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

Hudson.
New York World.
Mr.. William Oliver, the well. known
boat builder OF Harlem, has begun the
construction Of q gondo!a for Mr.. j..
K. Emmett, the actor. "Mr. Emmet
came to me about o month ago" said
Mr.. Oliver to q World reporter, land
showed me q model Venetian gondola.
He desired me to have q built like
1t. Mr.. Emmett will retire to his cas
tie on the Hudson very o and the
yondola must be ready for him. There
are gondolas on the lakes In Central
park and Prospect park. They were
imported. Mr.. Emmet's gondola will
be thlrty.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 a 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 q swan. Sixteen people
car 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 / could live in
when I became old. 1t Is true ] have
q castle on the Hudson about 10 miles
above Albany. 1t Ii 100 feet above
the river, and there Is no other house
In the world like 1t. l 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 onc formed part of the Van
Rensselaer, estate, and four acres OF
water forming 3 lake or which I pro.
pose to row my gopdola and another
curious Chinese boat l have, o Junk, ]
believe 1t Is called. ] always did like
sailing In q gondola. But about the
castle. Well, when you first see II
you may not rate It very highly. But
wait till you get inside. There are ne
halls In the castle nor one corner. A,
every turn you meet alcoves and re-
cesses, but no corners and no halls
The rooms r hung with cuciositieu
You can not imogine what the hous,
Is like, ard you might not believe mt
if told you what 1t cost. That's
secret. I will describe my room t.
y n. When I awake In the morning J
look up and see three ceilings twt
are circular domes and one is triangu'
lar. My bed is on one floor and my
boots are on another. Rocks from
the Colosseum and wood from the Vii
Sacra are Q next to helmets which
would delight the heart of Sir Waite,
Scott, and antiquities which woulc
give an antiquarian enough pleasure
for Q life."
Here the reporter asked for a NOR,
detailed description of the two floor
and the three ceilings In one room.
"Well," he replied, "there are step
connecting the floors In the corner
Lo, not q corner--heavebs! there 4
not o corner in the %house--but In tn,
recess. 1 really can't describe tn,
ceilings, but I assure you they exist
The other day my friend John Nc
Cullough and l were there, and Johl
took q bath. Here's the way yol
battle: You 60 Into one room on tn
first floor, temperature 80 degrees; g
to the second floor, the same room
temperature 125 degrees; third floor
temperature 175 degrees. We hav
room, and so get three different TEN
p~eratures In one room. When job
got through he said he had never be
fore had such a bath. The walks an,
gardens, the stables and everythir,
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, bu
when l do go am sure of going to
comfortable home"