Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-05

ager caples for instructfons, and the
reply always is, "Give them what they
ask" So, you see, Vanderbilt is gener-
Gus as well as ambitious, as young
man who has almost million dollars
for every year of his earthly existence
can afford to be.
Hundreds of acres are set out to young
trees. In this climate all sorts of trees
and shrubs, excepting the very tropical
will grow, and Vanderbilt intends add
ing to the beauty of the natural forests
all varities the world can afford. The
greenhouses are to be as large as some
of the Worlds fair buildings at Chicago.
A herd of eighty fine Jerseys, already on
the place, will increase to several hun
dreds before their owner is ready to come
here to live.
From the town to the palace site one
of the finest macadamized roads in the
world, two miles long and embellished
throughout with shrubs, vines and
flower plots, has been constructed.
For the transportation of building ma
terial a railroad Of the same length was
built, locomotives being used for all but
the steepest inclines, where cables are
employed. Vanderbilt's private brick.
yard gives employment to 100 men.
The browning feature of the whole
work is to be the palace. A palace in
deedl 1t is a maxim that the house
which looks large in its foundations is
large sure enough. The foundations of
this house appear to me to be as large as
those of the foundations of the Capitol
at Washington. Evidence of the princely
manner in which young Vanderbilt does
things is found in an enormous masonry
work at one end of the foundations of
the palace. Massive walls thirty feet
high, looking for all the world like some
ancient castle, inclose a section of the
hill about 1926 feet long and 100 feet
wide. These were originally intended
for the foundations of the house, but
Mr.. Vanderbilt didn't like this part of
the plan and decided upon new house.
And what will he do with the Enclosure
thus made at an expense of probably
500 coo? 1t is to be his tennis court!
The foundations of the house, even
more massive than the walls inclosing
the tennis court, are about 400 feet by
200 in extent. Above the foundations
are TO rise four great stories From the
character of the foundations one may
imagine the bewildering beauty Of the
superstructure. It is to be a stone
palace of 100 rooms. Mr. Vanderbilt
planned it for ninety-nine rooms, but
the architect has taken the liberty of
adding another. The banquet hall, the
ballroom, the library, are to be baronial
Vanderbilt travels in Europe, picks up
new ideas and comes back here and
spends millions upon them. One of his
notions is an arcade or gallery running
about 500 feet from the house to an as
Economical observatory, and down q
marble cascade from observatory hill is
to run stream of mountain water.
The stables are to cost half @ million,
and horses are to come from Russia,
Arabia, France, England and Kentucky
Deer and elk are to roam in the estate,
and all sorts of game are to be preserved
in the forest, where foxes already
abound.
When Vanderbilt gets through with
this work he will have something of
which America may well be proud. He
is one of the most rational millionaires
know of. The only mistake he has made
is in failing to marry, but he is young
yet. A student he is; a solid young man
who loves his own society and that of
books. He comes here and camps out
by himself in the wondrous Gland of the
sky in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny
range, hunts and fishes. No dude is
young Vanderbilt, for he was seen bath
ing in the Swannanoa one morning when
there was white frost upon the ground.
There is no fear of his money giving
out in the prosecution of this great en-
enterprise. AS yet he is spending only
his income upon it. Some of the more
sordid members of the family say young
George is q fool to spend his money in
this way, but his mother, / learn on
good authority, came down here, saw
what he was doing, basked in the sun
shine of the mountains, and said:
"George, if your money isn't enough to
finish this, call on me. You may have
my fortune if necessary"
l do not think young Vanderbilt is a
fool. He is building wiser than he
knows. When | look ahead fifty or a
hundred years, to a time when the Van
derbilt family has run to seed, and see
this magic palace and this matchless es-
tate used as great university for col
ored young men and women, feel like
giving the millionaire my blessing.
l have talked so much of Nye and
Vanderbilt and the palace that have
no space left in which to describe the
beauties of "the land of the sky" and
the interesting people who inhabit it.
This favored region lies from 1000 to
1900 feet above the sea, has neither
mosquitoes nor malaria-an atmosphere
noted for its dryness and its health CIV
ing properties, its GOODNESS in summer
and its salubrity in winter. 1t has seem
cry far famed, mountain peaks the high
est this side the Rockies and corn
whisky and candied yams on which
Bill Nye is actually growing fat.
Lucky Nye, lucky Vanderbilt-their
tents are pitched in paradise.
WALTER WELLMAN.