The San Francisco call., 1905-02-13
STEEL CASTLE
SHIELDS CASTRO
Venezuelan President Has
Structure That Resists
Earthquakes Absolutely
rs LIKE A GIBRALTAR
Its ArmOred Walls Potent
Against the Onslaughts
of Foes Within Country
rs LIKE A GIBRALTAR

Cipriano Castro president Of vene-
dwelling ever inhabited by the head of
state. It stands within park in thu
heart Of the capital city, Caracas, and
Is built entirely of steel This remark
able government house, of highly tenn
pered metal, Is covered on the outside
by kind Of soft stone, so that the
stranger thinks it just an ordinary
dwelling, save that 1t seems rather
small to serve as the residence of the
first man of the land. Within the steel
walls are covered with Iath and plas-
ter, so that the visitor sees nothing un-
usual. Yet the walls, floor and ceiling
OF the half-doZen rooms composing
that house are entirely CT steel, and the
whole is built upon a foundation of
hundreds of tons of Portland cement.
President Castro erected this house
at huge expense, personally directing
its construction. When he moved in
he christened it Mira Flores, and by
that name it is known-and laughed at
by all South Americans.
The steel house was not built with
forethought of fire or flood or wind, but
OF earthquake. For 1t Is earthquake
proof. It's few rooms resemble the
compartments in a safe deposit vault,
and in this strong box of place the
President spends most Of his time.
Here, indeed, all the official business
of the chief executive of the republic
is transacted. And here. too, lives the
Sonora Castro.
The Castros both come naturally by
their fear of earthquakes. When the
little town of Cucuta, suburb of Cara
cas-, was some years ago shaken from
the face of the earth,.as a crumb from
tablecloth. Sonora Castro was the
only member of her family to escape
with her life. And Castro himself, who
happened to be standing on hill out
side the town, saw his abode crumble
like house of cards upon the heads of
those within.
Again. in October two years ago, a
midnight earthquake threw Castro
from his bed. Then, in his fright. he
jumped through a window to q paved
court and broke his leg. The next day
he conceived the idea of the steel house,
believing that house built of that metal
upon a very deep, solid foundation Of
cement would withstand any earth
quake, no matter how violent
Accordingly, he ordered steel beams
Tor the frame and steel plates for the
walls, ceilings and floors from the
United States Steel Corporation, and
many months were spent in the con-
struction of the only steel house, so
far as known, in the whole world. As
soon as it was finished and furnished
the Castros moved in. and It became
thus the official presidential resi-
dence of Venezuela. AS Castro owns
both the house and the park surround
Ing 1t, he will probably continue to
live in this abode of steel after the ex-
plration of his term of office few
years hence.
Castro can say with more truth than
did monarch of France: 'I am the
state" For Castro is Venezuela. He
has seen no part of the world outside
of his republic, but within his country
he is a kind of uncrowned, but alb
sclute monarch. He rules, not with
tongue, pen or sword, but with his
thumb. AS he moves that potent
thumb to the left, to the right, so is
the law. One day last year a young
man named Lopez secured entrance by
strategy into Castro's steel home and
fired a pistol point-blank in Castros
face. BY miracle the bullet went
astray, flattening itself against the
metal wall, and in the rebound strik-
ing member of Castro's ministry
who happened to be in the steel room,
seriously injuring him.
The would-be assassin was made a
prisoner and when Castro was asked
what should be done with the man the
President jerked his thumb toward the
door. That meant that Lopez was to
be thrown into the prison, having the
most CHASTITY reputation in all the
Americas, the Rotunda- Later, when
the prison was inspected. the keepers
said that Lopez had escaped. The
verdict of the people of Caracas, how
ever, was that the prisoner had been
murdered and was buried in the Jail
yard, Castro having jerked his thumb
downward.
A Caracas poet not long ago made
fame for himself by writing poem
In which he called Castro Clown of
the Steel House" That poet, one DR..
Pedro Migare, is at this moment Ian
gushing in the Rotunda prison, hav-
ing been confined there since last
April. when his poem first appeared
this without trial and by the simple
mandate of Castro's thumb.
That which Castro fears most after
all, is not earthquake, not nature, but
humankind. He knows. for example,
that his own soldiers may turn upon
him at any moment and he lives in
constant fear of an assassin's bullet.
Hence he remains within the steel
house as much as possible, not only
because it is proof against earthquake,
but because it is also bulletproof
He seldom pays u.s." say the SOL
diers. $50 he is glad when we desert.
He simply puts new men in our places.
But some day the steel house will be-
come steel target for a bit of rifle
shooting by the men from whom he
is now hiding. We'll fill the inside of
that house of his with lead, for the
house has windows, and it is always so
hot here that Castro can not close the
steel shutters without literally suffoca-
ting"