I agree, that would have been a gargantuan house with that many lights back then.
The history of domestic electrical use in the USA (I'm assuming it's about the same in Europe) is that until after 1910, only the very wealthy had electricity in the home. Labor-saving appliances had no market, since the presence of servants was a given. Usually the only appliances that would have been used were the iron (since it produced superior results to a stove-heated flatiron), and the fan, since there was no other practical means of powering one (yes, there were water-motors and alcohol-fired Stirling engines and the like, but who wouldn't opt for electricity if it were an option?).
Yes, of course it was a gargantuan house. Domestic electricity before 1910 was
all about conspicuous consumption, so 245 bulbs in an 1896 house would not seem out of the question. Private lifts would also fall into this category.
C-H, if you can get these documents, I'd be an enthusiastic reader!
[This message has been edited by yaktx (edited 01-15-2006).]
