New-York tribune., 1895-08-18
BILLIARDS AS A HOMEMAhER.
A TABLE TENDS TO KEEP YOUNG MEN
IN THE HOUSE.
MAGNIFICENT ROOMS FOR THE sPoRT-wIILrAM
X vANDERBILT's MOORISH APARTMENT
SI,fpI IcrrY In FITTINGS DESIRED.

X vANDERBILTs MOORISH APARTMENT
SIMPLICITY IN FITTINGS DESIRED.
Billiards are rather polite accomplishment than
an exercise, and so nothing TO the latter day
prominence OF athletics. II is predicted by some
that the rage for bicycling and other violent ath-
letic sports which have for the present driven
billiards into the background will shortly begin to
wane and that billiards will resume the place from
which they have been temporarily driven. one OBJ
lection 10 athletic sports is that they dsintegrate
family life The boys are at baseball matches
the gymnasium on the road bicycling They are
never al home except 10 eat and sleep.
q. man who has saws that he has found that
II there is a wel-equipped bii.iard-room near the
roof with good air. adequate privacy and salts
factory means Of refreshment. his sons after bus-
ness hours are much more likely 10 come home and
bring their friends with them 10 play until dinner
than TO 20 10 their clubs II is a fac, that billiard
rooms which used to be in the basement have
gone upstairs Men will 20 upstairs to play
billiards when they will not go down. In the base
rnent they are too near the servants. whose ears
are preternaturally acute. Upstairs there IL
greater freedom for conversation.
\ billiard table. like a piano. is In form thing
TO be endured when IT canno; be allevated Ger
tain conditions are inevitable. II must have di-
rnonsions by feet. or by 10 feet. 1t must nave
strong supports For years II was accordingly
strong but clumsy. Now II is strong but less as-
cressive Architects have wrestled with 1t. and
finally have brought It into subjection SO I'M
portant is any successful result that II is patented
The architects who designed the tables or the
Union League club did this and the House Com
mittee OF the club will sometimes as courtesy
permit the members 10 nave the desisn 'ePed'ed
for themselves
Perhaps rot enough attention has been given 10
fine billiard cues Length. weight and balance are
the proper consideration The wood proper is
ash with lea her tips that are made by frehch
neasants and are not procured elsewhere. Each
cue is or should be constructed so that IL VIII
balance in the middle when placed across the
anger For this reason the end in the hand Is
usually of lighter wood and here some ornamental
ton is given. Beadlke mouldlngs that assist the
hand in its grip preferred. The most eN-
pensive cues are ornamented with successive curv-
ing bands of colored wood inays and these are so
perfectly Joined that they look like enameis the
effect being that Of peacocks eyes
The essentials of q billiard-room are rev. ou'
these are important There must be plenty OF clear
space around the tables The walls snouo De
such that cues awkwardly handled shall not harm
them There should be projections 70 imperii
the arms and shoulders OF enthusiastic players.
There should be raised seats conveniently out OF
the way for onlookers. There should be recesses
for cues ana other things. The perfect oiiiiard-
room contains no non-essentials
There have been some wonderful billiard-rooms
nroduced within the last ten years in town An
architect OF large experience says that nothing
in this country compares with that OF W. N
Vanderbilt Ii is Moorish room. opening OUT
of the Francis l dining-room. The walls are
vainscotted five feet high with old Moorish tiles.
Above these the walls covered with carton
nierrs after designs from the Ahambra, whicn
thirty years ago the Spanish Government allowed
W NJ Hunt 10 copy. The WOODWORK IS Du''erhut
with Moorish interlacngs The mantes and fire
oh n
onyx and a series Of onyx columns above MAKES
recesses where the cues and certain solids and
lqu.ds of the room are kept Adjoining Is
toiet-room with Moorish tiles and hxtures IN
Cornelius vanderbilt's bllliard-room was. II II
has not been changed in the remodeliing OF tne
hoIse F', anr msboronv box in the room proper and
could be removed Ike cabinet work az any .ii,,e ne
froshments and cigars are nclosed within thi:
mahogany lining. 50 that as was sau' .nsre nTSe IT,
/ ,"bn ,s of mahogany after special designs. George
". Vanderbilts bi.liard-room is japanese Ih' a
walls are covered with mating which Is an al
mrabe provision against the cues The table Il
/ lacouered In old red and dragons and other gro
teTGue a terms Howe aTe osborne in the Osborne villa
a. Wamaroneck had one OF the notable billiard
Wis we're covered with brown calfskin, held ir
place with brass nails The soft brown I'm, Of m
nature and man have combined TO produce /
carries with it eeeh n,rprence to hard knocks
a sense OF virility compementing those things on
! Loves "a think OF men. and therefore appropri
atelv used in mems rooms and belongings
senator Brice has one OF the nandsomes, TAPES
g., ,own /, is OF oak elaborately carved. Par
ticuIar attention has been bestowed on the legs
the irrs furnish almost the only opportunity tn
das,cner has for making the billiard table beau
,,f'l For Nr Brice's table the cloth was special,
dyed to match the blue-sreen tint OF the room
! ria,h 70, hiiuard tables Is a special weave mad
bv man Simoni by name In Belgium. Th
green OF the ordinary table is vel KNOWN, ,h.
S,rha handsomest table ever made IN this countr,
vas for Nine Patti. II was OF rosewood an,
amaranth woods. with hand painted panels
| Wales.