The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-19
100000 FIRELOSS
IN VANDERBILT HOME
Country House Of Mrs. W. H.,
Jr., With Valuable Con-
tents, Destroyed.
ONLY THE SERVANTS THERE
Owner Orders Chauffeur to Save
Her Dogs Before the
Furnishings.

JERICHO. L. l.. Feb. ls.-The country
home OF Mrs. William X. Vanderbilt. Jr..
half way between Jericho and Westbury.
was destroyed by fire ills morning. Both
the house. built AT a cost of about
100000. and its contents. valued at
100000. are a total loss.
When Dennis Murray, the caretaker,
got out he ran to the neares, house.
that OF NJ. S. Burr.ll. and called Mrs.
Vanderbilt on the telephone. She told
him to hurry back and save her four
pet dogs. one OF them partly paralyzed.
Murray ran back and found John
O'Toole, the chauffeur, trying to save
some of the furniture.
Mrs. Vanderbilt wants the dogs saved
before anything else" he painted.
o'Toole then fought his way into the
burning portion OF the house where the
dogs were. He was guided to them by
their wailings. Gathering the paralyzed
dog in his arms he made his way to the
outer air followed by the other three.
one of which is brindle terrier.
Mrs. Vanderbilt was Informed OF the
safety of her pets and expressed great
satisfaction. She thanked OToole warmly
for saving the dogs.
Mrs. Vanderbilt had not occupied the
house since before Christmas. 4 care
taker with several servants was In
charge. When the servants. who slept
In one Of the wings, were awakened by
the smoke the fire had made great head
way throughout the lower part OF the
building and they ran out in their night
clothing. They made unsuccessful at
tempts to save a few OF the more valu-
able tapestries and paintings, but were
driven back by the flames.
The fire rendered the telephone USE
less and II took some time for the SER
wants to get word to Jericho When the
Jericho firemen learned Of the IRE and
got to the Vanderbilt place they found
the water pipes frozen and could get
no water. By that time the house was
practically destroyed and the firemen
could do nothing to save the contents.
Word was sent also to the fire deps IT.
ments OF Hicksy1lle and westbury. but the
apparatus OF these departments stuck In
the snow.
The servants said the fire started In the
cellar and suggested that the furnace
might have become overhcated.
The house was built only last year from
plans drawn by Mrs. Vanderbilt herself
in cooperation with several architects.
The general scheme of the house and
many OF Its details were planned by Mrs.
Vanderbilt. The house. standing on a
knoll with a fine view. contained some
sixty rooms. II was about 200 feet long
and 40 feet wide. The exterior was COW
cred with hand split cypress shingles.
one OF the chief features of the Interior
was an old English spiral staircase In
oak which Mrs. Vanderbilt brought from
England
A carefully Handicapped garden sur
rounded the house. The estate originally
consisted OF some ninety acres, with a
frontage OF 800 feet on the Jericho turn
pike. Mrs. Vanderbilt increased 1t two
weeks ago by the purchase OF a large
farm on the opposite side Of the road.
The day after she took title to the addi-
tional parcel a hotel on the farm waA
burned. This was not considered much OF
loss. however. as II was understood Mrs
Vanderbilt intended to tear It down any
way.
Among Mrs. Vanderbilts netghbors Al
Jericho are Ralph N. Ellis. Middleton g.
Burrill. Paul d. Rainey, Charles Steele
and Henry s. Phipps. 800
Mrs. Vanderbilt had planned for a
house party at the Jericho place for the
| coming week end.
Mrs. Vanderbilt. II 10 said, plans tu
build larger house on the hill near by
| The new building ID to be nearer the sum.
mer home OF M. s. Burrill and will have
many more rooms than the ''cottage," q
she called the house that was de.
stroyed.