Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-05-15
INGERS0LL'S PALACE.
The Cabin Home in New MexlcO-The Enemy
of Orthodoxy and His Forty-fiye Thous-
and Head of Grade Cattle

log cabin in New Mexico, which Dor
scy is building for him. The situation
is one of the most beautiful in nature.
ColfaX county, northeastern New Mex
leo, is an elevated plateau almost iden-
tical in area with the state of Massa-
chusetts. The Palo-Alto estate (com-
monty called Dorsey's ranch is situ-
ated almost exactly in the middle Of it.
The whole country is one boundless
and unbrOkcn meadow. The estate
proper consists of about twenty-four
thousand acres, in more than hundred
locations covering the springs that con
trol the pasturage of more than mil
lion acres. Dorsey's home ranch (his
private property and not included in
the Palo Alto estatc) called Ojo del
Monte-mountain Spring-is situated
on an elevation commanding view of
almost the whole country. 1t is next
to impossible to convey the proper no.
ton of western scenery to people un-
familiar with the optical effects of our
rarifed atmosphere. Tosay that when
the air is warmed by the sun, between
the hours of . and 4 Il COW four miles
distant will look larger though the out
| line of form will be indefinite. than
one ten PAGES of, is to assert that the
eastern people (savc perhaps few on
the cOast) have not the data in their
experience to verify. 1t seems impoS-
siblc. To state that one can stand up
ON the vcranda of Dorscy's residence
in the balmy morning and gaze across
endless meadows, upon mountain ran
gcS $50 miles away and see the peaks
towering into the clouds is to cndangcr
your credibility by an assertion that
almost makes Imagination faint. In
such Il country, in the midst Of such
scenes, in an elevated position, vet
sheltered by solemn pines and gnarlcd
and twisted ccdars, will be situated the
summer home Of lngcrsoll. He has
lately become L part owner of the PaI0
Alto estate. which, with its ij.OOOhcad
of grade cattle. is valued at -, 600, 600.
The house will be near Ojo del Monte
that is, Il few miles away. Every
thing is near in country whore the
natural roads are as smooth as race
tracks and horses are as plentiful as
chickens.
The bulding-or let us say build
ings, for it is Il great cluStcr-will be
something unique in architecture, and
| shall be greatly disappointed if the
general plan is not soon extensively
copied in New England, where the ma
tcrial ahounds in profuSon and where
fanciiul things in architecture are now
the rage. Nothing more perfectly de-
lightfu for seaside residence could be
devised, especially for spots where
land is cheap. lis size will be com
mcnsuratc with the generous proper
tionS of the man and the boundlcSs
hospitality for which his hearth has
always been famous,
Ingcrsoll'S immediate family con
sists Of but four persons, Il wife and
two daughters; but am told that he
rarely sits down to meal with less
than Il dozen about his table, and fire.
qucntly that number is doubled. His
New Mexico residence will accommo-
date thirty persons, exclusive Of Scry-
ants. without crpwding. He expects,
rs | understand, to occupy it from
June to November Of each year, and il
is his purpose to withdraw himself 50
far from legal practice as to be able to
devote that much Of each year to the
preparation of some books on religious
and philosophical topics which he ha,
long contemplated.
Learning that Mr.. 4. II. Young, OF
Ration, was the architect in charge, ]
called on him to obtain some facts for
publication, and was permitted to take
Il draft of the plan, which | send fol
reproduction in opinion. To get the
proportions right, make the distance
around the vcranda $40 feet. Formed
into one rectangular building, thi,
would make Il house 800 feet long by
$50 wide You will thus be enabled tc
Judge of the amount of space under
roof.
when do You expect to have Col
Ingcrsoll's house ready for occupan
cy?' inquired Of the architect.
"By the lSt of July"
"Tcll me how it will be finished
tell me all about it.
"Wcll, it will be built of logs entire
ly, on stone foundation, and it viii
take twenty-five workmcn from now
till the time mentioned to finish it
Every 10y will have the bark scrapcc
nearly smooth. but left on. and thcr
the whole will be oiled. The rusti,
| effects will be carried out by making
: even the window frames Of slabs, witt
the bark on, and all the doors will be
, Of unique pattern. As for the win
= dowS, they will be Of all shapes ant
T. sizes, those in no two rooms being
alike, and stained glass will be libcr
ally used. The llocrs, and such of the
rooms as are not lathcd and plastcrcd
= will be done in mountain mahogany
? and hard pine, two kinds Of timber
= growing in the vicinity. No pain
: whatever will be used about the build
ing, but all woodwork will be treated
2 with hot oil. The chimncys, of which
= there will Ice many, both in group,
: and scattered, will be OF red stone and
: red brick. Some will he inside and
) others entirely outside of the house, Il,
5 may best serve effects in the genera
log-cahin design of the buildings
= Every large roOm-and You see how
numerous they will bc-haS II spaciou,
= fireplace for wood. With the cXccp,
| tion of the octagonal room, which
= will be thirty feet high and
: have an observatory above all
e the buildings (y0u perceive il is not
= one building, but numerous and gro.
l tesque jumblc, all connccted) will be
= but one story high. The roofs will be
steep, scmi-gothic, painted guile red
| which | think, with all the clustering
gables and the chimney groups, will
make charming ensemble there
among the green cedars and pine.
, am very enthusiastic about it, for you
see all the gentlemen of the country
are proud to have the colonel for d
neighbor, and with the hosts of east.
= earn visitors he will have, my work is
sure to be appreciated
"What will the whole affair cost?'
Well, the contract price for the
> house alone is $4,000, but the stable
{ fences, putting in the fountain (you
see the spring above throws the water
thirty feet high at the house) will
probably run the whole expense up tc
, $4,000, and you are to take into ac
: count that much of the material cost.