The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-02-03
in THE HEART OF BRAZIL.
DESCRIPTION OF A TYPICAL IN
Ola RUBBER CAMP.
a Source of Profit to Many, But tho
:, Poor Indian Gets Practically
Nothing for His Perllous Labor.

these Amazonian towns, where every
thing reeks of india rubber--wbere it is
tho one enSrossing industry Of the
people, the one topic Of conversation,
the one thing constantly seen, smellcd
and tastcd-you are sure to be seized by
the spirit of discovery, sooner or later,
and burning desire to turn hunter
yourself and become a habitante, il for
ever so brief a period, of n genuine
rubber camp in the wilderness. And
nothing Is easier than to crafty that
laudahlc ambition, especially if you are
"takcn" with it at Manaos-a thousand
miles up the mighty river, iu the heart
of the greatest rubber producing section
Ct the globe.
In our case it was particularly easy,
for our host is a rubber merchant (as are
most Of the substantial citiz,as OF the
place., who keeps from fifty to one
hundred Indians constantly cmp'oyel as
collectors, under tho leadership of a
"captaiu," or head collector, of their
own choosing.
The following facts. stated briefly a,
possible, arc summary Of the informt-
ton VIC have picked up in Brazil, from
divers sources, relative to tho rubber
trade. Like other industries in various
Parts of the world, it appears 10 be con.
trol!el hy capital on the Scriptural plan
oi "to him that hath shall he givcu,"
While the actual toilcrs are very poorly
paid for their labor. Hcreabouts it it
customary for wealthy man to obtain {
grant OF land of greater or less extent,
according to his political influence aud
financial powers Of persuasion, with the
exclusive righJ of gathering rubber
thereon for Ii stated number OF years.
The entire river trade Of the Amazon is
run Oh the credit system. The rubber
hunters, who are mostly Indiups, arr
fitted out by their employers muci as
American miners used to be supplied
with Hgrub stake" in their search for
precious metals. Each hunter, before
he sets forth on a fresh journey, is pro-
vided with gun, u quantity of ammu-
milton, blanket, hammock, and enough
provisions to sustain him from two to
six months; all Of which is charged to
his account at the highest market price,
an,i i'll return he stipulates to sell to this
same accommodating dealer, at some
fixed sum per pound, all the rubber he
may collect during his trip, after paying
what lie owes for the outfit.
But he seldom gets the debt paid up,
and, according to the laws OF Brazil, as
long as he owes penny the man to
whom he is indebted eau claim him for
work, holidays aud all, III bondage
akin to slavery. They are engaged in
the first place for a term of years, aud
the majority of hunters, in consequence
Of their debts and propensity to drink
up all available cash in the form Of
chicha, are practically never released
from tho contract.
The employers, in their turn, arc
bound to be in debt to the small traders
in the river towns, to whom they sell the
rubber. They pay absurily high prices
for inferior goods and get little for the
product Of the enterprise as compared to
the price of rubber when it gets out Of
the clutches of the "middle-men, whilo
those who do all the actual work aud
endure the risks aud hardships get next
to nothing. The small trader, likewise,
is in debt to the wholesale dealer in
Para; and the wholesaler is even more
deeply indebted to the New York, Balti-
more or London firm which furnishes
him with supplies aud finally secures the
rubber. Some body makes heavy profits
out Of every transaction, but it is not
tho poor Indian, upon whose courage
ard powers Of endurance all depends, nor
yet the smaller traders.
The annual expectation Of India rub
ber from Para is said to be upward OF
go, 600, 900 pounds, worth from So, O00,-
coo to $4,000, 900. Tnc rubber tree of
Brazil (siphonia elastica, near relative
of the iicus elastlca of the East Indies
and the urccola elastica Of Asia) is
really giant species Of milk weed. 1t be-
gins TO yield when about fifteen years
old, and the Government has repeatedly
suggested plans for cultivating it by
planting large areas with trees and con-
Quoting the business like that of coffee
and sugar plantations. But Brazilians
seem to be peculiarly devoid of the
power to take ga long look ahead" aud
SO far nobody has been found willing to
wait fifteen years for the first returns on
an investment.
Hcreabouts the rubber hunters are
called Siringuerios, as in Central Amer
lea they are known as Yularoes. They
usually go out in small parties, having
chosen one Of their own number as "Cap-
tain" and as soon as tile rubber swamps
are reached they select a suitable spot
= Tor INC pasc or opcravrons aud proceed TO
construct rude camp, which serves as
the general rendezvous. They then wan.
der of, slngly and in couples, searching
all day for new trees and returning to
headquarters at nlghtfall. The scamp"
consists of a central hut, built on stilt-
like supports to elevate it above the ma
laria haunted norass in which rubber
trees most abound, with palm matched
roof, projecting all around like that Of a
Swiss chalet.
There arc neither windows NJ: door
to this rude home, nor any interior
furnishings except hooks upol which
hammocks may be suspended wlen rains
drive their owners inside. Ordinarily
'al outdoors serves we'll for kitchen,
and the men prefer to suspend their
sleeping paraphernalia from tho trees
around the central fire, built for the
triple purpose of frightening away
DrOwlinO bpasts counteractin o. the effects