Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-03
VANDERBILT'S SITE.
A PROSPECTIVE PALACE IN suN-
CoMBE, NORTH CAROLINA.
bits Operations on His Great Es-
tate Near AshevIile.
New Yorl, Ti,nes.,

has become the owner Of a large tract of
! land in this part OF North Carolina and is
building a costly mansion upon 1t was some
time ago made public through the news
papers. Hereabout the fact Is much talked
of. Old residents and real estate boom
ers mention it with satisfaction as proof
positive of Asheville's great natural attrac-
tons. Visitors to the city are always in
terested and anxious TO learn about and
see the place
Just what the considerations were that
induced Mr.. Vanderbilt 20 establish his
country house here and what MS place will
be like when his improvements are made
the public do not know, and Mr.. Wander
bit evidently does not intend that they
shall know. He has not been known to
talk publicly or for publication about his
plans himself, and those whom he is COM
PEELED to take in any measure into his con-
fdence refuse to speak. But it il very evil
dent from what has been done that he -
spending a great deal of money and en-
pioying accomplished architects and work
men, and 1t is reasonable TO expect that
the result will be a beautiful and attractive
property.
HIS RAW MATERIAL"
At present what one may see by visiting
the spot IL the raw material he has to work
with. When one sees how very raw"
this material is he cannot but wonder what
drew Mr.. Vanderbilts favorable attention
| to 1T. What could have led this many-mil-
lionaire, reared in luxury and ease with
quiet and, it is said, literary tastes, TO
choose TO become the proprietor of 1000 or
| 5000 acres OF more or less poor land. stu
ated fully twenty-four hours of hard rail
road travel from New York, and there TO
make home? What was the supreme at
| traction? Was it climate, or health, or
| the qualification Of his sense Of the beauti-
| ful2 Or was it an ambition to conquer the
wilderness and make it to blossom like the
rose? These questions all suggest them
| selves, but If anybody except MIR. Wander
| bilt knows the answer, he ~ not likely to
| tell 1t. There is a secrecy that doth hedge
q millionaire.
1t Is not TO be denied that the place mas
| great possibilities. Raw as the material Is
| that Mr.. Vanderbilt has chosen to work
upon. it is capable of being wrought into
| something fine and beautiful. In the
| midst of the mountain basin next south of
that occupied by the city of Asheville
there rose a double mountain peak, rug
| ged but clothed with verdure nearly to
| the top. The view from this elevation
was surprisingly fine. II overlooked
mountain and stream, hill and valley, for
many miles around The French Broad
| river ran at the base. and near by the
| SwananOa empties itself into that river
| lnnumerable peaks of the Blue Ridge and
| Appalachian mountains clearly appear.
| Standing on either OF these twin peaks
| and looking eastward one sees Immediately
| before him what would form "a most at
| trGctiyc scene for painter. Nature sell
! dom appears moro strikingly beautiful.
| Every visitor seeing it for the first time IS
| apt to exclaim at its charm.
! This site has been chosen by Mr.. Wander
| bilt as the place for his country home
| One Of the peaks has now been levelled
| and cut down by grading until 1t Is not
! higher than the ground in the neighbour
| hood, and upon this the mansion is to be
| built. The other peak stands, topped by
a pine tree, which Is now called the Van
| derbilt pine. Everything in the vicinity is
| in a state of nature. There is not even a
| road near the place except that made by
| Mr.. VanderDIlts men. Part of the ground
Is covered with scrub pines, and much of
| it seems at this season mere waste.
AyAsT DOMAIN.
Of this waste and uncultivated land Mr..
| Vanderbilt has bought tract after tract
until he owns probably eight thousand
acres. just how much it is cannot be
! stated, for when inquiry was made at Mr..
| Vanderblts Office on the ground the in
| qurer was told that the number of acres
| had not been computed. The purchases
| have been going on for long time, and
| are not completed yet. Apparently Mr.
| Vanderbilt has bought all the land in the
vicinity of the site he has chosen
| for his mansion, and az much more
as would add to the plcturesqueness ana
attractiyeness Of his place. II any spot
presented a fine view, or could be made to
| do so, he seems to have bought 1t. What
| ever was needed to make his estate COM
i Il L. g or
| four miles from his house, on mountain,
| there is large spring of pure, cold water.
Mr.. Vanderbilt wanted it and has bought
| the mountain. The spring water wall be
| conducted to his house through pipes.
SO it happens that Mr.. NanderbIlt's land
| is not tract with regular outlines, but ITS
| boundaries are very Irregular. Here and
| there an owner of few acres has proved
| difficult TO deal with or has refused TO sell.
| The objections of some of these owners to
| selling have been overcome by the offer OF
! a hiph price, but others are still obdurate.
| Hence there are little tracts within Mr.. Van
| derbilt's possessions still owned by Others
| While the writer was picking his way
| over the rough roads in search OF the site
| of the Vanderbilt house be came to. a small
white house at the end of one OF the
| roads. A black face Immediately appeared
at the window to tell him no was not on
/ Tie flHlI TO1u 10 1lHpAlt4At-
| ly a good many other visitors had gone the
| same way, for the black woman to whom
! the face belonged began without a ques-
| ton being asked TO tell how to find the
| place the visitor was in search of.
You see" said the black woman, this
road has been shut up. 1t used to go to
| the Vanderbilt place but 1t don't no mo 1;
| You has TO GO back quarter of a mile and
| turn in yander-you can almost, see dc
do flrA a
| track and foller right along the road TIL
YOU gets dar.n
"How does it happen that this road IS
shut up ?" the visitor asked; Is not all
this about here Mr.. Vanderbilt's land!"
Not all ob it. sab; not all OBJ it," was
| the reply. "This place belongs to us"
| The air of satisfaction with which this re-
mark was made was unmlstakable.
SITE OF THE MANSION.
After some further inquiry the site of the
mansion was found. 1t was q long drive,
and the roads where the mud had dred
were deeply rutted. Apparently a grea.
many persons visit the place every fair
| dav. The writer saw a dozen carriages
| GOING or coming within an hour. But there
| are no guide-boards, and nothing to pre-
vent visitors going far astraY. The estate
| is evidently not on exhibition yet, Il In
| deed il is ever to be.
| An immense amount OF Work Is DelnB
| done to get the property in order. The
extent and direction of the work cannot
| he accurately stated. because those en-
gagged upon il and directing it will not
| talk. But the services of Frederick Law
| Olmsted, the architect of Central Park,
| New York. have been secured to direct
| the landscape gardening, and 200 or 300
| men and many teams are employed IN car
rving out his directions. Besides these,
about 1850 men are employed on the foun-
| dations of the mansion, and there are
| farming operations, brick-maklng, and
other Industries carried on at the same
The mansion will undoubtedly be very
costly but there is insufficient warrant for
| saving. as has been reported. that 1t will be
| the finest in the world. The fact that the
contract for the foundations has been let
| for 800 900 is the most that the public Is
nermitted TO know about it. Such a
| Foundation naturally implies house cost
mo millions, but the difficulties OF laying
the foundation where the house ID to stand
are great, A man directing work there,
while refusing to give any figures, said to
the writer: a,oo am - ~,
6cnrea for the foundation If you realized
10 nos 10 he done. Why lust to sustain