The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-06
LEVELING "A MOUNTAIN.
'ohh ID Rockefeller is n Greater Man
.h"h M0hammcd-MOncy Does
"oro Than Faith These DAYS.

NEW York Journal
John D. Rockefcller's latest scheme
~ 10 cut the top OF mountain. Mil
ilonaires have u way Of fixing things
10 suit themselves, but this is tho first
time one of that interesting class has
undertaken to give nature points.
Mr.. Rockefeller is the owner of q
Daron1al estate back of Tarrytown-
| l,00O acrcs-which he will convert into
u huge park at IN expense of no one
Knows how much. On this estate is
Kykuit Mountain. From its summit
can bo viewed u scenic panaroma that
is not likely to pail on tho vision oven
OF u man OF many millions. Mr.. Rookie
follor made up his mind that this was
the place for his baronial residence.
But kykuit Mountain had not been
lad out for residence site. Its sum
init was too sharp. So it was decided to
cut the top of, and small army of
men are hard at work now performing
that singular operation.
Nowhere could be found q fincr illus.
tration OF tho potency of wealth.
Ilcre is u man using his gold to uive
the lie to Welding it into n
sword wherewith to shave tho crests
OIL the everlasting hills" Moham-
med, who ruled millions of mon, was
compelled to go to tho mountain.
Rockefeller, who owns millions of dol
lars, compcls the mountain to descend
to his chosen Lowell.
Up at Tarrytown the people call tho
country roundabout tho Pocantico
Hills. What tho standard by which
they distinguish between hills and
mountains is no one seems to know.
But alter tho visitor has toilcd up the
winding road leading from Tarrytown
TO the ltockcfcllcr estate he will make
affidavit tho POcantico Hills are in the
Same class with the Andes Or tho Him
alayas, This is tho sccnc whore the
millionaire's Brogdignagian whim is
being faithfully put into effect.
Nor is the removal of the mountain
top all that is bcipg done. The noun
tain Is bcing remodelcd. Rows of
stakes vt different points on the slope
Indicate whcro additions arc to be
made, terraces constructed, and how
FAR tho lawn is to stretch its yelvcty
surface before the Rockefeller slope
begins. II is only proper to call it the
Rockefeller slope because nature has
nothing to do with it, 1t is the mil
llonaire, his money and his mon who
are making this mountain. When the
new mountain is finished, which will
be some time next spring, an architect
is to be built thereon. Just what sort
Of q mansion it is to be has not been
decided, but it is safe to say seven fig
urcs will be required to tell the cost.
Whom Mr. Rockefeller bought the
Old Parsons place at Tarrytown q few
years ago he kept his plans to himself
Little oy little, however, he bought in
anJacent property, and as the months
rolled by his estate grew to mammoth
proportions, until now it IS O long
journey from ono end of his domain to
the other. Nowhere along the Hudson
Nlvcr is there an estate like this, not
foot OF which is to be used for grow
ing trees and grass and flowers. It is
to be made as beautiful as the land
Scape gardener can conceive it, Drives
are to he constructed throughout, and
| the whole transformed into q park OF
exceeding beauty.
Tnere is much to soc, to marvel at.
to admire on this great estate. From
the summit Of Kykuit Mountain the
vista OF tho mountain, valley and river
is OF rarest beauty. On the west rolls
the Japan Zoe, while across the Hud,
son the sun glints on tho roofs OF
Nyack. Northwest are Haverstraw
Bay and Croton point.
Turning the gaze to tho northwest
one sees the green hills Of Massachu.
sctts in the distance. Away down tho
hudson is the haze that marks the To-
cation OF Now York City. On a clca,
guishcd. TO the southeast lie Long
Island Sound and Connecticut both
plainly visible. North, south, east and
west arc the Pocantico Hills, while
down the western slope to the rive,
stretches the village of Tarrytown.
Much OF this mammoth estate,
where Mr.. Rockefeller is making
mountains or valleys, as his fancy suits,
is famous ground, partly for historical
reasons and partly because of Wash
ington lrving's legends. On the house
where F. y. Bolze, MIR. Roc1cfellers
sunporintende lives is q big brass
plate which tells the curious that it
was here Major Andre stopped the
night before mis- CAPTURE. linen, not
far away, is the sito of tho Old school
house whore, Irving has it, Ichabod
Crane taught before his encounter
with tho Eicadoss flo ,scman, and wind
ing by is the road down which Brom
Bones Numbered that night so fatal to
the schooiInaster's ambition.
The little trcc-fringcd valley at the
loot OF the northwestern slope is q part
OF Sleepy Hollow, and if one could sec
over the next hill Sleepy Hollow's an
cicnt cemetery and tic old Dutch
church would come into Wow.
Ii Mr.. Rockefeller chooses he can
stand on Kykuit Mountain and look
down on tho pa!atial summer home OF
his brother, ncar the eastern bank of
the Hudson, surrounded by charming
grounds, and congratulate himself
that, beautiful as the residence and
grounds are, they never can be consid-
cred the equal Of his own.
So rcticcnt has Mr. Rockefeller been
about his plan to remodel q mountain
and to transform his 200 acres into q
park that Tarrytown people them
selves know little about it. 1t only
needs visit to the place, however, to
SEQ the most convincing proof that
the samc rcsistless cncrgy that has
gathered colossal fortune is urging
toward completion a work which viii
bo u marvel Of its kind.