The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-18
and opens out on the library terrace

ouu uOWiluB SICCus
On the western end of tho building
is the stable, accommodating forty
horses. Near by are the gunroom and
billiard room. There Is, also, con.
nected with the palace an electric
light plant and u steam laundry. The
green houses are the most perfect that
money could buy, and must have cost,
with heating apparatus, etc, not less
than 5000 They contain over I,SOC
different varieties of flower plants. l
have never seen anything so much
like paradise as view through tho
hot houses. Five Or six dozen Ameri-
can Beauty roses had been cut to de-
corate the palace for the day. One of
the palms, of which there are scores.
is so large that it takes sixteen men to
move it.
Everything Is planned and executed
on the most elaborate and magnificent
scale. The cost OF "Biltmore House )"
and grounds immediately surround
lni; is said to be to date $4,000, 900.
There has been an expenditure OF an
additional $1,000, 900 in purchasing the
timber lands, building houses and
roads, stocking the game preserves,
etc. Several more millions will be
spent later on.
On tho several thousand acres of
cleared land on the estate scientific
farming is carried on to perfection.
The crops are very beautiful. The
finest corn, wheat, barley, clover, hay,
potatoes, ETC., are grown At the
North Carolina state fair at Raleigh
last fall Il very fine exhibit was made
from the BiltmOre estate, and many
blue ribbons captured. l do not sup
pose that MIR. Vanderbilt cares to make
any thing ont of his investments here,
but nevertheless, there are several
sources Of income.
The prido Of the estate Is the Bilt-
more dairy. There are over one
Milk is sold in Asheville at 25 cents
per gallon, Or at 7 cents per quart in
" scaled bottles" The milk is "steri-
lized and 'pasteurized" and prepared
scientifically and medically in other
ways. Cream Is sold at ST. per gallon
anu butter at 35 cents per pound.
Much Of the latter is shipped to New
York. The vegetables grown on the
estate also find good market in Ashe-
Vile and elsewhere.
The BiltmOre Lumber Company is
the name under which Mr.. Vanderbilt
conducts a large sawmill business.
The sawmill has capacity of rs, 900 to
1000 feet per day. The cut is mostly
of hard wood and the lumber is shipped
north.
The expenditure of the $4,000, 900
already put out and the entire manage
ment and direction of the Blltmore
estate devolves upon Mr.. Charles
McNamce, an able New York attorney.
He first came to Asheville for MIR.
George w. Vanderbilt on May l, 1888.
The following year he built house on
one of the hills within the Vanderbilt
park and has since resided here. His
first work was the purchasing of lOO,-
600 acres of land. 1t was bought in
small tracts mostly. Titles had to be
corded on each tract. Diplomacy had
10 be used to get the land desired and
not to pay exorbitant prices. Mr.. Nc
Nance has shown remarkable business
and executive ability aside from his
astuteness as an attorney. A railroad
about four miles in length was built
from BiltmOre station on the Southern
railroad to the site for the palace.
This was necessary for the hauling Of
stone and other material used in the
construction. Hundreds of contracts
had to be let. bout six hundred
hands were employed daily for several
years at work on the house, in the
park, at the brick aud terra Gotta
yards and kilns, at the sawmill and on
the agricultural lands. Mr.. McNamee
systematized everything. Depart
ments were organized, such as horti-
culture, forestry, agriculture, ilori-
culture, etc, aud chiefs appointed
over each. The manager can sit in
his handsome Office building in the
village OF BiltmOre and receive reports
as to the smallest detail in each depart
mont from its head man. Everything
goes on as smooth rs clockwork.
Mr.. McNamee was born at Irvington-
on-the- Hudson. After an elaborate
college course he graduated from the
Columbia college law school in 1877.
While In college he enjoyed instruc.
tion under Professor Theo? w. Dwight,
who is acknowledged one of the
greatest eXpounders of the law of this
age. In New York city he was NOM
ber of the law firm of Davies, Work,
McNamce e. Hilton. They had an OK
tensive practice and some very cele-
brated cases. Many of their cases
went before the United States supreme
court. When in the latter part of the
sos Mr.. George w. Vanderbilt decided
to build his place in the "Land of the
Sky" he wisely selected MIR. McNamee
to take charge Of the Great work.
That he made no mistake has been
amply proven.
Through the beneficence of Mr..
George Vanderbilt q handsome Episco.
pal church has been erected in the
2illage Of BiltmOro. From the strik-
ing and peculiar architecture no one
would ever imagine that it haS seat.
ing capacity of 22O. The queer ap-
pearanco OF the structure is caused
from tho lantern," or roof tower,
which is sixty feet high. The general
style OF the architecture is early
Gothic. No churches like it have
ever been constructed ia the Southern
States, though they are very common
In the mountain districts Of England,
where they are built Of stone and arc
much moro massive than this church.
The materials used in the cOnstruc-
tion are pressed brick and rough cast
with O. clay single roof. The tower is
situated over the crossing Of the nave
and chancel. On the interior the roof
Is open timbe red. The finish Is OF oak
Ihe oaken ceiling of tho nave and