Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-09-11

yards south of the mansion, and eX-
tending from the old navy department
to the treasury department. The
ground rose rapidly from the wall to
the house, which was built on rising
ground. This wall served two useful
purposes. 1t prevented the residents
Of the white house from straying into
the impossible quagmires to the south,
and the bullfrogs from the swamps
from invading the executive mansion.
These swamps were subsequently filled
in and the wall was removed, but to
this day the movement of the tide may
be felt on this ground.
1t is not generally known that the
east wing Of the white house formerly
extended some distance as the west
wing does now, the extension Of the
latter leading into the conservatory.
This extension to the east led to the
presidents stables, then located be-
tween the white house and the treas
ury department. During the Johnson
administration such an addition was
made to the treasury department that
it was found desirable to remove the
stables to their present location south
west of the house, and to secure still
more room between the east of the
house and the treasury. President
Johnson had the eastern extension cut
off, giving an unobstructed view from
the east room to the treasury.
General Grant devoted most of his
attention to the east room and the dec
orations made there in his time have
remained unchanged. Immense iron
beams we're laid from east to west
across the top of the room to support
the upper floor Iron columns were
introduced and white marble man
tells were replaced with wooden ones
with gray marble slabs. Tiffany did
the ceilings, putting in a handsome i'm
itation of mosaic work which is still al
most intact. The walls were covered
with heavy paper, which was given
three coats of heavy gray paint, the
effect resembling that of ornamental
plaster work. The walls were then
touched up with gold paint. In spite
of the vigilance of the watchmen, relic
hunters have frequently succeeded in
chipping or cutting off pieces of this
paper, and it is in constant need of re-
pairs.
General Grant also introduced the
three great glass chandeliers of the
east room, each containing 5000 pieces
of glass and costing 1900 They were
made in Germany. He replaced the old
mirrors with the present ones, some of
which begin to show the effects of age
by the cracking of the mercury at the
back.
Mrs. Cleveland, during her residence
in the white house, made frequent
changes in the decorations and left
a new carpet for the east room, which
is still in use. The upholstering, car
pet, draperies and furniture of the east
room are in dull gold and heavy pat
terms, SO there is nothing colonial
about the room except it's comparative
ly low ceiling and the narrow panes in
the windows.
On the stairs leading to the Office the
paneling to the side is colonial, in imi-
tation of walnut. while the banister is
distinctly modern Leading to the
basement at the east end is an ancient,
worn pair of stairs, so old that even
Jerry Pendleton, the oldest member of
the staff, cannot remember when they
were erected. 1t is supposed they were
put up when the house was remodeled
after the war of 1912, and they are in a
disgracefu1 condition. AS a rule, how
ever, the downstairs portion of the
house is in fair condition. All
floors are of concrete or thing and the
walls are painted white. A conduit
containing all the pipes entering the
house, with man-holes every few feet,
together with modern sanitary plumb
ing, introduced in recent years, rem
ders the house more healthy than form
erly. Last summer an electric light
was dropped from the ceiling of the
porte cochere, which proved to be a
valuable Improvement, but the three
gilt balls, like the emblems of the
still remain in position.
The pattern of the windows is partic-
ularly noticeable as a relic Of ancient
days. When even the smallest and
most unpretentious of modern houses
has large, broad windows of plate
glass, the small, narrow panes of the
windows in the white house seem very
much out of place and very COM
mon and cheap. The panes are
1924 inches and the upper sash has
nine and the lower sash. six panes. All
the windows up stairs and down are
fitted with these panes, which are re-
newed when the occasion demands, but
the style of the windows has not been
altered since the house was first
erected.