Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-08-31
A FIREPRoOF PALACE.
Descrip lon OF n CALIFORNIA; Millionaire's
Projected Home of Metals.

Descrip Ion OF California Millionaire.
Projected Home Of Metals.
Ralph Brisbane Nonesuch, who is
rcputed to have made a fortune oil
$25. 900, 900 in South African diamond
mines, has purchased 500 acre
tract in the Tcmescal district, near
| San Francisco, where he will erect a
novel residence, palace in fact, upon
which $l,500,000 will be expended
aside from the finishing. This is to
be a structure built almost entirely
Of steel and glass.
The building. says the American,
Contractor, is to be about $50 feei
long by about 100 feet wide. At one
end it will be surmounted by a tower
lis feet high, at the other end by a
similar tower, but Of less size and
height.
A striking feature viii be the sides
below the cornice, which slope to the
ground with curve at an angle of
about forty-five degrees. In the
sloping sides arc to set huge oval
windows twelve feet long and made
OF the walls The roof will be a
huge gable extending the entire
length of the building, and terminal
ing in another gable at right angles,
in which are placed immense stained
glass windows, one of which will be
fifty feet long and thirty feet wide.
Not foot of lumber or wood in
~. 10, 30 l. 1
ing. The materials 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 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 be some OF oxidiZed
sheet iron, some brass covered with
a preparation that protects the bun n
ish of the metal some copper, some
nickel, and so on to correspond with
the decorations OF the room. The
ceilings will be arched and relieved
here and there with great brass me-
dallions. The partition walls will
be composed of metal grilles extend
ing from floor to ceiling, arranged in
various designs: forming u vast
network through which the Wis
itor can see from the grand
stairway at one end to the
great ballroom at the opposite end
Rich tapestries wall ordinarily cover
the metal grilles, and divide the in
terror thus into fourteen apartments.
eight of which will be chamber and
consist each of suit of four rooms
"a sleeping room, dressing room,
bath room and study. All the heat
ing, lighting, ventilation and cook
ing will be done by electricity. The
machinery and the laundry will all
be in the basement. The water wheel
and dynamos will be located at the
foot of the hill, a considerable dis
lance from the building. The sole
entrance to the basement from with
out will be at the foot of the hill
through tunnel. SO that no one
from within or about tho house will
sec the approach or entrance of serv-
ant, grocer, butcher, or delivery
wagon of any kind The structure
itself will be surrounded by a
broad walk and outside of the walk
will be an artificial lake surround
ing the building and forming
a moat to be crossed over movea-
bic drawbridge, thus placing the
house practically upon an island.
The lake will be fed by water from
artesian wells already in operation
and pumped up by powerful pumps.
The water of the lake will also serve
to run the dynamos that furnish
light, heat and power for use in the
building. The floors Of the buildin
will be of brass and aluminium grille
work of ornamental design, the inter-
stices filled with new Hungarian
cement, which is said to become hard
as granite when set and to admit OF
as high and durable polish, The CO.
ment will be of several colors and so
laid with the metal grille as to sur
pass in effect any mosaic flooring in
existence. Everything about the
building is to be fire-proof, except
perhaps a part of the furniture.
Even the draperies and tapestries
will be dipped in "a solution of glycer-
inc and ammonium boratc, render,
ing them permanently uninhamable.