Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/275

 Popular Science Monthly

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��Charles M. Schwab Lifts a House over Trees: Sentiment vs. Cost

THERE is real sentiment in trees to Charles ]M. Schwab, especially those trees which have sheltered his fine old homestead called "Immergrun" near Lo- retto, Pa.

■ Recently ]\Ir. Schwab decided to build a new palatial summer residence on the site of the old home, but he did not want to destroy the beautiful frame house

��ent location and will crown a little hill. The steel king intends to build a mil- lion dollar summer home in the heart of the cluster of trees that this jacking op- eration has saved.

A Queer Adventure in War

MAXY aeroplanes are captured dur- ing the fighting in Europe ; seldom does an aeroplane land on an enemy's a\iation field without a fight. At an im- portant British aviation station in northern France a great German biplane was seen recently to emerge from the fog. As the anti- aircraft guns were about to fire upon it, the ma- chine circled several times around the field and final- ly alighted.

.Surprise changed to

���which has been more home to him than even his mansion on Riverside Drive, New York. The house is entirely sur- rounded by trees. To move it and not destroy the trees was no unsurmountable obstacle to the man who is furnishing guns and fighting ships for the Allies of Europe.

When Schwab first spoke to his engineers about mov- ing the Loretto homestead, they mapped out for him a plan which sacrificed only three trees. But that was too much for Schwab.

So the engineers attacked the problem again. The photographs herewith show them in the act of mov- ing the fine old Schwab residence over the trees. By the route that is being taken, the house goes over 23 trees be- fore it will reach the road where it will have clear sailing. The maximum height the house will be jacked over is thirty- four feet. It then starts on its journey across a deep valley on the Schwab farm where it will find a new resting place. It will travel a thousand feet from its pres-

��In order to move his old homestead without destroy- ing it and without killing the beautiful trees which surround it, Charles M. Schwab, President of the Bethlehem Steel Co., told the engineers to spare no expense. Accordingly they proceeded to jack the frame house up to a height of thirty-four feet. It will be necessary to lift the residence over twenty- three trees before it can be lowered

��amazement when the English aviators, mechanics and officers saw the German warplane drive quietly across the field and enter an empty hangar. The Ger- man aviators calmly said they had lost their way in the fog, and that on becom- ing short of fuel they decided to alight. Jokingly, one of the Germans remarked. "If you will kindly give us a little petrol we should be able to return home."

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