The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-04-04
A GREAT RIVER.
The Anaason One Hundred Miles Vida nj
Its Mouth.

N
The An'axon One Hundred Miles vida ~
Its Mouth.
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The Amazon, il the Para river be in
Guided at the southern channel, il 100
miles wide at its mouth. Para Itself
the northcrpmost city of Brazil lies at
the gateway of the Most wonderful
rircr SYSTEM in the world. 1t is the
commercial depot and distributing
point for 40,0 600 miles of navigabl1
water. The Amazon watershed en-
braces twenty-five degrees 81 longitude.
Its western sources are in the Andes of
Peru and Ecuador, only n few leagues
from the Pacific. Its northern tribu-
taries traverse the borders Of, Guinea
and Colombia. while midway the head
waters of the Negro mingle with those
OF the Orinoco in the western spurs of
the Sierra de Pacaraima.
On the south the Madeira has In.
Vulnerable sources in the mountain
levels of Bolivia, while the TApnios.
the Xingo, and the 1otantine penetrate
the central provinces of Brazil. If a
comparatively small group of southern
provinces be left out of the account,
the Amazon, with its tributaries, forms
the water system for nh area larger
than that of the United States. 1t fur
nishes the only means of communion
ton between the smaller centers of
| population in fully one-half of the vast
territories of Brazil.
Between most of its leading tribu-
taries are broad stretches of impene>
!rable forests which have never been
explored by white men. 1t is the
Amazon alone that renders any form
of government possible in the heart of
South America. Within the range of
the 10000 miles of navigable water
settlements have been made, rubber
farms opened, and magistrates em-
powered to conduct local administers
ton. Para, lying at the sentherhmost
outlet of the Amazon, less than 100
miles from the sea, is the metropolis of
this wonderful valley. 1t is a city with
perhaps so, 600 inhabitants, and with as
much commercial enterprise rs is
possible under the equator.
The commerce of the Amazon is
n%orsinally carried on under the Brazil
ian flag. Foreigners are not allowed
by law to own steamers or sailing
vessels employed in inland navigation;
and hence it is necessary for the En-
glish capitalists who control the carry.
ing trade of the river to assign their
interests to Brazilians, There are
forty steamers owned by an English
line, which receives a large mail sub
sidy from the Brazilian government for
plying between various ports and
villages on the main tributaries; and
in return for this financial support it is
well satisfied to fly the national flag.
Another company has eight steamer.
under similar conditions, and there are
as many as u dozen more on the river
and its tributaries which sail under the
Brazilian flag. These sixty steamers
are gradually opening the Amazon
valley to commerce, Only the smaller
vessels are now running beyond 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
nayigable for long distances at high
water during certain months of the
year. but the lower villages on their
banks arc visited by steamers as often
as once or twice n month. This river
trade is almost completely in the hands
OF the Portuguese merchants and the
mercantile houses represented al
Para, Manaos, with a population OF
$4,000, is the most flourishing town
west of Para. The other settlements,
with few exceptions, are struggling
villages inhabited mainly by negroes,
Indians. and half-brecds.
Tho forests of the Amazon, consist.
Ing. mainly of hard wood, are not avail
able for commercial requirements. The
finest of rosewood and mahogany are
used there for tirewood. Even if there
were a demand for the hardwood ium.
Der at Para, it could not be logged and
brought to market on a large scale,
owing to the density of the woods and
the lack of roads and clearings. Tie
one tree which is a source Of wealth
in these immense forests is the rubber
tree. 1t is found everywhere, from the
low-lying delta opposite Para to the
Iapojos, the Madeira, and the Negro,
and probably thousands of miles he.
yond those great tributaries. In thu
interior roads are impracticable, and
the rubber trees that nrc MIXED liz
along the rivers, where the farms car
be approached. The milk can only be
drawn at certain levels of the river, fol
the trunks of the trees are often iifteer
or twenty feet under water after tho
rainy seasons.
When the conditions are favorabl.
the bark of the trees is tapped and tn,
milk drawn off in cups to be compactc,
and rolled together layer by layer lik,
a snowfall. 1t is then cooked O,
smoked owe q fire made of sticks;
process that involves contraction il
cooling and imparts elasticity t.
the substance.-and then it is read,
fo~rshipment to Para and New York
The operation of such farms and tn,
opening of new veins of trees in tn,
trackless swamps and forests requir,
the employment of native labor unde
the most Indictment conditions o
equatorial heat and rains. If there b.
any quarter of the world where natur,
ems to command inaction and indo
ience, it is these vast stretches of tn
Amazonian forest. Nowhere else cal
existence be sustained with SO small al
expenditure of effort.
On an acre of cleared land beans ca
be raised in sufficient quantity to keel
soul and body together with the adven
titious aids of nuts and fruit from til
woods. A torpid, somnolent %existenc
seems to be the imperious Requirement
of the climate. The Indians. half
breeds, and negroes in the villages cal
live, if they choose to do so, with wha
may be described as the minimum O
human labor involved in obtaining /:
livelihood. They instinctivcly resist al
appeals to ambition and self-interest
The efforts of rubber farmers an
agents to induce them to share in th
dangers and labor involved in explor
ing the forest and striking new vein
of rubber trees are ordinarily futile
and the employment of even the poor
est classes of labor is carried on nnde
almost %insuperable dificulties.-N.
Tribune.
A father sued an English school
master for assault, because he ha,
caned his boy On the hand. The magis
trate before whom it was first trie,
thought that the father was right, fo
the reason that Gaming on the hand wa
attended by Il risk of injury. and Their