The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-11-13
RUBBER HUNTING.
Visit to Typical Rubber Camp
in Brazil.
HOW THE INDUSTRY is PURSUED
Explorations Thousand Miles Up the ANA
zon, in the Heart Of the Greatest Rub
Der Section on the Globe.

Explorations Thousand Miles Up the Anna
zoD, in the Heart Of the Greatest Rub
Der Section on the Globe.
Special Correspondence OF THE HERALD.l
MANAoss Brazil, Oct. 5.--Being in any OF
these Amszonian towns. where everything
reeks of India rubber-where it is the one
engrossing Industry of the people, the one
topic of conversation, the one thing con-
stantly seen, smelled and tasted-you are
sure TO be seized by the spirit of discovery
sooner or later, and burning desire TO
turn hunter yourself and become hab-
.tante, if for ever so brief q period, OF a
genuine rubber-camp in the wilderness.
And nothing is easier than to CRAFTY this
laudable ambition, especially If you are
taken" with 1t at Manaos-a thousand
miles up the mighty river, in the heart of
the greatest rubber producing section of
the globe.
In our case it was particularly easy, for
our host Is a rubber merchant, Gas are most
Of the substantial citizens of the place.,
who keeps from fifty to one hundred In
dams constantly employed as collectors,
under the leadership Of q captain" or
head collector Of their own choosing 1t
happens that their present main camp may
be reached without difficulty, by two
days journey up the Rio Negro on one of
the regular steamers, and then-disem-
barking at a certain point in the wilder
ness, near the mouth of an unnamed
affiuent-by slower canoe cruise of
several hours, between jungle-c covered
banks where apparently human beings
never came before. at the 1irst indication
OF our desire, which had evidently been
expected and partially prepared for, a
party was made up, headed by mine host
and his family, servants were sent ahead
with tents and provisions, asd Indian boat
men summoned from the distant camp 10
meet US st the junction of the rivers. To
our kind entertainers it was merely a
peasant little picnic excursion, such as
New 1orkerS are won't 10 make uD the
Hudson; but 10 Us It was an event of mag
nlJude, fraught with perils and adventures
enough TO keep the average Yankee of
either sex in EARNING material for life
time. Think Of II; the Amazon river
measures more miles straight across its
mouth than the whole navigsble ;sngth of
the "Iordly Hudson"
And then suppose those Indian boatmen
should fail to be on hand at the appointed
time ana place, and we be left ike the
DaDes IN the woods among boas and tigers
and goodness knows what other terrorist
And later, when being padded up the
nameIeSs fgdrdpe, which Is hundreds of
miles from anywhere ara SO narrow a
stream that the dense wall OF vegetation
towering upon Dotn sides keeps 1t in per-
petual twilight, and The absolute silence of
The primeval solitude Is mournfulIy oppres-
slve. Suppose The halt-savage guides,
who certainly look capabls Of any atrocity,
should conclude 1t were better paying
business TO rob and murder their charges.
what in the world was there TO prevent
thems We thought of the narrowing ex-
periences of Madame Godin des Odonais in
these same wilds (of which must tell you
anon) and of the thousands OF explorers.
whose hearts were fired with mission
airy zeal, or love Of nature. or
search for the tabled Ell Dorado
or greed Of gold and conquest, who have
persisted miserably here-and there is none
10 tell their story. We remembered Cape
lain Mayne Reic's freed yelling savages.
who delight TO punctIre Amazonian trav-
elers with poisoned arrows, shot from
the same author, which lie in wait upon
overhanglng branches and swallow them. I
boats and all But IN our expedition IL
turned out that there was almost disap-
pointing deartn OF perllous adventure, aud
not q single chair breadth" escape 10
chronicle. The Indians we encountered,
despiIe their unprepossessing appearance.
proved to be the most docile, gentle and
1racuble Of creatures; and probably the
aerial savages and man-swallowing snakes,
Disguised with the increasing frequency
of human invasion, have rstired farther
into the wilderness.
SUMMARY OF INTERESTING FACTS.
The following facts. stated briefly as
possible, are 3 summary OF the information
we have picked up il Brazil. from divers
sources, relative 10 the rubber trade. Like
other industries IN various paris of the
world, il appears to be controlled by cap
ital, on the scriptural plan of ITO him that |
hath snail be given" while the actual toll /
ers are very poorly paid for their LABOR. |
Hereabouts II is customary for a wealthy |
man TO obtain grant OF land, of greater
or less extent according TO his political iu-
duence ana financial powers OF persuasion, I
with the exclusive right of gathering |
rubber thereon for stated number OF 1
years. The entire river trade of the ANA |
ION Is run on the credit system. The 1
rubber hunters, who are mostly indians, |
are fitted out by their employers much as |
grub stakes" in their search for precious
metals. Each hunter, before ne sets forth |
on a fresh journey is provided with q gun, /
g quantity of ammunition, blanket, ham, |
mock and enough provisions 70 sustain MIN
from TWO TO SIX months; all of which is
charged to his account at the highest mar
lret rrice, and IN return he stipuiates to I
sell 10 this same accommodating dealer, al
some liked sum per pound, all 1
the rubber he may collect during
his trip, after paying what be
owes for the outfit But he seldom gets
the debt psid up, and according 20 the laws
OF Brazil, as long as he owes p, my, the
man 70 whom he is indebted can ain him
for work, holidays and all, in = bondage
akin TO slavery. They are engaged in the
first place for term OF years, and the ma
iority OF hunters, in consequence OF their
debts and propensity to drink up all avail
able cash IN the form of chicha. are prac-
tically never released from the contract
The employers, in their turn, are bound
70 be 10 DEBT to the small traders in the
river towns, to whom they sell the rubber.
They pay sbsurdly high prices for infe-
ri9r goods and get little for the product of
The enterprise, as compared TO the price of
rubber when il gets out Of the clutches Of
The middle men," while those who do all
The actual work and endure the risks aud
lsrdshipG get next to nothing. The small
trader likewise, is in debt 10 the whole
tale dealer st Para, and the wholesaler it
even more deeply indebted to the New
K0rk, Baltimore or London firm which
furnishes him with supplies and finally Sc
cures the rubber. Somebody makes heavy
Profits out Of every transaction, but it is not
th1 DOOR Indian. upon whose courage and