The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-27
MAHOGANY FORESTS.
WITH THE CARIB LUDIBERMEN
OF HONDURAS.
An Account OF Mahogany Cutting
and Transportation-A SkeIe-
ton-lined Forest Trail
Rude Implements.

lustrous green. The bark is smooth,
even on gigantic specimens, and trunk
no more Than fifty feet long is often six
feet in diameter at the base. The
finest variety grows on the hard, rocky
soil, and is of such slow growth that the
grand ones, still standing in isolated
spots, far from rivers, are estimated to
be over 20C0 years old; by their sides
are rotting trunks of still larger dimen-
sions, and who can guess their age2
Along the Ulua most of the good sized
trunks have been cut, because the native
wood-cutter is very lazy, and if he can
cut tree and have it topple over into q
stream to be foated to market, he will
not trouble himself with finer wood that
grows at a greater distance from the
stream.
When the superintendent has decided
upon the valley in which he will work he
constructs shelters, where the stream
reaches the ocean, for the necessary sup.
plies, and builds rude dams at the same
point to secure the cut logs as they float
down. Constant communication and
transportation of rations are maintained
between this home station and the
branch establishments up the river by
means of canoes or ''pitpans" rowcd
and padded by natives. These boats in
tho beginning also carry up the heavy
log chains, which cannot always be
taken overland through thick virgin for
ests where the oxen have to be forced
through, not with the usual lash, but the
or,,ol or;Lo nv oro1 Tho bro ~ oh. o. - -
are huts with "cahuon" leaf roofs, with
upright poles to swing hsmmocks, and a
few iron pots for kitchen utensils.
The cutting season commences in
Augustine beginning of the dry season
because at that period the wood seems
to be more compact in texture and less
liable to split in falling, and gives the
drivers time to haul it to the river be-
fore the roins make the roads impossible.
The laborers are divided into gangs Of
from thirty to fifty each, and under the
command of some trusted hand who as
signs the daily tasks, fining and reward
ing his men according to their work.
Besides this, each gang has a hunter,
who starts out very early to spy out trees,
and carries horn or .'conch," which he
sounds from time to time to enable his
gang to follow. He usually goes to
some high point, or climbs some tall pine,
and his accustomed eye quickly detects
the almost imperceptible reddish tinge,
which many mahonanY leaves together
present. One tree at q time is sufficient,
and he quickly makes his way to it,
marks it, and blows his horn for the cut
ters. When they are in sight he again
searches as Eefore. 1t is often the case
that different hunters may be working
in the same locality for rival firms, and
after hours of toll one may reach his dis.
covered treasure only to find it in the
hands of another party. Hunters pride
themselves much on their skill, and many
cover their tracks in true Apache style
by strewing leaves and moss behind
them, by walking backward in soft
ground, and by many other articles well
known by those skilled in wood craft to
deceive pursuers, and not seldom the
very means they take to elude, furnish
their equally skillful trailers with all the
information they desire.
The tree is usually cut at about ten or
twelve feet from the ground, the men
working on rude platform. temporarily
built for the purpose. The trunk below
the cut then decays, and is lost. The
cut is made so high from the ground,
because at that point the tree is gencr-
ally cylindrical, and below huge ribs
pass down to the ground, which are very
difficult to cut. The wretched axes which
the Carib cutters use would bring smile
to the face Of Nevada chopper. They
are sharp but light; the handles about
two feet long, to which the blade is fast
ened with q rawhide throng. The men
seat themselves tailor fashion on the
platform and cut ince: SANITY, until dan
gerously near the falling point, when all
retile from the platform but one cool.
headed native, who finishes by gentle
strokes, until warned by those watching
the tree, at the instant it begins to in
cline, when this last one jumps to the
ground in an opposite direction. This
true giant OF the forest seems to gather
but little speed in the fall, but the crash,
when he crushes through the surround
ing timber, may be heard for miles.
The tree is then stripped of its heavy
limbs, which furnish those beautifully.
grained varieties seen in the handsomest
furniture, after which the trunk is sawed
into sections ten feet long, and the bark
hewn off to make square timber. All the
nen not engaged in cutting have mean
while been building road from the
river through the center of the cutting
district, from which main path many
branch roads are built to the individual
trees. Through the low country, where
marshes must be filed in and small
creeks bridged the road building be.
comes by far the most arduous work, and
in higher lands this labor is vexatious
enough, when it is understood that cut. !
ting away 100 yards of tough underbrush
is a good days work.
Near the coast, and among the old
cuttings, carts are used to carry out the
square timber; but in the n'erior moth
ing but drags can be employed; and
very often, when desirable to get out q
fine large log, the cha ms are simply
fastened to it, and it takes its chances
while being hauled by e'ght or ten
oxen, to be marked and dumped into the
river. Trees are seldom cut more than
ten or twelve miles from the river. owing
to the immense labor of road building;
and the logs are always hauled at ght,
because of the intense damp heat of day.
At about S p. NJ. the drivers start the
oxen for the logs, reaching about 10r. NJ,
and instantly load up their drags to le-
turn. The way is lighted by men carry
ing huge pine torches, and in many
places they are stuck in the ground at the
roadside. The flash and glare of the
torches, the yells of the drivers, forcing
tbo;r 60 70 hooefc tho nronS-