The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-10-26

manding view for thirty or forty miles
in all directions. From the eminence on
which the Vanderbilt palace is being
erected one may see mountain peaks IN
four states-North Carolina, South Car
DINA, Georgia and Tennessee.
Vanderbilt set about creating the
finest estate in the world in systematic
manner. He employed architects, gar
deners, engineers, landscape artists and
an army of workmen. His payroll
alone is $4,000 week. About once in
Elk months his hired men, thinking OF
their employers twenty million fortune,
go on strike for higher wages. His man
ager cables for instructions, 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 a 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
deed! It is maxim that the house
which looks large in it's 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 $50 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 inclosure
thus made at an expense of probably
5000, 900? It is to be his tennis courtl
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. 1t 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 baronlal.
Vanderbilt travels in Europe, picks up
|
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 a stream of mountain water.
! The stables are to cost half million
and horses are to come from Russia
| olyv
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
vet. A student he is; solid young mai
who loves his own society and that Of
books. He comes here and camps Out
bv himself in the wondrous Gland of the
sky" in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny
range, hunts and fishes. No dude Ii
Young Vanderbilt, for he was seen bath
| @1S~
there was white frost upon the ground:
There is no fear of his money giving
out in the prosecution of this great ell
enterprise. AS yet he is spending only
his income upon it. Some of the more
sordid members Of the family say young
George is fool to spend his money il
this way, but his mother, learn OF
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 tt
finish this, call on me. You may have
my fortune if necessary"
do not think young Vanderbilt is {
fool He is building wiser than HI
knows. When / look ahead fifty or {
hundred years, to a time when the Van
derbilt family has run to seed, and SCI
this magic palace and this matchless es
tate used as great university for col
ored young men and women, feel ik'
IL.