Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-18

Senator Washburn and Mr.. Lowry are inter
ested in the 500 road together and they are
rapidly pushing this on to connect with the
Canadian Pacific. When this is done it will
form the last great trunk line across the CONT
nent. i am told by Senator Nashburn that
the 500 road has now more than it can do to
haul its local freight and its lumber shipments
poles lying along it awaiting Shipment and it
promises to pay well.
Speaking OF Washburn his residence here is
worth fortune. 1t lie an immense white stone
surrounded by ten acres of ground, every foot
of which is valuable. He has got out Of his
financial troubles and is again rich.
JIM HILLS MANSION.
st. Paul has dozens of great houses which
would do credit to any eastern city, but the
residence of Mr.. James J. Hill. the Great
Northern railway magnate, is one of the really
fine houses of the world. George W. Childs,
when he Wis. led it. said i. surpassed that OF the
Nanderbilts in many ways, and that he liked it
bet er than his own home at WoOten. / visited
it in company with Mr. Hills friend. 8Ir. Geo.
A. Bracket. yesterday. and | ike it far better
than the home OF North. the nitrate king,
which saw in England last summer. 1t is
more hon,elike and less gau6y. 1t is located IN
-. Paul Summit avenue, and its grounds
slope down toward the mississippi river. 1t
has acres OF grounds about it. and its windows
give wide views of the hills ard valleys OF the
Mississippi The house il an immense two
story building of brown stone put toge her in
the rough and crowned with a steel roof, which
slopes down in many gables. A porte
cocnere big enough for ordinary
house. under which YOU could haul the
biggest wagon load of hay you have ever
seen without touching its walls its
sides. forms the entrance to it. and YOU 60
into this you are impressed with the massive
ness and solidity OF tine structure. The Louise
looks though il were built to outlast the
ages. The walls are about four feet thick. and
In constructing il NJ. Hill went down thirty
eight feet until he struck the solid bed rock for
the four daIion. This is one of the character
lstIcs of his wo-k-he goes to the bottom of
everything before he begins it and builds sub
stantially and without frills or filigrees. His
railroad Offices at ST. Paul are severely plain in
their construction. and you see the same good
taste displayed about every part OF his house
The front doors are OF massive oak beautifully
carved. and you pass through them over a
vestibuie of Roman mosaic. as carefully inlaid
as a Florentine breastpin. into grand hall fin
ished IN antique oak. As you go in You note
that the walls are of carved oak and that the
ceiling is of the same wood in great panels. You
come first into a grand hall nearly as long as
the promenade corridor Of the White House,
but far more beautifully finished. 1t must be
o hundred feet long and about twenty feet
wide, and it runs from the picture gallery at
one end to the great mahogany dining room
at the other. Its roof is made up of four great
panels inclosed in rafters of carved oak, each
four feet wide, and these are upheld by eight
futed oak columns, each Of which is as big
around as the waist of good sized man. The
walls Of this hail are hung with fine paintings.
It's floor is covered with soft rugs, and it is
lighted, as are the large rooms of the house, in
a most WOE lcrful way. From the center of
each Of these panels, strung as il were upon
wires, seems to hang down bushel Of dia-
monds. These are prisms Of cut glass festooned
in the shape Of Q basket. and lighted by cleo
tricity, which coming from globes behind
them and reflected by mirrors above,
make most wonderfully effective
illumination. There are four of these diamond
baskets in the hall, one in the dining room,
another in the library and others in the music,
I reception and drawing rooms. chandelier
always looks out of place IN house. 1t makes
big room look larger and a small room look
smaller, but these diamond baskets take up no
room and they are the most beautiful things l
have ever in house lighting. From the
center OF this hall rises the staircase between
THESE nuted cak columns. by easy landings to
the second story, and looking down upon You
from IT. as you come in, are great windows OF
stained glass, which throw q soft light into the
nall A. the night and left of the staircase are
CRATES covered by mantels of the same massive
OAK. ana over one of these is a painting OF Mrs.
Hin and the other Of Mr.. Hill.
THE DINING ROOM.
The dining room is about fifty feet long by
thirty feet wide. 1t is finished in South Amer
lean mahogany, and the furniture is OF the
same wood. The walls from your feet to above
your head are paneled in the richest Of mahog-
any, which has a polish equal to that Of the
nnes' piano. The ceiling Is made up Of panels
framed In great mahogany rafters. and the
panels are OF rough stucco covered with gold
leaf. Window seats run around the end of the
dining room sitting upon which you can look
out over the Mississippi. There is q great side
BOARD OF mahogany twelve feet long filled with
the nnest OF china and cut glass. In two cor
ners OF the room are glass-covered cupboards
hlled with beautiful glass ware, and on the
sideboard and other places about the room are
pieces Of the finest Of all kinds of china. not q
Few being OF sevres and Royal Dresden. The
butler was With me while 1 stood in the room
and he told me the cost Of furnishing it was
over $4,000. The dining table Is of carved
mahogany. and it is OF immense size. In fact.
all the furniture in this house il fully from
one-ihird to twice large az that Won
find in ordinary houses. Mrs Hin told