The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-30

| leads 10 the floor above on which are
the drawing room and dining room and
| Mr.. Vandeibilts private room. The two
| upper floors are divided into bedrooms
| and living apartments
| One thousand inpandescent electric lamps
| will light the house Heat VIII be supplied
| by special steam and hot air installations.
| THE entire house has boon made fro-ploof.
| The cost of this item alone is 100000,
| More than half a million dollars has
| been spent in improving the grounds
| about the house Mr.. Vanderbilt has
built four-foot water main more than
| 1900 feet to bring water from reservoir
TO the power house which will supply cleo
trieity for the mansion.
BILTMoRE's FAIRYLIKE FEATURES.
Biltmore,- near Asheyile George w
Vanderbilt's palace among the pine and
! cak-clad Blue Ridge hills Of North Caro-
lima. is one of the most beautiful castles
in all the Western hemisphere. Mr. Van
derbilt cut off the top OF mountain 10
make a site for the house designed by the
/ late Richard NJ. Hunt The house is $40
feet long and 1872 feet deep. II contains
more than 200 rooms. Here the genius Of
the architect was free 20 work without any
hindranee The result viii live for ages.
All the statistics about the mountain
top palace seem tinged with the unreality
OF fairyland. For example. the cost Of the
foundations alone was S100,0U
No other part OF the earth's crust has
been so carefully cultivated as the 1000
acres surrounding Mr. Vauderbiltis mouIi-
tain palace. The gardens, greenhouses
and nurseries alone cover seventy-fye
acres. The main nursery contains more
kinds OF trees and shrubs than there are
In the famous botanical gardens at Kew.
near London The Biltmore forest Is the
first piece of woodland In America 10 BE-
subjected to a scientific scheme OF man
Hagement The estate contains stock
farm. a deer park OF 5000 acres. numberless
trout streams and many other features that
can not be enumerated In this hasty notice.
Whitelaw Reds palace, Ophir Farm,
near White Plains, is one OF The best
known show places near New York. The
estate Is tiny compared with The gigantic
acreage OF the Biltmore plantation, but Its
bsalries are as rich and fine as Tho ca
ouisite portions of cameo Frederick
Law Olmstead designed the gardens.
On October Mountain, near LeDox, Mass,
William c. Whitney has an estate OF be-
tween 10000 and 1900 acres. In It are an
elk park an antelope park tract OF 1000
acres given OYER TO herd OF buffalo and
more trout streams than one man couid
count In one season.
TWoMBLEY'S CHANGEABLE CASTLE.
Hamilton Mex Twombley's splendid
house near Convent stallpu. " aiaulS"h,
X. u. 4 o.e OF the nandsomest dwellings
ii, state noted for sunptuous abodes. lie
has had II built and rebuilt In piecemeal
ayais, and again The tapestries for the
living rcom-for which room, by the way,
thirteen designs were niade--cosr s5oo.vDu
The ether chief features OF the house have
been often changed TO suit Mr. Twombiey's
seryatiyeIy estimated at s1.50o.dop-
Arson Phelps Stokes house. Shadow
Brook. III Lenox. Mass. has been noted for
years as the largest private residence IN
the United States. II Is 400 feet long ard
CO feo, deep. One thousand acres are In
cluded In the grounds. o. H. r, Belmont,
whose big house. BeIeourt. long has been
one Of the fhow places Of Newport X: \,
IS building fine now house 1t East
Meadow, Heinpstead. L. !. A. G. Barneys
Ran T. f,ryn is one OF the most BEAUTIFUL
places al Bar Hiarbor Ne Ogden Gcelei's
ochre Court; the Marble House. built By
NJ k. Vanderbilt, and The Breakers, Cor
nelius vanderSili's splendid mansion Ct
are o'her notable examples Of the
tendency 70 flee from urban