Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-01-14
ALONG THE AMAZON.
WHERE RAIN COMES DOWN IN
TERRIFIC cLouDeuRsTs.

and eastern Arkansas are but spring
freshets compared with the monster
Hoods that visit the Amazon valley every
year with "A regularity equaled only by
events and tax collections.
The rainfall of northerh Brazil is about
three times that of the webfootiest coun-
ties Of Oregon, aud in midsummer the
thunder showers that drench the woods
every afternoon resemble daily cloud
burst. On the Northern Pacific no other /
word would he applied TO an atmos-
pheric waterfall, darkening the air like |
a London winter fog for hours together, I
and swamping a house, If the roof
should leak. through an aperture of a
few square inches.
Rains of that sort are apt to occur day
after day for a series of weeks and their
effect on the lowlands can only be i'm
perfectly indicated by the fact that the
Amazon river drains an area of more
than 2,00O,O square miles. The Mis-
sissippi. too, drains half the eastern
slope Of country larger than Brazil,
but its largest affiuents are dwarfed by
the third class tributaries of the South
American father Of waters.
Not such flowing lakes as the Rio
Negro ana the Madeira, but the Purus,
the Yavari. the Qurua. the Hinge, the
Papajos and dozens Of other streams
rarely mentioned on this side Of the
isthmus enter the main river through
delta miles in width and deep enough
| for the largest river steamers Of the St.
/ Lawrence.
] Abont the middle of summer these
/ streams begin To rise those from the
/ southwest first, those from the northwest
/ and north a few weeks later, and fort
night after the arrival of the second sup
pleinent the valley Of the MaranOn, the
wild hog river" as the early colonists
called the Amazon, becomes "A paradise
OF swamp loving brutes. The taps. the
peccari, the fish otter celebrate the pic
mic season of their summer life, and
herds of wild deer begin their westward
exodus. Near Monte Beira, in the
province mow statel Of Matte Crosse,
the woods III midsummer get full of
game, as hundred years ago the foot
hills of the southern Alleghanies swarm
ell with wild pigeons when the forests
of the north were buried in snow
A more than usually sudden rise Of
the food cuts off many Of these fugi-
tives, who are thus reduced To the al
tentative of making for the highest ac-
cessiblo ground, farther east, till every
knoll becomes hill Of refuge. crowded
with timid brutes, whose survival de.
ponds ON their escape from the giant
cats and boas who may approach theiI
stronghold by swimming, If the water
should have submerged too large por
ton of the continuous forest.
About two months after the begin
ming of the rainy season the deluge Of
the lowlands reaches its maximum
Thousands Of square miles are sub
: merged so effectually that canoes can b,
padded through forests apparently FREE
from underbrnsh, since only the tallel
, trees, with their network Of climbing
: vines. rise like islands above the surg
; ing waters. The swollen rivers hay,
found new currents, and broad, CUR
Z Cling streams twist and eddy through
the leafy wilderness, tearing off Who'll
: groups Of trees. with all their roots. bu
: making amends by depositing hillock
Of driftwood, which soon get covere'
with tufts of new vegetation.
The pressure of the surging foo
9 against these mounds of alluvium 500
+ becomes enormous, hut the deep roote
stems Of the adanSOnia and the canoh
tree may resist till new deposits of drift
. wood consolidate number of mounds
thus forming good sized islands with
y down stream base 1T perhaps half a mil,
: but a narrow head DETECTING the cui
a rent left and right. like the wedg
, shaped front If stout bridge pier. A
= the time Of their incipiency these ne'
Is islands may I've tenanted only by rive
: lizards, int necessity Is the mother {
Y successful exploration AS well as of II
y vention. and week after its birth III
le driftwood hill swarms with animi
II refugees. hogs. deer and capybaris 10
y Ting each other in their struggle for
80 base Of operations. thus often gettin
y noisy enough To attract the pruwlin
carnivora.
The climbing talent of the great ca
saves them the trouble Of emigration
The iaguar and the ocelot become ei
20 tirely arboreal travelling like mouke,
!" from branch to branch. and maxim
- themselves NJ home in the tree tops
- much SO indeed that some of them !
= u housekeeping and raise a litter
u cubs in the cavity Of hollow tree.
= Their lar,ler is replemshed by all sor
:, of pheasants and woOdhens. who mai
their headquarters in the underbrus
but who ara now obliged To take I
= lodgings on the lower branches of the u
u submerged trees BY climbing arour
:, the stem and rising suddenly IN view I
~ y. ocelot can scare "A ronst Of gallinaceo
; fowl ont Of their wits and strike dow
y two or three Of the clumsy youngste
=, before the whole flock contrives TO Ia
wing.
y A swimming deer IN these submerg
ao tangle woods has NJ chance at
!, against the pursuit of an enemy tn
" can leap from branch to branch
y climb along the viaduetlike cables Of {
~ great Llama vines. and a jaguar would n
], begin to regret phenomenal delnge I
!, the waters had closed over the tops
- the tallest palms. San Francisco Chro
icle.
Nc An Opinion an scarfpin,.
as The men that have been affecting q
&c. scarfpins with the madeup bows, al
also with the crayats aud Windsors IN
AZ need no holding in place and disclo