Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-06-29
4 California Palace.

Ralph Brisbane Nonesuch, who is re-
puted to have made fortune of $25,-
O)O,0C0 in South African diamond mines,
has purchased 5O0-acre tract in the
Temescal district, near San Francisco,
where ne will erect novel residence,
place, in fact, upon which 81, 100000
VIII be expended aside from the finish
ing. This is to be structure built al
most entirely of steel and glass.
The building, according to the Amer
can Contractor, is to be about 23O feet
long by about 100 feet wide. At one
end it will be surmounted by tower
us feet high; at the other
end by similar tower, but of
less size and height, A striking
feature will be the sides below the COZ ,
nice, which slope to the ground with a
curve at an angle of about 45'. In the
sloping sides are set huge oval WIN
dows twelve feet long and made to con-
form to the sides of tie wall. The roof
will be huge gable extending the en-
tire length Of the building and terml-
mating in another gable at right angels
in which are placed immense stained
glass windows. one of which will be
fifty feet long and thirty feet wide.
Not a foot of lumber or wood in any
shape is to be used in the building. The
material will be iron, steel, aluminium,
brass, bronze, platinum, silver, concrete,
cement and stone. And the only stone
used will be sculptured marble in the
stairways and the main trieZe, and
ONYX and decorative marbles in the
bathrooms, the stairs and a few other
places. Even the foundations will be
of steel and concrete. The floors will
be of concrete, brass, and aluminium,
the walls of steel, and the roof
of steel, brass, and copper. The
inside walls will lie some Of oXidized
sheet iron, some brass covered with a
preparation that protects the burnish
of the metal, some copper, some nickel
and so on to correspond with the deco.
rations of the room The ceilings will
be arched and relieved here and there
with great brass medallions.
The partition walls will be composed
of metal grilles extending from floor to
ceiling, arranged in various designs,
forming vast network through which
the visitor can see from the grand
stairway at one end to the great ball
room at the opposite end. Rich tapes,
tries will ordinarily cover the metal
srilles and divide the interior thus into
fourteen apartments, eight of which
will be chambers and consist each OF a
suit of four rooms, a sleeping room,
dress.ne-rocm, bathroom and study.
All the heating, lighting, ventilation,
and cooking will be done by electricity.
The servants quarters, the kitchen,
the machinery and the laundry will be
in the basement. The water wheel
and dynamos will be located at the
foot of the hill, a considerable dis
,ance from the building. The
sole entrance to the basement from
without will be at the foot OF
the hill, through tunnel, so that M n,
one from within or about the house will
see the approach or entrance OF servant,
grocer, butcher, or delivery wagon OF
any kind.
The structure itself will be surround
ed by q broad walk, and outside of the
walk will be an artificial lake surround
ing the building and forming moat to
be crossed over movable drawbridge,
thus placing the house practically upon
an island. This lake will be fed by wa
ter from artesian wells already in oper.
alton, and pumped up by powerful
pumps. The water of the lake will also
serve to run the dynamos that furnish
light, heat aud power for use in the
building. The floors of the building
will be of brass and aluminium grille
work of ornamental design, the inter
sticcs filled with new Hungarian ce,
ment which is said to become hard as
granite when set, and to admit of high
and durable polish.
The cement will be of various colors,
| and so laid with the metal grille as to
surpass in effect any mosaic flooring in
existence. The winter palace at St
Petersburg is now having a flooring
laid of this material and on similar lines
Everything about the building is to be
freproof except perhaps part of the
furniture. Eve the draperles and
tapestries will be dipped in solution
of glycerine and ammonium bofate
which renders them permanently unln'
hamable.
From Sire to Son.