Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-26
OF VANDERBILT HILL
How the "BlueblOOdS" of New
York Ape the British
AriStCCTaCy,
A Correct Photograph Of the
Mansion OF the Great Rail
road Magpate.
The Footman In. u Tragic Attitude.
Money and Society.

AAANNaAI 4-"@'f
present Baron Vanderbilt YVES content
With what his son would regard as
very humble quartor1 in Washington
place. But as the tide OF fashion and
lucre set uptown, his son, the baron,
located himself in o respectable brown.
stone mausoleum at the corner Of
Fifth avenue and Fortieth street.
The building ia spacious, and neither
more nor less unsightly than it's neigh,
hors. A man of modest ambitions
and lowly tastes might live and do
there in perfect oontentment. Bat
Baron Vanderbilt had a fortune TO
display and q name to sustaln-or
rather to establish. He bought sew.
eral lots q few blocks above his FIRST
Fifth avenue home and began to build,
In grateful recognition of the baron's
efforts to embelish the locality, 1t has
been called Vanderbilt hill. The
most conspicuous objects upon 1t arc
three houses, all inhabited by the diff
ferent branches of the house OF Nsu-
derbilt. No stranger walks past this
trio Of palaces without testowing on
them a stare of admiration, and won
deri &, perhaps, what must be the in.
~teriors of mansions whose outsides 80
plainly say: eve were gotten up re.
gardless of expense"
: AT the northwest corner Of Fifth
avenue and Fifty.irst street towers
the lordly dwelling of Baron William.
1t Is as the high-prlced architect In.
formed his noble employer, in the
style of the Italian "Reminiscences.
There are little bs!conies here ard
there, and q single tall minaret crowns
the structure. The material Is stone,
of q dingy gray color. The entrance
is wide, aud when the outer doors are
thrownopen may SEQ the innor por.
tai, which looks like the wood aud
glass partition In a bank. Around
the house iss broad, deep, dry moat.
NJ one who inspecta the castle, even
supericially, can fail to observe the
clrvirgs with which the exterior of
Baron Williams domicile is adorned.
Oyer the front door two undraped,
dirty babies in relief rsc!ine against
a highly decorated flower pot. The
"baby" and ~"fower.pot school" Of art
seems in high favor with the Baron,
for looking along the Fifty.frst street
side of the castle the eye is delighted
with the forms of chubby, prosperous.
looking infants, robed in innocence,
with the occasional addition Ct a small
napkin. The rear sallyport (Which
would be called the back.gate of q less
majestic pile) is simple In Its design.
but substantial and weighty. Re.
garded from the rear, the castle looks
a triAe gloomy and jall-like. The con
trast between front and rsar Views II
most as startling as that between the
Baroness, in ailk and lace, and tn,
ragged, wrinkled bag crouching upor
tho curb, turning the crank of an un
tuneful hand-orgap. He who Is curl
Gus and ill-bred enough to peer In q
the windows may catch occasional
flashes of rich draperies, glimpses o
furniture of the very ne west design
and faint suggestions of magnificent
screens and tiled fre-places.
When the house was completed
Jenkins, hat under arm and note
book in hand, was graciously permit
ted to enter and make memoranda O.
the cost of what he beheld. Thi
curiously designed carpet, for ex
ample: Imported, cir, like nearl!
everything else In the house, excep
its owner. And not only imported
but woven expressly at q fabulous ex
pense for the noble lord who tread
upon 1t. The bronze front doors ais,
came from "Yurrup," and cost no les
than $4,000. jenkins also note'
the o by the great Amautdargen
and the paintings by the highes
priced masters. Strange things, pic
lures. They cannot BIO bought at
uni Jorm rate like railroad shares
Here, for example, ia a little Meis
aonier-only a cavalry soldier Of
horseback smoking u cigarette; yet |
coats twice as much as that other car
vas three times as large and repre-
senting no fewer than seven horses.
On the other side of Fifty-frst stree
are two great b~rowustone tea. chest
connected by a ligament, a la Sla
mese twins. They are very muc'
alike, except that n has q little al
cove lined With red and gold over tn
front door, while In a correspondent
position upon the other Is a carve
coat OF arms, evidently tho work of
stonecutter, who knew his businest
These mansions we're prepared for tn
minor branches of the dynasty, al
ara at present occupied by their VOL
ships, Cornelius and William X
Baron William, in the carvings upu
his ornate abode, showed q prefsrenc
for well-fed babies, while the taste G
his hinsmen runs to foliage, an
sculptured leaves break the moloton
of their chilling walls.
1t is eminently instructive an
might be, to q oynic, equally amusin
to watch the callers who come to th
castle gates, OF course they are i
carriages drawn by we'll groone
horses with shiny, jingling hnrnes
A goodman in livery, with q Ion
whip and solemn department, drive
When the vehicles stops at the cur
the footman alights, throws open Il
door, and Mrs, Beerstock, acooI
panied by her friead, Mrs. Cope
knob, gather their draperles clol
about them, and impressively desoenc
They sweep up to the door, while IL
footmen stands In a tragic attitude,
though he were about to be hangec
or have his photograph taken. Il
remains In his statuesque poge uni
Meadames reappear az tho front dco
They kiss their hostess in a iorma