The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-01-23
Features of the Financier's Cost
ly Private Museum.
TO HOLD PRICELESS TREASURES

OK $SOO,OOO worm OF OrlenIal Carpets
In the various rooms, says the New
York World. Although the artisans
have ended their task, there Is much
to be done before the museum will be
the remarkable thesaurus Of art that
it, owner has designed. When Its pur-
pose Is realized It will be the most
costly and artistically valuable private
assemblage in the world Of rare books,
paintings Of the old and modern mas
tiers and antique manuscripts. tapes
tries and Scriptures. It Is estimated
by a friend familiar with Mr.. Morgan's
acquisitions during the last decade that
his collection Is worth more than $780,
100000.
But many Of these objects Of art are
still in the countries Of Europe where
they were purchased. and there they
remain until the tariff laws are shaped
more to Mr.. Morgan's view. Meantime
men are busy gathering from places
within the duty lines the treasures that
are to be stored in his museum vaults,
hung upon it's walls OF set upon Its
pedestals.
The building, which is a model Of
classic beauty, stands In East Thirty
sixth street. New York, a few yards
across a lawn from the conservatory
of Mr.. Morgan's home, which Is at the
corner Of Madison avenue. From his
home to the museum Mr.. Morgan is
able to go in stormy weather without
breathing the outer air. This IS accom-
plished by an underground passage that
leads from a staircase in the conserva-
tory to the vaults that contain art
treasures garnered from the ends OF
the earth.
The vaults. made of steel, are In
the basement, which extends the entire
length of the building. The ceiling.
arched with masonry, Is Of good
height, and the great apartment,
gloomy enough In a dim light. can be
made cheerful as day by electric H.
Elimination. Here are stored portable
objects too rare and of value too great
to he left in the large open chambers
overhead. They are kept within the
closed vaults except when their owner
wishes to have them brought out for
the view Of himself or friends. There
Is an original manuscript Of the Per
sian poet Omar Khayyam. On shelves
In one vault are parchments covered
with the light, flowing strokes that de
note the Oldest Greek manuscripts.
Several of them are earlier than the
Christian era. There are Latin manu-,
scripts Of the various periods-Roman
antique, Merovingian. Lombardian. Car
lovingian and Gothic, with its artifi
clally pointed characters.
A massive door swings, the lights are
flashed. and the visitor beholds illumi-
mated manuscripts that represent u for
tune. Egyptian paper or screeds In the
Byzantine styles. In other vaults are
English or French parchments. with
their delicate tints Of blue and green;
In still others, ancient writings Of Italy
and Spain, with initial letters that de
pict animals and flowers in bright col
ors and gold.
One Of the rareSt manuscripts OF the
collection is Chinese. 1t Is IL thousand
years old. There is no binding. Each
sheet Is detached. The writing Is upon
blue paper. The characters are white.
On some of the shelves stand weird
figures carved in ivory. plain for the
most part. but here and there one that
is known to the Greek antiquarian as
chryselephantine work. This Is ivory
overlaid with plates of gold. All along
the wallis the vaults are ranged. On
II side there are priceless treasures
OF paint and canvass. works OF the old
masters. Some of these are to be
hung, but most of them will remain in
their gloomy stronghold. to receive the
light only when some favored eye
would see
The main floor, the IL entered from
the street, as the great bronze doors
open. has but one chamber on its east
side. This is the library. 1t is stocked
already with rare volumns. but there
are thousands more to come from over
seas. when the tariff is adjusted. At
present the shelves. which are of
bronze, rise only to Il height Of six
feet on all sides Of the room. 1t Is Mr..
Morgan's plan to increase the shelf
capacity rs the influx Of books de
mands. All the volumes are behind
glass. A Gobelin tapestry that cost
$4,000 decorates one wall above the
book shelves. and where the walls are
not covered they show a delicate bur
The ceilings are Of beautiful simplicity
In blue and green.
At the end Of the foyer there Is q
room devoted to books that by collect.
ors are regarded as some Of the great
est prizes In the world. They are rare,
and in other respects more valuable
than those In the main library. Many
books here are said to be worth as
much as II each page were a ten dolla,
bill. and they have three. sometimes
FIVE hundred pages.
Across the foyer. westward from tho
main library, a door opens to the red
room. This Is Mr.. Morgan's sanctum
1t derives Its name from the walls
which are covered with embossed red
satin. A portrait Of Mr.. Morgan's IA