St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-05

upon the cliffs at the
lower end of Bellevue
avenue palatial summer residence. 1t
cost a mint of money, and its c0nStruc-
ten gave employment to many men.
Cornelius Vanderbilt also has done
and is doing much for the material pros
perity of the city and its environs, says
a Newport correspondent of the New
York Times. During the season he en-
tertains in such manner that much OF
his income at such times finds its way
into the hands of Newport tradeSmen.
But besides his city residence upon the
the fashionable thoroughfare aud the
beautiful cliffs, Mr.. Vanderbilt has ac-
Quired and maintains valuable country
seat about five miles out upon the island
of Rhode Island, and in the town of
Portsmouth, to which he has given the
name of Oakland farm, and this
suburban retreat is the subject OF the
present article.
Mr.. Vanderbilt
has made several purchases and addi-
tons to his original acquisition, until at
the present time he owns more than 100
acres of some of the most valuable land
upon the island. The farm thus ac-
CURED has been improved, and it is still
being improved and brought under cult
ivatlOn. The first step taken by Mr..
Vanderbilt in this direction was the
renovation of the old house which was
on the premises, and the erection of
new stable. The house was an ancient
affair, dating back for more than cen
tury, and was in state of great dllapi-
datiOn. For several years the place
had been owned by August Belmont,
but while in his possession nothing was
done to keep the property from running
to ruin. In the changes which were
made the form of the house was not
varied, especial care being taken to
preserve its old-fashioned, roomy, hos
pitabIe appearance. As it stands to-
day it is large rectangular dwelling of
ancient aspect, with a double-pitched
roof, and four dormer windows project
ing from the roof. A twO-story porch
also breaks the front. On the back is
an l., and beyond that dairy has been
built. Within the house is very quaint
in its arrangements, but partlcu-
larly cosy and comfortable. 1t Is
reached by curved drivaWay branch
ing off from the rOrd between
the heavy conical stone posts at the en-
trance and Is bounded by a high stone
Wdil Oil GltIltt SIuC. dtt iiC pOiiIO NllN1O
the curved driveway leads off toward
the right to the house another branch
turns to the left and leads to the stable,
the high stone wall continuing on one
side of the drive until the stable is
reached, where stone posts, like those
at the entrance to the grounds, admit
to the stable-yard. From the house to
the stable extends high wooden wall,
shingled and pierced midway It's length
by wide gateway, with tall wooden
posts similar in shape and general APP
pearance to the ones already described.
The Stable
is wonderful affair, especially to the
simple, unsophisticated farmers of
Portsmouth. VINO were Mortified at the
thought of the expenditure of $4,000 for
the erection OF structure to be used
for the base purpose of habltation for
cattle; and no wonder. for there is
hardly farm on the island which is
worth-land, farm house, stable and all
as much as this stable alone cost.
The form and appearance of the stable,
too, were to the plain, unartistic tillers
of the soil a wonder and revela-
ton. That frame barn could be any
thing other than plain, bare rectangu-
lar building, guiltless OF any ornamen-
tation more elaborate than VEN
tilatOr Or a vane had scarcely
entered the mind of even the
most progressive inhabitant OF the
town. But here rose before their
astonished eyes structure which
seemed to them to have hardly
straight outline to it and to he all Orna-
mentation: and as for the interior, the
like of this marvellous stable had never
been seen before. Hardwood finish and
brick aud tile and asphalt floors in a
stable were certainly never heard of be-
fore in this democratic land. But there
it was. irregular in outline, picturesque
in adOrnment, elaborate i'll appointment,
and worth $50 900. and there 1T is to-day.
The building is really in three sections,
Joined together at the ends, as it were.
The first section is plain in appearance
and one story in height, and is the part
used for the storage of carriages. LII is
surmounted at the west end by ventl-
latOr, this portion being
The Horse Stable.
At this end it is joined to another
section, the junction being by the over
tapping of the two sections. This sec
ton is more elaborate in the external
appearance, having a handsome conical
tower on each side, and gable also on
each side just beyond the tower. The
towers are built from the ground, but
rise only to about the height of the be-
ginning of the roof, which in this sec
ton is higher than in the first, to give
space in the caves for the storage of
hay. The roof is surmounted by two
yentilaturs. The third section joins this
ooatiop Lon Inv nvnrlannInO This iC for
the use of the cattle, and has gables
and towers like the part just described.
and tine supply of ventilators is
even more elaborate. The building is
clapboarded to the beginning of
the roof, which, in the main sections, is
double-pitched and shingled. The gable
and ventilatorS are also Shlngled. The
towers are shingled from the ground,
but in red to the beginning of the sec
ond pitch of the roof, and from that
point in the ordinary color, making
very marked contrast. The windows,
which appear at intervals all over the
building In no regular order, are set
with small panes. The dO0rwayS are
wide and the entrance large. The lower
story is painted the fashionable light
yellow to correspond with the house,
but the shingles are left implanted,
thus producing an odd effect.
The entrance to the carriage house is
through a covered shed, which is used
as a standing place for the horses ana
carriages of visitors. Passing through
a sliding door from the carriage house,
the horse stable is entered. The f1o0ris
laid in brick, the finish of the room is
hard pine, and the five box stalls and
six open stalls are also of the same
material. Above the woodwork of the
box stalls are fixed iron gratings. There
are accommodations for twelve horses,
and at the time of the writer's visit each
stall was occupied.
Among the Animals
yzssresa thoroughbred horse, kentucky,