Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-07-09
GOULD's HOME.
A Fairyland ON the Hudson for the MIL
Iionaire in summer Time.

IluuSOn anu dDOuI II Hlllc lTOlll lHc TIC
pot. What was then known as the
Merritt estate is now known as the Jay
Gould estate. and could its former pro-
prietor, now dead, awake to life he
would scarcely recognize his ideal home.
In 1880 Jay Gould became struck with
the magniiicence of the property and
purchased it. Since the day that it
passed into his hands he has been con-
tinually backing nature with capital
until he has succeeded in creating one
of the lovelicst sites in the world. The
estate now covers (according to the
books of the supervisory $40 acres of
the most eligible and fertile land in
Westchester county. OF this about 200
acres are woodland, and the rest de-
voted TO lawns and light farming.
1t is said that the purchasing price
paid by Mr. Gould for the estate was in
the neighborhood of 100000, and that
he can dispose of the property any day
for five times that amount, or $1,000
600. The house of the little great king
of finance is built in gothic style and in
itself is not particularly striking 1t
faces the river from Il distance of 5000
feet. and the view commanding is at
once grand and picturesque. 1t con-
tains twenty rooms, beside a basement
Of the dimensions of the house. Not
until entering the house is the visitor
fully impressed with the sway that its
owner must have in the financial world.
Administer and Moquet carpets and
velvet tapestry cover the floors, and
frescoing of the most delicate and eX-
pensive patterns decks the walls and
ceilings.
On the second floor is Mr.. Gould's
pride, the art gallery. 1t extends the
entire depth of the house, and has the
full benefit of the setting sun. In it is
hung most tidy fortune in paintings,
by the most celebrated masters. Bric-a-
brac is everywhere prevalent, and moth
inc is wanting to make such home as
only many-tmeS millionaire can
afford. Surrounding the house is n
graceful, wavy lawn of nincty-fiyc acres.
kept with faultlcss care, and married
only by the single macadamized road
way leading from the main road TO the
house, distance of nearly a quarter of
mile. The grounds are separated from
the road by polished stone fence,
nearly four feet high.
AT the entrance gate stands n very
pretty little cottage, the domain of the
land steward, who for twenty-five years
has occupied the position, and under
whose personal supervision every inn
proycment has taken place.
Proceeding toward the river, the next
object to attract ones attention are Mr..
Gould's lighthouses, nineteen in number,
and comprising combined about 900
feet in length and $50 in width. In
these can be found every description of
flower that grows on the face of the
globe From there Mr. Gould relishes
grapes up to February |, eats straw
berries of his own growing to top off
his Christmas dinner, and takes the pits
out of his own peaches on April Fools
Day.
The lighthouses and their contents are
valued at S2j0,000. Underneath the
lighthouses is Il miniature cellar only 40j
feet in length, in which are stored
articles of vegetation TO which n cellar
is indispensable. Here are also roots
which are now sprouting and which
will soon be used to decorate the house
in one mass of green foliage. Mr..
Gould will make affidavit that he does
not use oleomargarinc. because his
twcnty-four head OF thoroughbred cattle
supply him with the choicest of butter
and milk TO which water is Il stranger.
Twenty-four horses do the farm work
and supply the members of the family
with all the out-of-door enjoyment they
wish. Poultry abounds and of the
choicest breeds 1t is said that one of
Jay Gould's greatest delights is to rise
early and with his Youngest son, Frank,
watch the process of feeding the chicks
Eighty men have been employed con-
stantly for the past year, and for their
wages receive - per week. or n grand
total of $3.50 per month. 1t requires
ten pair of hands to look after the house
work beside the French chef who pre-
sides over the destinies of cuisine. The
chambermaids', housekccpcr's and gov
erness wages amount to $500 monthly,
and the gentleman who wears the white
cap and prepares creme de volatile
grows fat over $3.50 per month. or $50
less than the other ten put together.
Allowing that the live stock are self
supporting, Gould's expenses exclusive
of his house in this city, his yacht and
hundreds of other asides, are at Irving
ton, S3SS.S9 per day, or 1,51666 per
month and $l3s, 1892 year Since
the advent of Jay Gould at Irvington
he has not only spent thousands of dol
lars in beautifying the place, which is
an ornament to the beautiful village
but has been no less industrious in inn
proving its sanitary condition. For
years there has been swamp RIGHT i'm
the heart of the village, which has been
the source of malaria and other obnox-
ious diseases. Recently Mr.. Gould pur-
chased it, and is now engaged in drain
ing it by the aid of a tunnel at an cnor-
nous expense. Five thousand feet of
piling have already been driven ut Il
cost of double the price paid for the
land When the Gould family is not
augmented by friends it includes Mr..
and Mrs. Gould, their two daughters,
Helen and Annie, aged 10 and 9, and
the four sons, George, Edwin, Howard
and Frank.-N u Journal.
1t has just been discovered that the
green sands which are very plentiful
in Georgia have valuable fcrtiliziDg