The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-08
VANDERBILT'S
NEW RESIDENCE.
MANY NILES OF TIE ESTATE.

The Magnificent Mansion in Course
Of Erection Near Ashevilie.
New Yord Herald.
Thes sS--s; but few Vanderbits in the
lw 80 it is not surprising that
ons 81 them should build the finest,
tho most szpsnsiys and the biggest
mansion . he found in our hemisphere.
..zs ~...onit, i L :.ses IL q q, that Mr.
George Vanderbilt returned in his
special car from trip to his estate in
North Carolina. He had been gone
about two weeks.
Mr.. Vanderbilt has found that the
climate in the highlands of the Caro-
linas is the most pleasant and the most
healthful to him of any in the world,
and so near Asheville several years ago
he purchased very large estate and
began 20 lay out lines for such a resi-
dence as no other millionaire in the
country can boast of.
In the Vicinity of Asheville there are
a great many very fine residences, but
none of them so bespeak the prosperity
of their owners as the one which is now
being erected by Mr. George w. Van
derbilt, together with the improvement
of the vast estates surrounding it, not
only surprising anything in Western
North COrolina. but America as we'll.
Much has already been written re-
garding 1t, but it will be of interest to
many to know that Mr. Vanderbilt
selected this particular location because,
after having travelled the world over,
he found the climate OF the Asheville
plateau to be the finest and the scenery
the most attractive.
He therefore purchased a large tract
of beautifully located land, and has
kept adding to it until he now has
acquired title to nearly one hundred
thousand acres (more than one hun
dred and eighty square miles), one
portion of which touches the city limits
Of Asheville, from which it stretches
over mountain and valley for such a
distance that it will be possible for
him, after the purchase of a small in
tervening section, to ride for thirty-five
miles in a straight line from his chateau
without leaving his own possessions
Somewhat over three years ago Mr.
Vanderbilt began his magnificent pal
ace, which, although several hundred
skilled workmen have been daily at
work upon it, is yet so far from com
pletion that it will not be ready fo1
occupancy for more than three years
FAR FROM FINISHED.
For several years the world has been
watching to see what Mr.. Vanderbilt
would do with his magnificent property
The curious will have to wait few
, years longer ere they can see in reality
. to Just what an elaborate extent MIR
Vanderbilt's idea of an ideal home
runs. The chateau itself is as ye
. hardly begun. 1t has taken no end Q
: toll and money to make place for i
on the rugged ridges of the southern
; mountains.
MIR. Presbery thus describes it in al
| article 10 De puDliSucil III "o''
q Opinion -
THE LOCATION.
r 1T stands upon an esplanade, 100 b
O 800 feet, artificially made by cuttln
y down the summit of the hill upo
which the building are being erected
u and filling surrounding depression
until perfect level was attained. Hug
retaining walls of solid masonry-sl'
teen feet in thickness at the base, an
at some points forty feet high, crowne
with coping of finely dressed stone
surround the esplanade. Here at pre-
ent are the great sheds for the ston
es cutters and builders, and the tracks
the railroad which Mr.. Vanderbilt bui
re from Ashev;lle.
THE outside walls of the palace a
III 375 feet by 1872, and when completed
Will be four stories in height Fro