Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-01
FRITZ AT HOME.
Fgmmet's Wonderful Castle on the
Hudson.

New York World.
Mr.. William Oliver, the ell.known
boat builder Of Harlem, has begun the
construction Of q gondola for Mr.. j..
X. Emmett. the actor. "Mr. Emmett
came to me about o month ago" said
Mr.. Oliver TO q World reporter, "and
showed me q model Venetian gondola.
He desired me to have n built like
It. Mr.. Emmett will retire to his cas
tie on the Hudson very soon and the
yondola must be ready for him. There
are gondolAs on the lakes In Central
park and Prospect park. They were
imported. MI. Emmet's gondola will
be thirty six feet long, four feet beam
and eighteen inches deep amidships.
The keel has been laid, and the knees
Of hackmatack are ready for the side
planking, which will be of cedar.
There will q cabin in the centre with
Venetian blinds. The bow, made Of
bright steel, will support a swinging
lantern. 1t has q curve as graceful as
the neck Of o swan. Sixteen people
can be carried In 1t very comfortably.
The boat will be completed about the
1st of April"
Mr.. Emmett, when questioned about
his new house, said; II have travelled
sll over the world, I may say, and
have always had one object in view
to build q house that l could live In
when / became old. 1t is true ] have
q castle on the Hudson about 10 miles
above Albany. It L. 100 feet above
the river, and there Is no other house
In the world like 1t. I have had 1t
built after my own Ideas, and have
adorned 1t with curiosities collected at
Rome, Naples, Venice, Hong Kong,
Yeddo, and, In fact, every part Of the
world. I have sixteen acres of land
that once formed part of the Van
Rensselaer, estate, and four acres Of
water forming q lake on which I pro
pose to row my gopdola and another
curious Chinese boat l have, o Junk, ]
believe It Is called. / always did like
sailing In . gondols. But about tht
castle. Well, when you FIRST zee 1,
you may not rate II very highly. But
wait till you get inside. There are Mt
halls In the castle nor one corner. Al
every turn you meet alcoves and re
ceases, but no corners and no halls
The rooms are hung with ~cuciosities
You can not imo gine what the hous'
Is like, ard you might not believe mt
il I told you what 1t cost. That's j.,
secret. I will describe my ROOF t.
, n. When I awake In the morning
iook up and see three ceilings tw
are circular domes and one is triangu
lar. My bed is on one floor and m!
boots are on another. Rocks from
the Colosseum and wood from the Vii
Sacra are seen next to helmets which
would delight the heart of Sir Walte'
Scott, and antiquities which woult
!, give an antiquarian enough pleasure
! for Q life"
Here the reporter aaked for q mol,
detailed description of the two floor
and the three ceilings In one room.
SWELL" he replied, ''there are step
connecting the floors In the corner
Lo, not q corner--heavebs! there 1
not a corner In the house--but In tn
recess. l really can't describe tn
, ceilings, but I assure you they exist
8 The other day my friend John Mo
Cullough and l were there, and Joh1
took a bath. Here's the way 20
, battle: You 60 Into one room on th
: first floor, temperature 80 degrees; g
! to the second floor, the same room
temperature 125 degrees; third floor
temperature 175 degrees. WI hav
! room, and so get three different tenn
!, peratures In ono room. When job
: got through he said he had never be
fore had such a bath. TIE walks an
! gardens, the stables and averythirI
! are as unique and original as sh'
house. Now, when you ask me whel
L am going to go permanently and b
really Fritz In Albany or Fritz a
home you ask me too much. Proba
) bly, not for some time to come, Blu
! when l do goI am sure of going to
: comfortable home"