middle of February Gen. Van der Voort moved into his new Cuban
house, which had been constructed for him by Cuban workmen in an open
space ninety or one hundred yards back from the main street of the camp.
The house and most of the tents constituting the camp were on the
company's reservation just north of the front line of the town. As fast
as the colonists got their town lots cleared they moved on to them, but
their places in the reservation camp were often taken by new-comers.

The general's palm house, or shack, was an ingenious and interesting
piece of work. The Cubans exercised all their marvelous skill in its
construction, with highly creditable results. When completed it was
water tight, and cool, comfortable, and picturesque. The house contained
two good-sized rooms, an enclosed bedroom at the back and an open
apartment at the front used for an office and reception-room. Until a
conventional board floor was laid by an "Americano" carpenter, there was
not a nail in the entire structure. The upright poles, cross pieces, the
ridgepole, and the rafters and cross rafters, were securely fastened
together with tough bark and vines, while the roof was carefully
thatched with palm leaves. The latter were broad, fan-shaped leaves,
several feet across at the widest part. Each had a stout stem two or
three feet long. The leaves were laid upon the roof, beginning at the
eaves, stems pointing to the ridgepole. The leaves were carefully lapped
like shingles, and tightly lashed by the stems to the rafters and cross
rafters. If a leak was discovered it was easy to close it by binding on
another leaf. The leaves used came from what is commonly known as the
dwarf or cabbage palm. Royal palm bark was used along the ridgepole. The
back and sides of the house were of palm leaves, as was the front of the
rear room, a door being cut through it. The front of the outer apartment
was entirely open. The original floor was of wood cut from the royal
palm, the rough and heavy boards, or planks, being fastened to cross
logs by wooden pins. Not proving entirely satisfactory, this floor,
after a short time, was replaced by a more even one laid by a Yankee
carpenter. This was the only change made by General Van der Voort in his
Cuban house, with which he was greatly delighted. When new the
prevailing color, inside and out, was a beautiful green, which soon
turned to a yellowish brown. The change did not add to its beauty, but
it still remained