Evening star., 1940-03-10
Historic Casa Blanca Is Home
OF Gen. Daley in Puerto Rico
Ponce de Leon Family
Built Ii Overlooking
San juan Boy in 1920
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.
More than a century before the
landing Of the Pilgrims on Plymouth
Rock, Charles v Of Spain granted
certain new lands In the then new
town of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to
the family of Ponce de Leon. This
was In recognition Of the services Of
the islands explorer governor, who
was to lose his life In his Inflated
search for the Fountain Of YoV1h in
Florida.
In 1920 they built upon a pdkion
Of their holdings, well up the bay"
q residence which they called Casa
Blanca. With its white walls tower
Ing above its Notifications, which are
IN splendid state of preservation,
1t is today the residence of Brig,
Gen. Edmund L. Daley, command
ing ofdcer of United States troops
IN our island territorial possession.
Since Gen. Daley Is a widower,
entirely engrossed in the task of
adapting Puerto Rico from a mill
tary standpoint into its present key
position in the chain of our defense
OF the Panama Canal, the public is
seldom privileged to view the in
terror of this ancient stronghold with
its some so rooms and its subter-
ranean passages having their outlet
in Moro Castle.
We pinched ourselves to see If It
were really true as, on the exact
stroke of 9 am. 1t. Peter S. Peca,
aide to Gen. Daley, called for us in
the generals car with a sergeant
driver in khaki to conduct us to our
priced appointment with his chief.
Santo Domingo Barracks.
Gen. Daley's office headquarters
are In what are called the Santo
Domingo Barracks. These adjoin the
famous San Jose Church, formerly
known as the Santo Domingo
Church. whose high altar early be-
came the pantheon Of Ponce de
Icons family Here the remains of
Ponce de Leon were also entombed
until their transfer to the San Juan
Cathedral in 1908.
In the Santo Domingo Barracks a
modern military plant briskly func-
tions along arched corridors and
picturesque colonnades overlooking
patio where the inmates of an early
Dominican order once slowly paced.
In the midst Of its well-ordered
but driving present-day activity our
sixth sense told us the visit so cor
daily arranged for us to bring
greetings from mutual Washington
friends was being expertly sand
wiched In between a series Of i'm
portant morning conferences.
The chief Of the military forces in
Puerto Rico rose to greet us from
behind desk on which there wasn't
single paper In confusion, only
the spic and spanness OF a man who
keeps up with himself, perhaps al
ways many lengths ahead of his
planned routine. We were told later
that in six months time Gen. Daley
has accomplished feat in the way
OF preparedness which 1t was as
sumed would take two years to put
through in tropical situation such
as Puerto Rico.
Gen. Daley, his aide, 1t. Peter 8.
Peca. and Chico, 1t. Peca's nlack
spaniel puppy, constitute Casa
Blanca's entirely masculine hot1se-
hold except for its stan Of servants.
Face on San Juan Bay.
Casa Blanca faces San Juan Bay
from its fortified sea walls, with
their ancient Spanish watch towers,
and like great lady turns its back
upon the unseemliness Of the risoue
neighborhood which has all too
long surrounded If from the rear.
Casa Blanca's rare antiquarian as
poets have been carefully cherished
by the officers in command of our
military forces on the island since
Puerto Rico's accession from Spain
In 1908, consequently its immense,
hlgh-ceiled rooms are essentially
unchanged since the days of their
Spanish occupation. Guard houses
and servants quarters have given
way to other uses and ancient sta
bles now house Army automobiles
rather than their one-time prancing
steeds, but about it all there fingers
an ancient glory and great dignity.
Silhouetted in its cleaning white
ness against its background of trop-
ical foliable and blue, blue sky it
makes an unforgettable picture.
Between the sea wall and Casa
Blanca itself are two inclosed trop-
ical gardens with lily ponds. Their
beauty has become byword among
garden lovers in our own and other
countries. Their painstaking recon-
struction and rehabilitation was
largely the inspired handiwork of
Col. and Mrs. John w. Wright when
Col. Wright and his family were
quartered in Casa Blanca at the
time of his command of the troops
in San Juan.