The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, June 17, 1920, Page 4, Image 4
?jje Pamberg Peralb:
ESTABLISHED APRIL, 181)1. :
Published Weekly at Bamberg, S. C.
Entered as second-class matter April i (
1891, under Act of March 3, 1879. ,
$2.00 PER YEAR.
________ i
Volume 29. Xo. 25.
Thursday, June 17,1920.
Millionaire's Dream Smashes.
i
The model town of Biltmore, X. C., .
built by the late George W. Vander
bilt in connection with his magnifi- .
cent country estate near Asheville, ]
" ' J-1? C< ~ + V> ^,r>n rci il_ I
has been sold 10 me ouumciu ^
way and two individual purchasers.
So crumble the dreams of men, says
the Kansas City Star. I
How vast a scheme Vanderbilt conceived
for developing his North Carolina
estate, no one will ever know. ,
From 1892 until his death in 1914 he 1
made it his life's work to block to- j(
gether 120,000 acres of mountain .
land, grub out the forests, plant ^
trees, pipe water, build "roads and
level off a mountain peak for his pa
latial home, Biltmore house. The
project cost him more than $10,000,000.
J
Two years after his death his wid- ,
ow transferred to the government 50,- }
000 acres of the estate for a national ,
<
forest reserve. Now the model town
of Biltmore is sold and the million- ,
aire's plan of rural empire begins to
disintegrate. Did Vanderbilt dream a
fool's paradise on those North Caro- .
lina hills? He is dead; the dream is r
dust and ashes.
i
On a rainy day thirty years ago, '
Vanderbilt's private car was on a side
track at Asheville waiting to take the .
young millionaire back to New York.
After a short stay he had become disgusted
with the wet weather, the skyline,
the hotel, with everything. He
was to leave on the morrow*. During
the night the skies cleared and the 1
next morning young Vanderbilt, ris- t
ing early, watched a North Carolina ^
? . f
sunrise.
Standing on the piazza of the Battery
Park hotel he looked away to the *
+
north and saw the peak of the Roan
mountain in Tennessee; 60 miles 1
away. Southward was the grim out- c
line of Caesar's Head, a mountain in s
South Carolina, 50 miles away. To c
the southwrest, dim in that blue haze 1
which gives to this mountain range
its name, was the Georgia line, 90 *
miles away. To the east, standing *
bare and bleak, and reflecting the
sun's rays from its snow crowned *
summit was Mount Mitchell, the f
highest peak east of the Rocky moun- *
tains. s
Remodeled Mountain. c
George Vanderbilt looked again and t
w*atched the sun come up over the \
peaks of the Blue Ridge mountains c
t
until it seemed to set the wrhole dome
of the sky on fire, coloring every r
eloud to a bright copper hue and kind"
ling the heavens with long shafts of 0
golden light. His bewildered eyes took *
in this brilliant scene, and when he 8
had had his fill of it, he canceled the| *
order for his private car and began to
look around for a homesite.
Q
He came first upon the estate of a a
wealthy southerner and offered to buy
it. The southerner refused all offers.
Then Vanderbilt searched the countryside
until he found the site he
wanted and began to negotiate for
the land. Some he got for $5 an acre;
other tracts cost him much more, for,
when it was learned that a Vanderbilt
%
was buying, prices went sky high.
In the center of his holdings was a
high mountain. The peak of this
early pile was not intended to hold
the kind of a building George wanted,
so he set about correcting the error of
nature. He sliced off the top and
added the earth and rock of the removed
portion to that which was left,
making a broad plateau. On this plateau
he built Biltmore house.
And what a "house" it was! To say
that it cost more than $2,000,000 and
contained 90 rooms gives only a
sketchy outline of it. It was?and is
?the finest country mansion in all
America, a paradise in the moun foino
o "Phatoan of the* Slcvlnrk? "
CUiUO) U V"U1,VV4.W. X/J. v.*v
It stands upon an esplanade 700x300
feet, bound by retaining walls of masonry
and crowned by a coping of
finely dressed stone. The outside
walls of the palace are 375x192 feet.
In architecture it suggests some of
the famous chateaux of the Loire; yet
it is no slavish copy. It has an individuality,
a personality all its own.
It is considered by many to be the
crowning work of Richard M. Hunt,
one of America's foremost architects.
Under Plate Glass.
Entering the main floor from the
terrace, the visitor is struck by the
beauty of the winter garden. This is
an octagon space, 24x25 feet, its
plate glass roof supported by 12 large
curved ribs. To the west is the salon.
40 feet in length. To the north of the
garden and the corridors surrounding
it is the banquet hall; beyond it. the
breakfast room, and still further
north, the kitchen wTing.
The banquet hall has a ceiling 75
feet high, and is lighted only from
3ne end and from the ceiling, the remainder
of the wall space being reserved
for tapestry hangings. It is
72 feet long and 4 2 feet wide with
ane span and a dome ceiling. Three
colossal fire places are at the western
end, and an organ loft, with a
balcony for musicians, at the eastern
end.
Another feature of the main floor
is the living hall, 60 feet long and 20
feet wide, running up to the top
story. Under the main hall is a
swimming pool of exactly the same
dimensions. North of the living
room is the tapestry gallery, 75 feet
long, where three large panels have
been built into the wall to receive
rare works of art. To the south of
this is the library, 60 by 40 feet in
limension. This is trimmed in deep
red Xumidian marble, and contains
bookcases filled with literary treasires.
Emerging from the library, the
visitor finds himself on the library
terrace, a plaza 35 feet wide which
eads down to the south terrace, which
is more than 300 feet long and contains
a bowling green. The porte
mchere, the gun room and the billiard
room are to the east of the banquet
hall.
On the upper floors, reached by the
'anions circular staircase, are a bewildering
succession of sleeping
rooms, exquisitely appointed. There
ire 20 bath rooms so arranged that
jvery sleeping room has direct access
to one.
See Only Extension,
Of external appointments, the most
nteresting is the "rampe-douce."
Through this remarkable structure of
tnasonry runs a stream of limpid water,
that finds its exit through the
nouths of half a dozen gigantic black
ron terrapins. Spouting thence, it
-ushes away in a little stream and
iver artificial cascades into an artiicial
lake.
On the posts of Bilmore house are
narble figures of mythological creaures,
half women and half lion, that
vere imported by George Vanderbilt
rom Rome for the decorative purpose
hey serve. To the average visitor,
hat is, one who has a permit to drive
hrough the Biltmore estate, the ramle-douce
and the lion ladies are the
mly objects that may be closely inspected.
No stranger is permitted to
:ome within 100 yards of the house
tself. j
Tennis courts, flower beds, aeuatic;
gardens and an outdoor swimming!
)ool complete an external ensemble. |
One would suppose that this earthy
paradise made a playground onlyi
or New York's millionaire "four!
mndred," but strange as it may!
eem Mr. Vanderbilt's guests morej
>ften tn ere' literary or artistic folk |
han the merely rich. Edith Whar-j
on Ford was often a visitor. Van-1
lerbilt himself was a quiet, introspec-|
ive character with a literary turn of j
nind. *
It was to house the servants and
(verseers of his 120,000 acre estatei
lat Mr. Vanderbilt originally planned |
i
ind built the town of Biltmore. But!
t soon outgrew the original idea.
Arsons of considerable means seized
he opportunity to rent the "model
ottages" which Vanderbilt construct
i-.v?^%???rJhf?'
PARTICULARLY AS
WITH A STRONG
If your Bank is
\J
count properly In
requirements will
fast as they arise,
%J
Whether or not you are
licit your account as
business requir
RESOURCES OV
! ~ I
ed. Soon the colony grew to a town
of two or three thousand persons. I
,
In many ways it was a remarkable!
little village. Vanderbilt himself was
mayor, common council and law maker.
He laid down two or three cardinal
principles for conduct, as follows:
1. There shall be no dogs or chick;
ens in Biltmore.
t
2. Xo servant employed within the
; town shall sleep therein.
The first law is self explanatory;
| the second, Mr. Vanderbilt believed,
! would solve the difficulties of the
j servant problem by making it difficult
. for housewives to bid against each
; other for the services of the help.
i Both rules worked splendidly and
! Biltmore never knew what it was to
j have domestic strife.
No City Treasury.
They fined a drunken man $6 once
| within the confines of Biltmore and
; had a hard time disposing of the)
! money because there was no city
! treasurer, Vanderbilt always paid the
I
: bills. The town was quiet and clean,
I the soul of order and refinement.
;
It is this little town that the ?outhi
ern railway and Messrs. Sinclair and
j Stephens have purchased from the
j Vanderbilt estate. Biltmore house
; still remains in the family, a tribute
| to the lavish genius of one of Ameri!
ca's most picturesque millionaires.
< ? ?
Her Memory System.
A portly Dutch woman, says the
Boston Transcript, applied at the
| postoffice for a money order to send
to her son in the Far East. She
told the clerk she had left her son's
letter at home, but said he was in
"some place out in China dot sounds
like der noise an automobile makes."
The clerk smiled and turned to another
near by, he said, "What kind
of a noise does an automobile make,
Joe?"
"Honk, honk!" the other suggestjed.
"Yah, dot's it!" exclaimed the wo|
man, her face brightening: "Honk,
honk, dot's der place."
So the .clerk made the order payable
at Hongkong, and the woman
went away happy.
NOTICE OF ELECTION.
Notice is hereby given that an election
will be held in the Town of Bamberg.
S. C., on the loth day of July,
1920, to determine whether or not
the Town shall be bonded in'the sum
of Fifteen Thousand Dollars for the
purpose of repairing and enlarging
the water and lighting plant of the
Town.
Also on the same day, an election
will be held in the Town of Bamberg
to determine whether or not the
Town shall be bonded in the sum of *
Twienty-five Thousand Dollars, for
the Durnose of extending the water $
lines, or waterworks, of the Town. ?
These elections will be held pur- |
suant to petition of freeholders and f
ordinances enacted by Council. I
The following have been elected |
as managers of the two elections: 3
H. N. Folk, C. W. Rentz, Jr., and A. 8
S. Easterling. . j
Twenty days before the election 1
the books of registration of the Town |
will be opened for the registration |
of electors who were not registered |
at the time of the last election for |
Mayor and Aldermen, and the books |
will remain open for ten days. *
TOWN COUNCIL OF BAMBERG, 1
SOUTH CAROLINA. ^ ^ 7-15
YOU ARE DEALING
LIBERAL BANK.
right and your ac- I
andled, your credit
I4
Lfll yijVVVjVVVtVV II
I
hohhiihbhiib
;
*
I Capitalize
fY
fY
fY
fY
:Y
ft
fY
X Y
r?
Your success depei
fV your native ability anc
A but upon your capital.
cumulates capital by i
and intelligently usinj
his natural capacity.
ft
fV
t f
rf
ft
Total Resources 0
}^ J
Ix * BAMBERG, SOUT]
?>
! A. M. DENBOV
C. W. RENTZ,.SR.,
W. S. BAMBERG, Vice Presided
i
ll
IThis bank has been paying 5 p<
ors since its organization, other ba
to pay this rate.
Now nearly all banks are gettin
ting 5 per cent, from your bank, yo
entitled to.
WE ARE PREPARED TO IS?
| DEPOSI1
I 6 Per
I UNTIL FURTHI
I In other words leave your money
S months and we will pay y
I1 REMEMBER
will pay you to get lined up with us
IA AM A
W. A. KLAUBER, DR. ROBT. ]
President Vice-Pre
DIRECTC
A aron Rice, J. D. Copelai
Dr. Geo. F. Hair, C. J. S. Brool
Dr. J. B. Black, W. E. Free,
Dr. Robt. Black, G. A. Duckei
?
Yourself 1
ft
ft
ft
ft
fx
ft
II
U
las not oniy upon
I your experience, *?
The man who ac- 1a
yi
saving his money vy
y a bank, doubles
f \ :
YY'
ft
ft
it
ver $500,000.00 li
ft
; Bank f
yf
I CAROLINA ??
ft 1
7", President &&
C. W. RENTZ, JR., *
:s . Cashier.
ft <ri
ft
>
jpjragf ?
isflV W ^^^B
jr cent, to its Savings Deposit
nks said they could not afford m
g in line and if you are not get- M
u are not getting what you are M
Hfl
SUE CERTIFICATES OF B
CAT | 4
Cent. I
3R NOTICE. I
with us for 90 days up to six a
ou six per cent, on it. m
"THE ONLY NATIONAL
f BAMBERG COUNTY." It
BLACK, W. D. COLEMAN, I J
J ftocVnor J
SlUCJUl UMUAVA _
id, . B. C. Crum, I m
?er, W. D. Coleman, m
F. B. McCrackin, 11 M
r, W. A. Klauber. fl
\ V