The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-07-07
A California Palace.

Ralph Brisbane honesuch, who is re-
ported to have made a fortune Of $780,
100000 in South African diamond
mines, has purchased 50O-acre tract
in the Temescal district, near San
Francisco, where he VIII erect novel
residence, a place, in fact, upon which
81 500 900 will be expended aside from
the finishing. This Is to be strnct-
ure built almost entirely OF steel and
glass.
The building; according to the
"American Contractor" is about 230
feet long by about 100 feet wide. At
one end it will be surmounted by tow
er 115 feet high; at the other end by
similar tower, but of less size and height
A striking feature will be the sides be-
low the cornice, which slope to the
ground with curve at an angle Of 450.
In the sloping sides are set huge ova
windows twelve feet long and made to
conform to the sides of the wall. The
roof will be huge gable extending the
entire length of the building and ter
minating in another gable at right an
gels in which are placed immense stain
ed glass windows. one of which will be
fifty feet long and thirty feet wide.
Not foot of lumber or wood in any
shape is to be used in the building. The
maj ierial 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 frieze, 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, al, d copper. The inside walls
will be of some OF Oxidized sheet iron,
some brass covered with preparation
that protects the burnish of the me'a
some copper, some nickel: and SO on to
correspond with the decoration 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 stair
way at one end to the great ball room
at the opposite end. Rich tapestries
will ordinarily cover the metal grllles
and divide the interior thus into four
teen apartments. eight of which will be
chambers and consist each of a suit o.
four rooms: sleeplng-room, dressing
| room, bathroom and study. All tht
heating, lighting, ventilation, and cook
ing will be done by electricity.
The servants quarters, the kitchen
the machinery and the laundry will b.
| in the basement. The water wheel ant
dynamos will be located at the foot o
the hill, a considerable distance from
the building. The sole entrance to tn
basement from without will be at tn
foot of the hill, through tunnel, s.
that no one from within or about tn
house willsee the approach or entranc
of servants, grocer, butcher, or deliver.
wagon OF any kind.
The structure self will be surround
ed by broad walk, and outside of tn
walk will be an artificial lake surround
ing the building and forming moa
to be crossed over a movable d1awbridg
thus placing the house practically upo
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 al
so serve to run the dynamoes that fur
ish light, heat and power for use in tn
building. The floors of the buildin
will be of brass and aluminium grill
work of ornamental design, the inter
stices filled with new Hungarian CT
ment which is said to become hard {
granite when set, and to admit of
high and durable polish.
!, The cement will be of various color
and so laid with the metal grille as
surpass in effect any mosaic flooring
existence. The winter palace at S
Petersburg is now having a tloorlr
laid of this material anc on simil,
lines. Everything about the buildil
e is to be freproof except perhaps pa
of the furniture. Even the draperi
: and tapestries will be dipped in sol
ton of glycerlne and ammonium bora1
k which renders them permanently uni
fla amable.