The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-02-02
MILLIONAIRES HOMES.
EXTERIOR VIEW OF FAMOUS MOB
HILL, IN SAN FRANCISCO.


ward from the water front. Passing Fort
Point, the green shores of Marin county
stretch out to the southwark on the left
until they are merged into the glistening
church spires and house tops of Berkeley
and Oakland To the right lies San Fran
cisco, and as the eye glances over the well
kept walks, gardens and barrack houses
of the military reservation they rest upon
a group of handsome residences perched
on the top Of the highest hills. In the
distance they look not unlike palaces seen
on the banks of continental waters. The
structures are half a dozen or more in
number, and three of them are the homes
of the California railroad millionaires-
Stanford, Croker and Hopkins. The most
snowy of the trio is the Hopkins house. 1t
is built after the style of an English castle,
with turrets rising skyward from all cor
ners, and a center tower from which a
magnificent view of the surrounding coun-
try is obtained.
AS one rides up California street the
first house passed is that of United States
Senator Leland Stanford, president of the
great Southern Pacific railroad system.
Exteriorly it is an unpretentious build
ing, at the same time having an air of
SOllu TellleIucLI uDOut ~. LII JULIET WOIuS,
it looks the home OF gentleman.
Adjoining it on the west and perched
on the top of the hill is the Hopkins
structure, mention of which has been
made. Unlike the Stanford residence,
however, the Hopkins house is pretentious
to fault, and in the gingerbread and
fllagree work the term ''shoddy" is plainly
marked. An immense colored granite
wall surrounds It,
A block distant brings one to the
Croker mansion, on the corner of Cali
fornia and Taylor streets The first thing
that attracts attention in looking at the
Croker house is high board fence that
rears itself to the air on the Sacramento
street side. 1t is not altogether an I'M
slightly object, as the skillful hands Of
gardner have trained vines and climbing
flowers about it; but even these do not
| climb high enough to hide the painted
| boards. The main interest in an exterior
view of the Croker mansion rests in that
| fence. 1t is famous fence and, in con-
sequence, has history. Amy bright sun
shiny day you climb the hill you will find
from three to dozen persons standing
around gazing at the fence and listening
to its history. 1t is the biggest part OF a
San Francisco guides stock in trade and
he never tires of telling it. "That fence you
see," narrates the guide, twas put up
| there coz the man as owns the lot wouldn't
sell out so rs Crocker could have the hull
| lot'
Relieved of its verbiage the story Of the
fence is that something like ten years ago,
when Croker built his home on the hill,
he owned all but lot 25x100 feet in size,
with frontage on Sacramento street.
This little strip of ground was the prop
erty of one Yung, an undertaken, who
owned and occupied small dwelling
which was located on it. Prior to build
ing an agent of the millionaire negotiated
for the property in a quiet manner and
got a price of $4,000 on it. He did not
close the bargain, preferring first to see
his principal. Pending this, Yung in
some manner became aware that the
property was to be bought for Croker,
| and when the agent returned to close the
bargain he advanced its price to &c. 900.
| This neoessitated the agents making
second trip to his principal, and after
some discussion Croker, who wanted the
whole block. decided to pay the price
rather than spoil the appearance Of his
property, and told his agent to purchase
at $4,000. With a check for that amount
the agent sought Yung, only to find that
property on Sacramento street had again
advanced, and that Yung's 25x100 foot
lot and worthless building were quoted
at SO 900, or just about $1,000 more than
they were worth. Again was Croker con-
suited, and again did he tell his agent to
accede to the undertaker's demands. The
latter, however. had not reached the top
price yet, and when a check for $4,000
was offered him for the property he coolly
informed the millionaire's representative
that he must have $12, 900 for the prop
erty or he would not sell.
This was too much even for Croker
1t was not SO much the money he cared
for as it was the outrageous demands of
the undertaken. The millionaire lost all
desire to own the lot and went on build
ing his palace and deyising means to
teach Yung lesson. At last he hit upon
a plan. He would fence his place in SO
high and tight that no ray of sunshine
could reach the house. The undertaken
and his family watched the building Of
the palace from their back windows and
argued that the millionaire would have
to come to time. They decided that the
next time the agent came around the
price would be $4,000 The agent never
came, and one fine morning O group of
carpenters put in an appearance. Post
holes OF great depth and large caliber
were sunk in the ground. Soon great
poles that would put to blush the tallest
telephone sticks were planted, and then it
dawned upon the Yungs that they were to
be fenced in. They protested and pleaded in
vain They offered the property at 80, goo,
then $4,000, and then finally offered to
give it TO Croker for the old original
$4,000. But the millionaire would have
none of it. He wanted to fence in his
yard, and as the structure grew under
, the hammer his attachment for it grew,
and today the millionaire is said to adj
mire it more than any portion of his
handsome place.
The disgruntled body embalmer, after
finding he had overreached himself de-
vised all sorts of means to annoy his mill
lionaire neighbor. He and his family
stuck it out in the house as long as they
possibly could, but they became sick
finally for the want of sunshine and were
compelled to move away. They then hit
, upon, as they thought, a happy plan Of
getting even. They gave the house rent
free to Chinese laundryman, STIMULATING
only that the pagan should rig scaffold-
ing and stretch his lines so that the wash
ing of many families would be visible
from the windows Of the millionaire
crocker rebelled at this, and after vainly
endeayoring to have the wash house re-
moved the miIlionaire's carpenters spliced
the long posts and the fence was built SO
high that save from the front no light
whatever entered the inclosed wash house.
! This move served the purpose, the pagan
gave up his establishment and, rs no one
would rent 1t, Yung sold it to contractor
I - c.