Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-04-14
THE BERLIN SCHLOSS
Interesting Accounts of the Manner in
Which the Kaiser Dimes in
State.
Spirited Revolutionary "reminiscences
OF Brave Attempt to Occupy
the SchlOSs.

Graphic Pen Pictures of the kaiser's
Reception, and the Royal
Apartments.
William II, is the first King since the
creation of royal Prussia by Frederick [,
in l701, who recognized the Berlin
Sehloss as his official residence and there
spends the social season. Indeed, he
makes the immense pile facing the Lust
garten his headquarters during the whole
Of the year, whenever he visits the Capt.
tai, either on returning from his summer
Jaunts or when running across from Post
dam, where he inhabits a place almost
similar IN magni, ude and granduer, the
Nenes Palais, SO called.
Frederick l., who in the year 1716 fur
nished the SchlosS, founded in the IF
tenth century, left it a bad name. It
was at this castle his court spent one-ffth
of the Kingdom s entire revenue in aping
Louis XIV. And this revenue was at the
time only 100000 thaIers, 100000 less
than the present sovereign's annual
salary. He successor, Friedrich William,
the parsimonious. detested the place
where his lordiy father had entertained
AZ different classes of servants on the fat
of the land.
He never set foot into it except on state
occasions Frederick the Great hated the
Schioss almost as much as Berlin and sent
all ms grandfather silver treasurers
stored there, the Immense chandeliers,
NJ assive tables and chairs, etc, into the
m int. Frederick William IL. and 1T.
also kept aloof from the Schloss, the one
because he preferred the air and country
lassises of Potsdam, the other for econ
omy's sake.
REVOLUTIONARY "REMINISCENCES
Frederick William " made a brave
attempt at occupying the Schloss, bu.
when the revolutionists of 184S made him
appear on the grand balcony 10 doff MS
chapeau before the victims of his soldiery,
he became so disguised with the il-fa, ed
pile that he never dared look at it after
ward for fear Of bringing on appopiexy.
For the same reasons the late Kaiser Will
helm was opposed to a residence in the
Schloss. He had attended the balcony
scene in his disgraced brothers suite and
deeply felt the significance Of the event.
which Feadinand Freiligrath thus de-
scribes in his great poem, 1.-THE Deaf S
Appeal to the Living"
"Off came his hat-he crouched-
The royal puppet, who but yesterday appeared as
comedian"
But that wasn't all. William had also
grave personal reasons for disliking the
palace. On March 20, 1848, he, then
prince of Prussia, was forced to hide in
one of its inner chambers to elude the en-
ragged pOpuiace, who stormed the castle
gates to secure his person. TIE rioters
failed to find him and in their anger threw
the gates into the Spree, where they had
Intended to deposit the prince. Some
years later these gates were fisred out OF
the river and regretted, a standing re-
min1er Of a Hohenzolen's weakness. The
present Emperor caused them to be renov-
ed and replaced by magnificent specimens
of the wroughter's art.
THE KAISER s APARTMENTS.
Not until the last trace of them had dis.
appeared did the proud kaiser make his
entrance into his ancestral halls, where he
occupiis the appointments formerly inhabi-
ed by his late uncle, Frederick Charles.
the famous Red prince and conqueror OF
Metz, gentleman whe never cared a rap
for the historical and revolutionary rem
lniscences that made the Schloss odious
to the other members of the royal fsmily,
but considered it good place to live in
as he had no place of his own.
The building itself mas undergone no
alterations since it became once more the
royal headquarters. Emperor William has
begun the construction of an annex to the
White Hall, it is true, but as it will not
be finished for the next twelve months it
must not be taken into consideration
here.
THE WHITE HALL.
The hail is one OF the most beautiful in
the world. Like all stated apartments of
the Schloss its appointments and rdecora-
tions are of the first Frederick period,
VIXEN 100000 of downrtrodden people
were reduced to abject poverty in order
to equip the newmade Kings new resi-
denCe with regal splendor.
On the While Hall, especially, was
money spent with lavish hand, for didn t
the king, during the course of its erection,
secure the services of Dominica Caetano
Conte de Ruggiers, the alchemist, who
claimed to have invented a process of
making gold? What was the use Of
stinting oneself for the sake of few pal
try millions from ones peoples pockets)
if the Italian promised to create untold
oceans of gold at will? When the White
Hall was finished and his majesty con,
fronted with national bankruptcy, Caetauo
was adjudged fraud, and hanged on a
girded gallows, together with his mis-
tress, whom he had recommended to the
kings mercy. Frederick thought it a
most magnanimous act to allow her, a
lDere commoner, to die Gu a gilded gal
lows. This was in 1908. Poor Caetano
and his strangely enobled mistress are for
gotten long ago, but his great work.
Der WeIsse Saal, :" continues as the all
admired and far famed banquet hall of
kings. Its ancient crystal and silver
chandeliers are now provided with
thousands of incadescent lights; there are
several modern paintings on the long
| stretched walls and statues Of new
men IN the marble inches, but the general
aspect has remained unchanged for nearly
two centuries.
A state banquet, held by the kaiser in
the White Hail, is a spectacle never to be
forgotten, even from the standpoint of a
locker on in the musicians gallery.
That was my standpoint d short time
ago.
had been advised to climb up into the
loft about one hour before the ceremony
commenced, and had but just seated my
self IN the front row, when an army of
privileged officials, with their kith and
kin, invaded the limited precincts and
completely filed the rest OF the available
space While these ladies and gentlemen
were quarreling for precedence and NUT
terlng under their breath, looked through
narrow window to catch glimpse of
the approach of state coaches drawing UP
into the court yard below. There were the