The Washington times., April 27, 1902, Magazine Features, Page 3, Image 31

About The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
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France and Italy Secure Beautiful Residen
ces For Their Diplomatic Representatives
in This Mauor des Plan
ches to Welcome His Friends to the Old
Hearst Mansion and M Jules Cambon
to Entertain in Famous Bellamu House
Once the Home of Mr Roosevelt r r
members of the Diplomatic
TWO have just obtained new
homes the Ambassadors of Italy
and France Scnor Mayor des
rianches and M Jules Cambon
Scnor Mayor des Planches has after a
few months residence In this country
welcomed his wife and family Their new
home In Washington which has just been
purchased from Mrs Phoebe A Hearst
is one of the most notably elegant within
the DlElilct of Columbia so that the Ital
ian government has by this purchase se
cured for its ambassador the handsomest
embassy at the Capital
The house situated on the point of
land formed by the junction of Xcw
Hampshire Avenue and Twenty first
Street near Dupont Circle is n substan
tial structure of red brick with brown
stone trimming the latter material
forming the imposing entrance portico
The Trifle front doorway is of oak stud
ded with iron bolts of massive design
Plate glass behind a grill work of orna
mental Iron forms the upper portion of
this door The vestibule and hallway
paved in mosaic have walls and ceilings
of carved oak upon which the light shines
through the brilliantly hucd stained glas3
lamp swung from the ceiling
The Spinnet of Mozart
Two connecting drawing rooms with be
yond a library and large alcoe music
corner open out through an archway on
the left of the entrance In thjs latter 13
an especially beautiful piece or tapestry
representing Cupids warming at a Are
made of captured hearts This hangs abov e
an elaborately Inlaid spinnet which pos
sesses the historic -value of hating once
been owned and played upon by Mozart
The drawing rooms are furnished
throughout in light tones and with the
glided furniture of the first Empire for
which appropriate setting is formed by
pale blue satin damask hung walls In the
second drawing room is a high magnifi
cently ornate and gilded two seated sleigh
in which famous court beauties once took
airings pushed over the ice by smiling
courtiers doubtless only too glad to per
form this duty
Across the oak hallnay opening out
through another wile arthway is a broad
space from the east of which rises a
Moorish stairway one of the open pic
turesque landings of which overlooks from
the north side the large music room fa
miliar to Washington society as the scene
of the most notable entertainments for
the smart set
The music room is a lofty apartment
the celling quartered In massive beams
painted a delicate sea green Irom the
center swung by heavy chains is a brass
chandelier the hundred Jets of which sim
ulate wax tapers A superb collection of
paintings together with works of art of
various kinds gathered from every quar
ter of the glebe cover the walls Among
the arlitt3 represented arc Corot Van
Dyke Millet Copley Isabey Tryon De
talilc Rousseau and Vcrcstchagln
In this music room was gien several
years since the famous colonial muslcalc
pronounced by Lord Pnunccfotc to have
been unequalcd in splendor by any court
function witnessed by him during the long
and varied course of bis diplomatic ca
reer
Most Perfect Dutch Interior
Just beneath this on the ground floor
is the banquet hall used on occasions of
onstrating the efficacy of the new Inven
tion It was far moro momentous and
4
2-
THE TIMES WARIHKGTON SUNDAY APRIL 27 1902
very large entertainments Opening out
from the south of the music room is the
dining room the most perfect Dutch in
terior to be found this side of Holland
and which ones Its existence to the fact
that the former owner Mrs Hearst is
notable than a later communication which
possessed meiely a sentimental signifi
cance
Morse Vail Agreement
The agieeirent entered Into between
Ptcf Morse and my father on Septem
ber 23 1837 stipulated substantially that
the lattT should construct at his own ex
pense and exhibit before a committee of
Congress one of the telegtaphs of the
plan and Invention of Morse that he
should give his time and pcn onal ser
vices to the work and assume the ex
pense of exhibiting the apparatus and of
procuring patents in the United States
In consideration he was to reccin one
fourth of all rights in the Invention In
the United Stales
My grandfather Judge Stephen Vail
was the owner of the Speedwell Iron
Works and his son Alfred had developed
his natural mechanical genius by work
ing in the shop When Prof Morse was
exhibiting his crude apparatus In 1837
Alfred Vail saw It and realized in it the
germ of a great and useful device He
describes in one of his papers many
of which relating to this eventful period
arc now at the Smithsonian Institution
the impression wrotght upon him it the
time
Construction of Early Apparatus
An Interesting account of the oper
ations at Speedwell during the construc
tion of the early apparatus has been given
by William Baxter a skillful mechanic
and inventor well known as the designer
of the Baxter Engine Mr Baxter who
was an apprentice at Speedwell at that
time died In 1SS5 and was perhaps the
last of those who were associated with
the Isventionin its Inception He says
As it was Important to keep tho in
vention a secret from the public until It
bad been perfected and a patent secured
a special mom In the shop was fitted op
with tools and provided with a lock and
key It was necessary to employ a me
chanic who could comprehend new Ideal
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r The Bellamy Storer Residence New Home of the French Embassy v
descended from Hollanders Many of the
old delft platters ranged about the hang
ing shelves were brought by those ances
tors when centuries ago they crossed the
ocean to make a home In this country A
rare collection of old English silver and
Ixecute accurate work and who at the
same time had the necessary Judgment
and discretion to keep an Importunt se
cret For many months Al
fred Vail and mself occupied that room
sharing each others confidences and ex
BerlcnclDg alternating emotions of elation
and depression as the vicissitudes of the
experiment gave promise at one time of
a glorious success and at another of a
humiliating failure
At last the moment of success ar
rived
I recall vividly even after the lapse
of so many car thq proud moment when
Alfred said to me William go up to
the house and Invite father to come down
and sec the telegraph machine work
A Patient Waiter Is No Loser
I did not stop to don my coat al
though It was -the th of January but
ran In my shop clothes as fast as I pos
sibly could It was Just after dinner
when I knocked at the door of the house
and was ushcrid inlo the sitting room
The judge had fn his broad brimmed hat
and surtout as if prepared to go out
Aa I entered the room lie looked up and
said Well William and I answered
Mr Alfred and Mr Morse sent me to
Invite you to come down to the room and
bee the machine work He started up
as If the importance of the message im
pressed him deeply and In a few minutes
we were stundlng In tho experiment
room After a short explanation he call
ed for a piece of paper and writing upon
it these words A patient waiter is no
loser he handed It to Alfred saying
If jou can send this and Mr Morse can
read it at the other end I shall be con
vinced He knew that Morse could not
possibly be cognizant of the contents of
the message and hence that there could
be no collusion between the experiment
ers and in any event he had perfect
faith in both so that when tho message
a historic huge leathern screen are also In
this room
The walls and celling of the banquet hall
arc of California redwood which sets off
to advantage the flooring of white mosaic
In the kitchen of generous proportions
THE PART ALFRED VAIL PLAYED IN TELEGRAPHY
STEPHEN VAIL con of the
MR famous Alfred Veil who wa3 as
sociated with Prof 3orse in the
development of the magnetic
telegraph is In this elly where lie is vell
known being a member cf the Metropoli
tan Club and other fashionable oigan
Izallons of Vathington Mr Vail is in
dignant oier the ncounts which appear
from time to time in vaiious Journals giv
ing practically the entire credit cf the
development of the telegraphic sstcm to
Irof Morse and Ignoring the part taken
therein by his father or mentioning It
only incidentally as that of a promoter or
mechanical assistant
There has been and Is a persistent
attempt on the part of writers and oth
ers said Mr Vail to lake the credit
cf my fathers work away from bim and
to make people bcllee that Prof Morss
accomplished the whole thing himself
Even at the National Museum the exhibt
of the inventions of my father was slight
ed put out of sight so that I finally took
It away and sent it to Cornell University
where it now is Among other things the
alphabetic system in use today is due
solely to my father and indeed to quote
Mr Franklin Popes article in the Cen
tury Magazine for April 3ES8 the ele
ments contributed by Morse have gradu
ally fallen into desuetude so that the es
sential telegraph of today and the univer
sal telegraph of the future comprises
solely the work of Joseph Henry and Al
fred Vail
Inventor of the Sounder
To quote further from the same author
ity It is as certain as any future event
can be that one simple essential type of
telegraphic apparatus is destined to sup
plant all its competitors and to becom
universal throughout the world This Is
lbo acoustic semaphore or Bounder in
vented by Mr Vail which is used almost
to the exclusion of everything elso In
North America and In India and Is rapidly
making Its way to every part of the
civilized world Although this stem is
everywhere known and recognized as the
Morse telegraph cartful anabsls dis
closes the fact that It retains but little
if an j thing which can in strict Justice
be said to be the offtpring of the genius
of its accredited Inventor
At to the First Telegram
It is stated even in school histories of
the United States that the first telegraphic
message was that sent between Washing
ton and lialtlmorc in the words dictated
by Morse What hath Cod wrought
This however is a mere piece of senti
mentality and moreover is not true
Even over that same line the first con
structed under Government auspices
when it had only been carried as far as
Annapolis Junction a message was sent
which may be said to be the first public
telegram
It was on the otcarlon of the Whig
convention at Baltimore which nominated
Clay and Irrlinghuysen for the offices
of President and Vice President respec
tively On May 1 1H this first tele
graphic message being the intelligence of
the result of the convention was trans
mitted from nnapolls Junction to Wabh
ington the news being obtained at the
former place from the passengers on the
train coming from Baltimore When tills
first crowd of passengers returning from
the convention arrived in this city they
found to Jhrlr bewilderment a great
throng at the depot cheering for Clay and
FrellnghuyEcn while they heard the
newEboys calling out their papers with
names of tho recently nominated can
didates
This was twenty four days before the
What Hath God Wrought message was
sent over the completed lino and It
strikes me that for historical
cancc and in its effect in popularly dem
was translated from tho machine by
Morse and handed to him tho duplicato
in ever word of his own dispatch he
Knew that the invention was a demon
strated success and ho then perhaps
for tiie first time fully realized its ac
tual Importance In the exuber
ance of his happiness the judge proposed
to go at once to Washington and urge
upon Congress tho establishment of a
Government telegraph Ho was perhaps
the most influential adherent in his por
tion of tho country of the Van IJuren Ad
ministration then In power and hence
apprehended but little difficulty In ef
fecting the desired result But the event
proved that the assistance of Congress
was not so easily to be procured
The Old Shop Still Standing
Such Is the account of what was actu
ally tho first telegram The old shop
In the upper room of which the experi
ments were conducted and success at
tained Is still standing and I intend call
ing the attention of the New Jersey His
torical Society to the value of preserving
the building as one of the most interest
ing in Its associations in the country
Notwithstanding that the telegraph as
It is at present is largely owing to ray
fathers scientific and mechanical genius
and that he furnished the money In the
matter he Is frequently Ignored by his
torians or If mentioned at all as n
backer of Morse Even the latter In
violation of his earlier protestations and
promises alluded to him In publie as hav
ing merely furnished the funds A writer
of a magazine article made the astonish
ing statement not long ago that my father
was paid three dollars a day by Prof
Morse for his 3crviceb It is impossible
for me to speak or think coolly of this
treatment not alone because the subject
of It was so near to me but because It is
manifestly and outrageously unjust
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The Hearst Mansion the New Home of the Italian Embassy
Dwellings Famous for Their Interior Adorn
ment and Furnishings and Rich With the
Associations of Names Now Famous in
the Historu of the Countru The Spinnet
of Mozart in the Hearst House Its Din
ing Room a Perfect Dutch Interior
Banquet Hall in California Redwood
as befitting such an establishment floor
ceiling and walls are of white satin tiling
An antlercd stag might be roasted whole
in the capacious range
The study is situated on the second
floor a large sunny apartment overlook
ing from the wide bow window New
Hampshire Avenue and Twenty first
Street
Sleeping Apartments in Yellow
The sleeping apartment of Ambassador
and Madam Mayor des Planches Is In yel
low The dressing tabic writing table
double wardrobe and bedstead arc of
satin wood exquisitely Inlaid in flowing
design with mother of pearl The same
idea is carried out In the private bath
adjoining where the marble bath and
washstand are encased in broad rims of
Mexican onyx Pale gold satin tiling
forms the walls and floor On the latter
the feet sink deep In white bear skins
The collection of miniatures owned by
sapoleon In the zenith of his wealth and
power Is among tho attractions of tho
music roam where also is kept the his
toric fans which several seasons since set
all Washington a flutter when displayed
at a benefit for a local charity
The purchase of Mrs Hearsts house by
the Italian Ambassador has included the
greater portion of all the rare works of
art and which for so long
hac made this mansion famous
M Cambons New Home
The French Ambassador M Jules
Cambon has moved his embassy from the
old historic Porter house on II Street to
the house owned by Mr Bellamy Storer
our Minister to Spain The French gov
ernment has purchased land out on tho
Heights and will in the course of the
next two years build a very spacious and
elegant Embassy In the meantime the
French Embassy will be on the corner of
Rhode Island Avenue and Seventeenth
Street in the house owned and once oc
cupied by Mr Storer This splendidly ap
pointed home was occupied also by Mr
Richard OIney when he was Secretary of
State during ex President Clevelands ad
ministration Last year it was rented to
Mr Roosevelt when he was Vice Presi
dent The family expected- to move there
October 1
Table From a Ducal Palace
This house was most handsomely fur
nished by Mr Storer Among its most
unique features was the beautifully carved
dining table taken from some ducal palace
and the many specimens of Rookwood
pottery of which Mrs Storer was the in
ventor
M Cambon will rcfunlsh the house with
the furniture of the former embassy it3
handsome pictures Gobelin tapestries
etc
Suitable for Entertainment
Undoubtedly the new house will be
much more fitting for a representative
home of the French government and here
the ambassador who Is most socially in
clined can entertain In the style he
wishes
GUTTENBERGS DUKE
Is a sadness in the betting
THERE at the Aqueduct which will
not be dissipated even when the
curtain is rung up on the more
pretentious courses around New York
Dutch Fred Walbaum has deserted the
ring he has flown to foreign shores
there to bask in the smiles of dainty
Parisian chansonettes and Incidentally
endeavor to corral a few of the surplus
shekels that may be concealed about the
persons of the Frenchmen at the race
courses in that country
Walbaum and his dialect have gone and
they will be missed No more interest
ing or picturesque personage ever occu
pied a stool among the hundred or more
laycis of odds at the metropolitan tracks
He has been a source of much fun for
these many years long before he became
the Duke of Guttenrerg during the pros
perous run of that track and ever since
as one of the mst successful bookmak
ers doing business on Eastern tracks
Now he bas forsaken his old pals and
gone to France where with J p Korn
known ns Bismarck he v ill try to win
a few French dollars
These two descendants of German par
ents were for a long time at odds with
one another in fact ever since the days
of Guttenburg but they met in France
the other day and decided to bury tho
hatcliet Incidentally they determined to
collaborate and gather ud a few francs
on the race courses there
A few weeks ago someone in authority
rebelled against the threatened invasion
of American brains In the shape of book
makers at their race courses but the ob
jection was overruled and this decision
was no doubt the incentive to Walbaum
and Kurn to link their bankrolls together
and begin operations
Korn has cabkd to New York for his
cashier to join him and Walbaums as
sistants will leave shortly It Is the
present intention of the two bookmakers
to remain abroad until June or July but
if they meet with success it Is probable
that one or both of the men will stay
In France
It would undoubtedly prove very inter
esting to the American racegoer to hear
these two Butch bookies struggling with j
the French tongue and endeavoring in
their poor way to make the excitable
Frenchmen understand their system of
booking There will no doubt be several
Teutonic nnathema3 cast at the unsus
pecting Frenchmen by the portly Wal
baum
No more amusing character ever chalked
up odds than Dutch Fred He has been
one of the most successful men that ever
did business en the races no matter what
part of the game he pursued As an
owner of horses a track magnate both at
Guttenberg and Saratoga and a layer of
odds Walbaum has been equally success
ful Many amusing stories are told of his
odd ways
When Guttenberg was In the heyday
of Its success Walbaum was not only
the owner cf the track but he had a num
ber of good licrses running for purses
while he laid against their chances in the
ring So he had them coming all ways
Ore afternoon in the dreary winter
Fred had bis good horse Rancocas en
tered in a race A- wave of magnanimity
swept over him that day and he deter
mined to let nil his fcllow pencllers In
on the fact that he expected Rancocas to
win easily
Hold him cut he advised all of his
friends Dont take a cent on the chest
nut but lay against all the others Ran
cocas will ccmc home alone
Well Rancocas did win nnd then with
the spirit of gced fellowship still filling
his breast Waltaum sought out each cf
the score or more of bookmakers who had
done business on tho race and Interro
gated them severally as to hov much
money each had won
Veil how- muci did you vin he asked
of each
A thousand or Two thousand was
the reply in nearly every Instance
Finally he encountered the last man In
the rlns And how much did you get 7
he asked
Why to tell you the truth I lost a
thousand was the reply
You lost exritoily exclaimed Fred
You lost Vhy didnt I tell you Ran
cocas vould vln How did you lose
Well I didnt think your horse could
carry 119 pounds and beat the field op
posed to him and I laid against him
Veil veil veil said Walbaum dis
gustedly How in the mischief did you
knew he carried 115 pounds
A-