Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-08-20
The whitney-vanderblt Wedding.

The bridesmaids selected by Miss
Gertrude Vanderbilt. who is to be mar
ried to Henry Payne Whitney at New
port next Tuesday, are. with one ex-
ception, great heiresses. The prospec-
tive fortunes represent many millioTs.
1t is expected Miss Gladys Vanderbilt,
the younger sister of the bride, will at
tend her as flower maiden. She is a
pretty girl, in her fourteenth year. She
is heiress to at least SIS, 100000, and
will probably have double that amount.
Miss Emily Vanderbilt Sloane and
Miss Lila Sloane are first cousins of the
bride. They are the daughters of Mr..
and Mrs. William Douglas Sloane, the
latter sister Of Mr.. Cornelius Wander
5ilt. The Misses Sloane are extreme
ly public spirited. Miss Emily Van.
derbilt Sloane is the president of the
A. B. @, or Anti-Basement Circle, a
charitable organization. Her sister
likewise contributes work and money
to the A. B. C's.
Mrs. William Douglas Sloane Inherit
ed from her father, the late William II.
Vanderbilt, S10,000,000, and the for
tune is said to nave increased enor-
mously. 1t will be divided between the
five children some day, as will the
wealth of the head of the family. 1t is
quite safe to put the Misses Sloane down
as heiresses each to 100000.
Miss Amy Bend, who has been the
guest for some time Of the Sloanes, at
Elm Court, will be bridesmaid. Miss
Bend is not an heiress in the largest
sense of the term. She is one of two
children of Mr.. and Mrs. George II.
Bend. Miss Bend is favorite niece of
d rich bachelor, Isaac Townsend and
an elderly spnster sister of his, Miss
Amy Townsend.
The impression is that there are no
greater heiresses in America than the
Misses Gerry. Their parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. Elbridge t. Gerry, are said to be
the second greatest real estate owners
in this city. Miss Angelica Gerry will
no doubt nave fortune of 5000, 900.
She will be bridesmaid for the first
time at the Whitney Vanderbilt we'd
ding.
Miss Minnie Taylor is included in Miss
Vanderbilt's list. Miss Taylor is likely
TO come in for 81 ,000,00
miss Edith Shepard, another brides
maid, is one of the BRIDES pretty cous.
ins, and will herself be married in No
vember, to Ernesto G. Fabri. Miss
Shepard's fortune will equal that of her
cousins, the Misses Sloane, her mother,
Mrs. Elliott F. Shepard, being sister
of Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Miss Gertrude Vanderbilt's six brides
maids will be beautifully arrayed at the
wedding. Their costumes have all been
made abroad, and have just come over
with that of the bride.
There will be but few absentees
among the Vanderbilt relatives at this
wedding. This will, however, include
Mr.. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, jr.,
and Mr.. and Mrs. James A. Burden, jr, =,
who are now abroad.
President Cleveland, it is said, will
come from Buzzard's Bay to attend the
wedding.
Mr.. Whitney is making strenerous
efforts to ascertain how his plans for
the establishment of a country seat for
his son in the Berkshire Hills gained
publicity. His son takes the matter
good naturedly and laughs at his
fathers failure to keep the surprise q
secret
While working on the temporary
house Monday night, the stone ma
sons came upon number of relics of
the days when the mountain was the
home of the Tagliconic Indians. There
were numberless bits of flint and sew
eral stone arrow heads. These remind
ers of century or more ago were
spread over q territory of nearly ten
miles, showing that the October Noun.
tain must at one time have swarmed
with savages.
A beautiful spring of water was
found, and it was decided to connect it
with basin constructed to hold 5000
gallons, from which those who live on
October Mountain will henceforth get
their drinking water.
The establishment OF the Whitney
home has given an impetus to the en-
tire surrounding country. All the ma
terial has been purchased in Lenox
and Pittsfeld, and times are better
than they have ever been before.-N.
y Journal.