Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
BOB INGEnsOLHs PALACE.
The Cabin Home in New Mexico That
Dorsey Builds

Ration ". M Letter 10 DeuUer Opinion.
This, however. has all been preliminary
/ to a description Of IngersOll's log cabin in
/ New Mexico, which Dorsey is building
| for him. The situation is one of the most
beautiful in nature. ColfaX county. in
northeastern New Mexico, is an elevated
4 plateau almost identical in area with the
| State of Massachusetts. The Palo Alto
! estate (commonly called D0rsey's ranch }
/ IS situated almost exactly in the middle OF
! 1t. The whole country Is one boundless
4 and unbrOken meadow. The estate pro-
/ per consists of about "A, 900 acres, in more
i than hundred locations, covering the
4 the springs that control the pasturage of
more than a million acres. DOrsey's home
| ranch his private property and not in
4 cluded In the Palo Alto estate called Oio
! del MOnte-mountain spring-is situated
4 on an elevation commanding a view of
| almost the whole county. 1t is next to
impossible to convey the proper notion of
/ Western scenery to people unfamiliar
with the optical effects of our raritied
! atmosphere. To say that when the air is
warmed by the sun, between the hours Of
and a COW four miles distant VIII look
larger, though the outline OF form will he
Indefinite than one ten PAGES off, is to
assert that Eastern people (saYe perhaps
few on the COAST have not the data in
their experience to verify. 1t seems i'm
possible. To state that one can stand
upon the veranda of Dorsey's residence in
the balmy morning and gaze across end
less meadows, upon mountain ranges 100
miles away, and see the peaks towering
into the clouds, is to endanger your ere
dlbIlltY by an assertion that almost makes
! imagination faint. In such q country, in
| the midst OF such scenes, in an elevated
position, yet sheltered by solemn pines
and gnarled and twisted cedars, will be
situated the summer home of Ingersoll.
He has lately become "a part owner OF the
PalO Alto estate, which, with its 40. 600
head Of grade cattle, is valued at 81, O00,-
600. The house viii be near Oj0 del
M0nte-that Is, few miles away. Every
thing Is "near" in country where the
natural roads are as smooth as race
tracks and horses are as plentiful as
chickens.
The buildiug-or let us say buildings.
for it is great cluster-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 material
ab0unds IN prOfusion and where fancitul
things III architecture are now the rage.
Nothing more perfectly delightful tor
seaside residence could be Devised,
especially for spots. where land is cheap.
Its size will be commensurate with the
generous proportions OF the man and the
boundless hospitality for which his hearth
has always been famous.
Ingersol's immediate family consists of
but four persons, a wife and two daugh-
tiers, but l am told that he rarely sits
down to meal with less than a dozen
about his table, and frequently that num-
Der is doubled. His New Mexico resi-
dence will accommodate thirty persons.
exclusive of servants, without crowding.
He expects, as l understand, to occupy it
from June TO November Of each year. and
it is his purpose to with draw himself SO
tar from legal practice as to be able to
devote that much OF each year to the pre-
paration of some books on religio us and
philosophical topics which he as long
contemplated.