President Castro, of Venezuela, lives in what is probably the most
remarkable dwelling-place of any modern ruler. It stands within a park
at Caracas, and is built almost entirely of steel. The outer walls
are covered with a kind of soft stone, so to look at there is nothing
peculiar about the place; but it is said to be the strongest house in
the world, and it will resist the heaviest gun fire. The idea of a
steel "palace" occurred to the President after he had had experience of
one or two earthquakes. One night he was awakened by an earth tremor,
and in his fright he jumped out of a window and broke his leg. After
that he decided that bricks and mortar were not safe, hence the reason
for his metal abode.--"+TIT-BITS+."
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