The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-25
The Splendors of Ancient Rome
Eolipsed In a Great MONTE
videan Project.
An Immense Hotel and Baths
Which COST Millions Of
Dollars.
The Undertaking Which Revolution and
Financial Depression Wrecked
at Least for . Time.

N"o a hotol at that city, is agnin in Mil
wake, aayy the Sentinel of that city. MI.
Grant has had some more than ordinary
adventures in q remarkable country since
ne LETT Milwaukee. 'To begin WITH he
s"ld' 'Npntevideo is the capital Of the re-
pubic q Uruguay, and is situated right on
tue pah4 of the Platte river. Across the
river Is Buenos Ayres, tho capital of the
argentine Republic. Buonos Ayres ia the
"hahclal center and metropolis Of tho Ar
gentine Rsrublic, Uruguay and Paraguay.
IL Is one OF the wealthiest cities in the
"oFid ana annually sends n host of men
VINO nave little to do but spend their money
20 MonteylseO, which has excellent surf
osthinR, and Is for that reason n resort
FOR the peop!a of means and fashion
from Gil the adjacent country. A few
years ago Dr.. Rouse, Of Montevideo,
conceived the project of building in and
about Montsvideo a number of 'qulntes,' or
very elegant suburban residences, and a
hotel and bathing establishments, the gran
deur of which should eclipse anything of
The sort in the world. He added to his own
means certain sums which others wished to
invest in the enterprise, and was most Law
lsh Ill his building operations.
Under his directions the Nacional hotel
and bathing establishment was started.
Ahe two structures remind one of the mar
vicious palaces that were reared during the
richest days of tn Roman empire. The
hotel covers one entire block, and is five
stories high. 1t stands on a peninsula, and
by its peculiar location every room affords
u view of tho ocean. The rooms are two
deep on each floor, running around a court
IN the center of the building. 1t contains 125
sleeping rooms and seyenty-six private
parlors, besides the public rarlors. The
~dlnlng-room ia ia by rs feet and fitted up
CONSCIOUSLY, tbs walls being ornamented
with llfe-size figures of the Graces and enuls
in sculpture. This chandeliers in the din
ins,roonl alone cost $4,000. Every story
or the building is provided with a wide We
landa made especially for the purpose of
giving the hotel guests an elegant p,omen-
AIDE. The house throughout is furnished
on a scale of magniicence which hardly
seems credible unless it is seen.
The bathing establishment is just across
the peninsula from the hotel and connected
with 1t by means of ovarhanging walks that
are covered with glass. II is $50 by 100
yards and built entirely of Parian marble
shipped from Italy especially for the rur-
pose. The interior is lined throughout with
Colombian, ono of the handsolnest and
most expensive materials for deco
native finish that could be Sc
cured. Within are marble figures
in great abundance, such as of Venus rising
from the sea, Neptune. the Tritons, etc.
These establishments were built with q
view to accommodating the rich people
from the adjoining country, Buenos Ayres
especially, who visited Montevideo with the
seeming purpose only to see who could
spend their money most lavishly and make
the greatest display.
The undertaking was an immense one.
and finally DIR. Rouse gave 1T up, being re-
lleved of his quiGtes, hotel and much land
by a syndicate. At tho head Of this syndi-
cate was Eduardo Casey, n wealthy citizen
of Buenos Ayres, who owned at that place Il
tract of land comprising 1913 square leagues,
known as 'Curramaland.' which III English
means good land Casey and his asso-
olates organized themselves into the M
clonal company, with a capital stock of 49,
OW,OOO. Ihey bought out the immense
holdings of DIR. Rouse, at Montevideo.
paying down SlO,OOO.OOO in cash money. |
The company was backed to some extent In
this enterprise by Barring Bros. and by
Dtexel, Morgan d Co. Barring Bros. about
the sam time assumed to carry the expense
of a vast system of port works, which were
to be built ut Montsvldeo, the cost of which
was nearly S35, COO, 600. Casey was quoted
to DO worth from slG.O 00, 900 to $2O,0O0,OJO
and his brother-ln~iaw who was also one
OF the Nacional company, was ratsd at a.
most az much. They Invested money with
dihhSSb pdibuiiG tSVtt' hgtlCe. LILO DHGI-
ing establishment cost them alone 1925, 900.
One of the villas that they erected cost
$l26,O00. They built i'll one portion of the
city-Montevideo has about 247,OOO inhabi-
tants-hfteen blocks of magnificent heuaea,
in another eight blocks, in another four
ploy Harry Covode, a civil engineer
from Pennsylvania. He had heard that
the American hotel managers we're the best
IN the world. Early in 9 summer of 1883
he sent Covode to America, instructing him
TO purchase in this county an outfit of
furniture for the hotel. | was offered a
contract for five years at a very handsome
salary. | helped Mr.. Covode finish his
purchases in this country, which, when
completed, made up forty-six Car loads,
principally furniture, valued at $4,000.
The linen, carpets, cts, necessary for tue
hotel were purchased in Europe. After
disposing of these matters | sailed from
England to Monteyideo, arriving there Jan.
IL, 1880. The hotel opening had been set
,or Alarch l. The opening was to be cele-
DRAFTED with a banquet Ill honor of Presi-
dent Julio Herraray Obes, of Uruguay, and
l 900 covers were to be laid.
I'm the meantime the rumble of reyolU-
ton began to be heard in the Argentine re-
public, Uruguay and neighbo ing republics.
and the first note of the terrible financial
depression which prevailed a few months
later Throughout the money centers of the
world was struck. First came tho revolu-
ton in the Argentine republic. This was
caused by the criminal use of public funds
by President Jurezs Cellman and his allies,
who raised enormous sums to be used in
public improvements. Instead. however,
the money was quietly sent to England by
Cellman, who IS said to have deposited
$4,000 of 1t in gold in the Bank of Eng
land for his own purposes. There wore also
u%prlsings in Uruguay, and a general up
heaval OF business. In oousequer CO of this
the stock of tho Nacional company,