St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-23
Buildings and Grounds Which,
Completed, Will Cost Sew
eral Millions.
Expected to Be the Finest
Private Residence in the
Domain OF Uncle Sam.
Thousands Of Acres of Land
Bought in Buncombe COun-
ty, North Carolina.

tank and the side gate of Kenllworth
inn. 1t is something more. The Sails
bury and Spartanburg divisions of the
Western North Carolina railroad come
together here, while little branch road
defects to the right and is lost among
the hills. If you happen to see one OF
the cars on this little road you will
notice the letters sc. w. ", n. c." on
t. The car is loaded with stone or coal
maybe iron-and you may be pretty
sure it is bound for Vanderbllt's famous
building, two miles away. "Biltmore"
is called for Vanderbilt and resident
by the name of Moore, who has pretty
cottage on the road. just above the
station. 1t is smooth combination,
and likely to become famous.
Following the branch road, which
runs up and down hill with equal facil-
ity, ami winds around the mountains,
you reach.in the course of half all hour,
the summit OF the Lone Pine. This is
the busiest spot in North Carolina. You
pass Vanderbilts stone quarry, where
much of the material for rOugher work
has been secured; you view his brick
yards, where millions of cubes are
pressing and baking; you stop at his
blacksmith shop, where the tools are
mended and some castings made; YOU
ride near the shady home which he has
purchased for his chief engineer-al-
ways following up his rails and tele
graph lines, which lead to the spot
where rests the stone. where work the
gang. where lies the site for the house
that Vanderbilt.
Several years ago George w. Wander
bit wandered down to Buncombe
county, North Carolina. and was at
tracted by the beauty of the place. He
rode over the mountains. and while at
the summit of the Lone Pine concluded
he would buy a tract and put up
shooting lodge. This led 10 the pur-
chase of large LOT of land up and down
the mountain and along the French
Broad, with the idea of controlling
everything in sight and preventing set
tiers from Obstructing the view or COM
ing too close. Visions of deer park,
quail covers, sheep farms and other
schemes enlarged his demesne, until his
acres began to be nun bered by thou
sands. White and black settlers sur
rendered their holdings at good prices,
and there are now only two or three
black dwellers within the Vanderbilt
limits, who have refused to sell out and
who hold their places at $1,000 all acre.
Vanderbilt may buy them out. or he
may freeze item out. When Wander
bilt had finished his purchase of 5000
acres his ideas broadened. Instead of
a shooting lodge he concluded to put I'D
q residence. and such residence as
would make Chauncey Depew'S eyes
glisten at Peekskill. So he set about
him and leveled Off the cone of the
mountain thirty feet. Something over
year ago he began to lay his founda-
lions, and his stone masonry now be-
gins to rise sheer above the sides of the
mountain, like walled precipice. This
is just what Vanderbilt wanted, for he
determined that his castle should have
the view and command the heights
unrestricted. George Vanderbilt con-
cluded to spend from his income about
Sl,000,000 year for ten years. and he is
pretty we'll assured at the end of that
time of having the finest private resi-
dence III America - possibly in the
world. The architects are very clever,
but they will not show the designs 0
the house. Possibly they fear some
body may duplicate them before the
dwelling is completed. The building
will be 400 feet long and 800 wide 1t
has tennis court to the left. which is
marvel of masonry and filling, and
which alone cost $4,000. The banquet
long, and will have a pitch of thirty
feet. Under the main entrance to the
hall will be swimming pool, while
line gymnasium, wine cellar and art
gallery are to be connected with the
establishment.
Three miles back of the dwelling is
cold spring OH the top of Busby mount
ain. Vanderbilt has purchased this
spring and carries the water in siX-inch
iron pipes all the way TO the Lone Pine.
This will secure him volume and pres
sure enough for every part of his prem
ises, and enable him to throw stream
100 rect high from any point OH his place.
1t Will insure dozen or more fountains
in his parks and drives. Vanderbilt now
has 800 men at work on his house and
grounds. Superb carriage ways are
graded and ma cadamiZed up the mount
ain, commanding the approach to the
house, ard these will be continued be-
You'd the residence and down the valley
to the French Broad, where Vanderbilt
will thrown an IRON bridge over this
picturesque stream. The lowlands have
already been cleared and SOwn in
grasses. By and by they will be laid
out into parks, and lawns, and ranches.
Vanderbilt is thrifty young chap, with
all of his extravaganza. He commenced
burn was so perfect that the public de-
manded to buy from him, so he con-
uctS big industry in the brick line.
Then his farm and dairy. under the
management of Baron Delange, not only
sustains his colony of workmen, but
supply the SumptuOuS tables of neigh
boring boarding houses. Large lots of
Indiana or ooltic lime stone have been
shipped to the Lone Pine, and the base
of the Vanderbilt residence will re-
semble the new capitol in Atlanta. So
it was an immense work even to get
ready for this great structure. Rail-
roads mad to be graded. water secured,
and sus;enance provided for q young
town on an isolated mountain,
George W. Vanderbilt was the young
est son of the late William II. He is
thirty-eight and unmarried. He has
selected rare spot for his home. His
front garden steps right off into space
and secures view for miles of rich
valleys and high-walled mountains i'm
the distance. Pisgah and the train of
hills seem to grow opaline in the sunset
and to be transparent. At the base is
the French Broad and two miles away
are the spires and smoke of Asheville.
TO the right are the red gables of Kenil-
worth inn, while directly in front,
mlle OF more away, are the chlmneyS of
Oakland sanitarum and the roof of
Connelly's residence. There is nothing
in Virginia, nothing in New England.
and. am told, nothing in Switzerland
finer than this view in Western North
Carolina. This palace of marble and
iron is built for all time and the picture
will be kept perfect, so far as nature
and art may make it so.