Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-09-25
$4,000 ANNUALLY FOR DRESS,
Mrs. Clarence Mackay Spends a For
tuna

|
Mrs. Clarence Mackay Spends a For
tune on Her Wardrobe Each Year.
A New York correspondent say:
that Mrs. Clarence Mackay, the dash
ing leader of New York society, Will
a fortune of almost $4,000, 900 at he
command, is credited with being The
most extravagant young matron il
America. She spends annually more
than $4,000 on her wardrobe, and ibis
does not include her lavish expendi
lures for jewelry, which is her pei
fad. With an assured Christmas pres
ont every year of $4,000 for pr
money, and regular allowances on I'll
equally liberal basis, she is easily Ii.
position 20 lead the younger set OF
women in New York in the matter OF
extravaganza.
Mrs. Mackay leans perceptibly to-
ward fads, and one of her latest Gre
atlonS in this direction is to be found
! in her magnificent country home on
Long Island, comprising a mansion
and 200 acres of land, which was pre-
sented to her by her father-in-1aw.
John w. Mackay In this house Mrs
Mackay has had constructed the mos
wonderful bath that has ever been
seen in America. 1t was brought over
from Italy, and is cut from a solid
block of marble, which cost sometime
like $4,000. The pool is sunk in the
floor and FIVE broad marble steps lea
Own to it. The water spouts from
the mouths of exquisitely carved mar
Bile dolphins. Another feature OF the
bathroom is a great fireplace built in.
to the side wall of the room. Each of
the other twenty-five bathrooms in ,...p
house has a. luxurious Pompeiian barl
let down in the marble floor in the
same way.
Mrs. Mackay's suite of rooms is IN
the western section Of the house. Tn,
color scheme is lavender and the wood
work French mahogany. The rooms
are decorated by high priced artists
and an odd feature of the doors is that
they are sectioned in plate glass pan
els and have cut glass handles. There
are many and big windows in each
room.
An elaborate portion of this sump-
tuous house is reserved exclusively for
little Miss Katherine Duer Mackay,
who is a most important member of
the household. Her apartments are
connected with Mrs. Mackay's suite.
There are three rooms for Baby Mac
kay, which are furnished in the dain-
test manner, the trimmings and fit
tings Of the French windows all of
silver.
At the western end of the house is
also the salon and library, and these
magnificent rooms look out upon a
grand conservatory and a series of
Pompeiian columns, which support the
great piazza
From the windows at this side OF
the house New York can be seen on a
clear day, while the northern outlook
shows the ripping waters of Hemp
stead bay, and from the south one can
see the ocean beyond a picturesque
landscape.
The ballroom is another feature of
this palace of splendor. When one
first enters the door this room appears
like an immense hallway. 1t runs the
entire length of the house and meas
ures 80 feet in length by 40 in width
and is % feet in height. Wide bal
comics Of carved old English oak dec
crate the upper story.
To the left Of this great room is a
great staircase of English oak, which
leads to the southwest wing. Other
passages to the right terminate in Mr.
Mackay's rooms, the billiard and Gin
ing rooms.
There is also an oriental roof gar
den.
It was Mrs. Mackav's own idea that
each of her thirty servants should
have a separate room. The rooms are
small, but are sunshiny and comfort
able.
The culinary section of the house
would certainly make housekeepers
gasp with surprise. The kitchen
alone is a modern marvel. The trades
men come and go unseen, for they are
to enter behind great screens of shrub
berry and pass into a courtyard clever
ly hidden behind a stone wall.
The broad driveway, which is just
one mile from the picturesque lodge
gate to the mansion itself, is a tribute.
to the skill of the landscape gardener
| No one can pass through the gates
without card from Mrs Mackay.
Although spending fabulous sums
every year upon gowns and the graft
fication of little whims regarding fads,
Mrs. Mackay is by no means neglect
full Of the more serious problems OF