People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1896 — The Vanderbilt Castle. [ARTICLE]

The Vanderbilt Castle.

The work on George W. Vanderbilt’s estate near Asheville, N. C., on which he has erected a mansion that breaks all records for residence In this country, is reported to be nearly finished. It will be known ag Biltmore castle. The estate consists of thirty thousand acres of land; which might be made

Into thirty-four pieces of land as largo as Central Park, New York. Each member of Mr. Vanderbilt’s family might, therefore, have all to himself a private playground several times as large as all the breathing spots set aside tor a million and a half of New Yorkers. The mansion stands on a spot once occupied by a mountain peak. Mr. Vanderbilt had the peak cut off and carted away. In order to expedite the construction of his castle a plant was put up that turned out 60,000 bricks and 2,000 flowerpots a day, the latter to he used in a seventy-five-acre plot set aside for greenhouses and flower garden. A railroad was built between Biltmore station and the castle for the transfer of materials, and this line will be torn up when the work is done. There is a deer park of 3,000 acres, and extensive trout ponds. The entire enterprise, it is estimated, will cost Vanderbilt about $5,000,000. —Chicago Express.