The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-11-20
us AousE I'M A rREe Top.
The Aerial Home Of an American Settler
In Nicaragua and It's Advantages

IN Nicaragua ana It's hANhNAHh'ht
IL had heard of old man Wildeson's
house In tree almost from the day l set
foot In Nicaragua said 4. Il. Drew
Later when business took me 10 Kama,
on the Rama river, l not only saw II, but
was guest in it for day aud night
besides taking several pleasant informal
dinners and breakfasts there during my
stay at Rama. That H. Wlldcson Is good
deal OF mechanical genius is shown In
the construction Of his strange aerial
home. Ii is three story house, built IN
an eho tree 90 feet from the ground. The
wood of the ebo tree Is like iron for
strength and solidity, so the branches
mako safe and sufficient support for the
structure. Tho house is built about the
trunk which stands in the centor as the
mi2zenmasU Of ship rises through the
cabin l recall a dinner there to which l
was invited and unexpected guests ar
rived, SO that the table ordinarily used was
not large enough 60 accommodate us ALL
and a specially constructed table was set
/ completely round the tree trunk. 1t AN
swered the purpose very we'll, except that
no guest could see the one opposite to him.
but we had a very enjoyable dinner all
the same,
"The house. while not precisely spa
cious, contains a kitchen, dining room,
sleeping rooms and bathroom, supplied
with water from the rain caught in the
treetop and stored there In a tank The
furniture is good, though simple, ham
mooks, after the fashion of the country,
taking the place Of beds. To get up and
down between the ground and the house
an elevator is used SO constructed with
blocks and tackle that the person using it
raises himself or controls his descent by
means of a rope. The house is built Of
jointed boards, firmly bound by u wire ca
bic and further secured by wire strands /
passing about the structure.
Mr. Wildesun S idea in building this |
lofty and novel house was to get above the |
malaria 1t seems TO answer this purpose |
and has other advantages Mosquitoes and /
flies will seldom rise to such "a height, and
the house is practically free from those
forms of insect and reptile life that in this
country infest houses built upon the
ground. 1t is cool in summer, and the
view which 1t commands is superb, The
owner, an old Louisiana planter, came to
Rama many years ago, took up an estate
and began the raising of bananas To
this he has since added the planting and
culture of the rubber tree and from this
Industry he bids fair to realize a fortune.
He has prospered from the first and al
ready Is well to do, One OF his enterprises
Is an ice plant from which he supplies
buyers with ice all up and down the river,
Below his house, suspended from a
imb, is his chicken house. The chickens
un about on the ground through the day,
icking up their living. At the end of the {
lay they come to the elevator to be hoisted
o the roost in this dangling house. A p,
hing that struck me cuioasly was the ,
light of IL foot boa constructor gliding
bout on the ground at the foot Of the tree,
limbing over the roofs of tho laborers' '
abins, even entering them, and in gem
raj making himself perfectly at home on a
be plantation. q
" 'Nobodyd think of harming him. I
lid the old man when spoke to him about
le big snake. He's perfectly harmless
any one, and he keeps the place clear of
ice and moles that eat the roots Of my F
Dung banana and chocolate trees. Eat
lickens! Never knew him to do such
ling Still, while they re little, l don't 4
1T temptation in his way, but keep them 7
snake tight coop of wire netting. ~ :
ew York Sun. Il