The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-17

When the whole thing was complete it
created as big a sensation in smart
French society as a coup d'etat or a
new genius at the Theatre Francois. /
Partisan friends of Mrs. Pell brought
strangers to her house on reception 1
days and begged a peep for them at
the famous bath room, much as
glimpse at a newly discovered master
piece OF Raphael might be requested.
Today it is easy enough to have
waterwOrks throughout your French
house, if you like, and all the bust
ness Of setting them in place viii be
done by French plumbers, but they
make whackng charges for the same
and are so clumsily inadequate that
when Emma Eames and. the Countess
of Castellane were building, American
workmen were again imported for the
difficult jobs Of introducing the mech
anism that gives the modern American
home the aspect of being run by magic.
To arrive at this American perfection
of domestic machinery is what the Par
isian strives for Immediately a fortune
is made or inherited. and if anybody
doubts the statement it is only neces-
sary to investigate some of the new
apartment houses in the fashionable
residence district or the fine houses on
the big boulevards. An apartment
I q
tricity is no longer a novelty in Paris
any more than a private residence with
bath rooms is a curiosity. Yet in spite
Of all the French do themselves, the
American residents go them one better,
and the Castellane house on the Avenue
de Bots de Boulogne, the Evans hotel
on the Champs Elysees, Mrs. MooTes
lovely place on the Avenue Kleber. etc,
remain as the standards OF luxurious
convenience
The Castellane palace-for palace it
really is-presents only the end of one
pink veined marble wing to the tree
shaded avenue. It's splendid entrance,
copied exactly after that Of the Grande
TTianon at Versailles, opens on "a side
street. On either side, where the great
glass doors open, are tremendous gild-
ed iron Louis Quatorze lamps lighted
by electricity, and while the arrange
ment of the rooms and their furnish
ings match in detail that of the palace
of Madame de MaintenOn, and even the
kitchens are faithful reproductions of
those typical of the time of Louis lie
Grand, the touch of inventive labor
saving American genius is over it all
The house itself is only two stories
high, but little electric lifts or dumb
walters run from wine cellar to the
roof. There is an admirable little con-
tr1Vance that communicates directly
between the kitchen and the countess
own bedroom, sliding noiselessly
through the walls. for the purpose Of
sending up her mornings coffee the in
slant Il is complete. Beneath one wing
of the house is a laundry on the Amer
lean plan that is the envy of all the
countess wealthy and titled friends
Three women are steadily at work the
week through in the washing, drying
and ironing rooms. for the countess
has a fad of wearing white lawn and
muslin frocks- Her children dress ex-
clusively in white needlewOrked froclxs
and the house linen is far too fine to
suffer the usual Partisan maltreat-
ment; but in spite of the daily bundles
of fragile white wearing apparel tossed
down the long wooden chute to the
women in the basement. the labor save
that of ironing. is wonderfully light
ened by machinery and steam. There
is an amazing little contrivance for
washing and stretching fine laces, and
IN a pleasant room off the laundry sit
a couple of the deftest needlewomen,
whose business it is to inspect every
article of clothing every sheet and
towel before 1t is placed on the dumb
waiter that whisks 1t in snowy piles up
into the house linen room, and the care
of a maid who sorts and lays away all
the fresh washed clothes.
These 'stOppeurs. as they are called,
work the crest and initials on anything