, head OF the great banking firm
of Morton & Drexel, has bought the his
toric Hooper mansion, 1901 H street,
which the Hon. Samuel Hooper, the father
in-aw of Charles Sumner, purchased from
the Adams family years ago. Here have
been given some of the most memorable
banquets of the past; and Mr.. and Mrs.
Morton have rededicated the stately old
house to the de,ties of hospitality. Their
first entertainment was a dinner made
to a little party of New York Con-
gressmen three weeks ago; their second,
children's party Christmas week /; their
third, dinner to General and Mrs Grant,
with sixteen guests invited to meet them,
IN Monday evening of this week The