Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-04
GREAT RIVER OF THE WORLD
The Amazon One Hundred Miles Wide
at Its Mouth.

from the New York Tribune.
The Amazon, if the Para river be included at
the southern channel, is one hundred miles
wide at its mouth. Para ITSELF the northern
most city of Brazil, lies at the gateway of the
most wonderful river system Of the world. It
is the commercial depot and distributing point
for 10000 miles of navigable water. The Anna
ION water shed embraces twenty-five degrees
Of latitude and thirty-fve degrees of longitude
Its western sources are in the Andes of Peru
and Ecuador, only few leagues from the Pa
citic. Its northern tributaries traverse the
borders Of Guinea and Colombia, while mid
way the headwaters of the Negro mingle with
those of the Orinoco in the western spurs Of
the Sierra de Pacaraima.
On the south the Madeira hts innumerable
sources in the mountain levels of Bolivia, while
the Tapajoi, the Xingu and the Tocantins pene-
trate the central provinces of Brazil. II a COM
paratlvely small group of southern provinces
be left out of the account the Amazon, with its
tributaries, forms the water system for an area
larger than that of the United States. 1t fur
| nishes the only means of communication be-
tween the smaller centers of population in fully
| one-half OF the vast territories of Brazil
Between most OF its leading tributaries are
broad stretches OF impenetrable forests which
have never been explored by white men. 1t is
the Amazon alone that renders any form of
government possible III the heart Of South
America. Within the range of the 40, 900 miles
OF naylgable water settlements have been made
rubber farms opened and magistrates empow-
cred to conduct local administration. Para
lying at the southcrnmost outlet of the Anna
Zon. less than 100 miles from the sea- is the
metropolis of this wonderful valley. 1t is a
city with perhaps $4,000 inhabitants and with
as much commercial enterprise as is possible
under the equator.
The commerce Of the Amazon is nominally
carried on under the Brazilian flag Foreigners
| are not allowed by law to own steamers or sail
Ing vessels employed in inland navigation, and
hence 1t Is necessary for the English capitalists
who control the carrying trade of the river to
assign their interests to Brazilians. There are
| forty steamers owned by an English line, which
| receives a large mail subsidy from the Brazilian
government for plying between various ports
and villages on the main tributaries. and in re-
turn for this financial support it is well salts
fled to fly the national flag. Another company
has eight steamers under similar conditions
and there are as many as a dozen more on the
river and its tributaries which sail under the
Brazilian flag. These sixty steamers are grad
ually opening the Amazon valley to commerce.
Only the smaller vessels are now running be-
yond Manaos at the junction of the Negro, but
next year the largest English vessels will make
regular trips to Yquitos, $3.50 miles from the
coast.
Some of the tributaries are only nayipable
for long distances at high water during certain
months OF the year, but the lower villages on
their banks are visited by steamer as often as
once or twice month. This river trade is
almost completely in the hands Of the Portu-
guese merchants and the mercantile houses
represented at Para. Manaos. with popula-
ton OF lo,O0O. is the most fourishing town west
OF Para The other settlements, with few ex-
cePtons, are struggling villages inhabited
mainly by negroes, Indians and half-breeds
The forests of the Amazon consisting mainly
OF hard wood, are not available for commercial
requirements. The finest of rosewood and
mahogany are used there for frewood Even
II there were demand for the hardwood lum-
| Der at Para, 1t could not be logged and brought
TO market on q large scale, owing to the density
| OF the woods and the lack of the roads and
clearlngs. The one tree which is a source of
wealth IN these immense forests is the rubber
tree. IL Is found everywhere, from the low
lying delta opposite Para to the Tapojas. the
Madeira, and the Negro, and probably thou
sands OF miles beyond those great tributaries
| In the interior roads are impracticable and the
rubber trees that are MIXED lie along the
| rivers, where the farms can be approached
| The milk can only be drawn at certain levels of
the river, for the trunks of the trees are often
| fifteen or twenty feet under the water after the
| rainy season.
When the conditions are favorable the bark
OF the trees are tapped and the milk drawn off
in cups to be compacted and rolled together
layer by layer like a SNOWFALL. 1t is then
cooked or smoked over a fire made of sticks
process that involves contraction in cooling
and imparts elasticity to the substance-aud
then 1t Is ready for shipment to Para and New
York. The operation Of such farms and the
opening OF new veins of trees in the trackless
| swamps and forests require the employment of
native labor under the most Indictment condi-
tons of equatorial heat and rains. II there be
any quarter of the world where nature seems
TO command inaction and Incidence il is in
these vast stretches of the Amazonian forest
Nowhere else can existence be sustained with
| 30 small an expenditure of effort
On an acre Of cleared land beans can be
raised In sufficient quantity to keep soul and
BODY together, with the adventurous aid of
nuts and fruit from the woods. A torpid. som.
noient existence seems to be the imperious re-
qurement OF the climate The Indiana. half
breeds and negroes in the village can live, il
they choose to do so, with what NAV be de-
scrioed as the minimum of human labor in
voived- In obtaining a livelihood. They in
stinchyeiy resist ali appeals to ambition and
seii-lnterest The efforts OF rubber farmers
and agents to induce them to share in the dan
gers and labor involved in exploring the forest
and striking new veins Of rubber trees are or
dinarily futile, and the employment of even
the poorest classes of labor is carried on pndar