Page 27 - ATA_Neat

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 9 July 2019

Fortification of Plans Episode XXV

Entering the eighteenth century there lived, no others whites, reformed ers’ Bay to Ponton. However, Jan van der Biest Junior, who was
europeans on Aruba than the commander with his family and some other commander from 1772 to 1782, was buried at Ponton, where his
people in the service of the West Indian Company. In the latter part grave- its nameplate was unfortunately coverd by masonry when
a few licences where granted. Trade with Spanish America is increas- it was injudiciously repaired- is still to be seen, though at the mo-
ing. As a result of this Horses Bay; which from a nautical and strategical ment it can no longer be identified. The graveyard itself, both with-
point of view offered more favorable conditions compare to Command- in and without the walls, preserves a memory of what once was
ers’ Harbour in Savaneta, eclipsed the latter as a discharging-berth for a residence of Aruba’s Protestant notabilities. On 13 June 1782 a
cattle. Some merchants of jewish descent come hailing from Curacao, third Van der Biest, Harmen, brother to Jan Junior, succeeds. He
chose their residences in its vicinity, i.e. on higher ground, in direction of remains commander till 1791, when, at his own request, he is dis-
Ponton. No european has yet settled on the bay proper, we can only find missed, as Hamelberg says “on the grounds of old age”. According
an Amerindian village occupying both sides of a small sea inlet. The frist to Dr.Krafft, however, he cannot have been older than about 66.
dwelling-houses are not built there before 1796 or 1797 when the first WIC
battery has been constructed at the entrance in to the bay. Continued on Page 15

As early as 1762 The Directors of the
West India Company had entertained
a plan to construct a battery al Horses’
Bay for the protection of the ships in it
from privateers. The high cost of pro-
viding this first more West situated fort
with its batteries and supplies stalled
the operations activities for time to
time. In the meantime trade activities
round Horses’ Bay continued to pick
up and as a result the commander in
the last quarter of the eighteenth cen-
tury shifted his residence to the height
close to Horses’ Bay, the place where
the principal dwelling-centre of this
period was situated, namely coming
from the town- to the left of present
day Ponton.

This location offered the additional
advantage of an unimpeded view
southward across the bay and what
is today, Punta Brabo, whereas to the
north it facilitated the commander’s
supervision of the dwelling-place of
the Amerindians of Noord and vicin-
ity. It is no longer possible to ascertain
when exactly the commander’s resi- Pic. 1 map of Horses Bay
dence was shifted from command-

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Pic. 2. On this picture we people working the salt lakes of playa and still can see of the bulding, once stood as the Western
fortification.