Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-08-11
A Land IN MINIATURE
BRITISH GUIANA'S EXHIBITS
AT THE WORLDS FAIR.
The Products of Her Plantations,
Gold Fields, Tangled Jungles and
Rich Forests-Best of All Trees
Triumphs of the TaXidermist's
Art-Reautiful Feather Work.

IflumDHS Oh lHt
Art-Beautiful Feather Work.
Ill had the privilege of seeing only one
Worlds Fair department, said gentleman.
would choose the agricultural. In no other
building can one come so near the people OF
other lands. In the Agriculture Building
YOU are close to the soil, to that which gives
sustenance. As a matter Of course. the life.
habits and customs ofthe people are shown
in a more direct way. The Agriculture
Building is the place 10 study the world as
the world is.
The speaker must have been in the British
Guiana section of Chief Buchanan's building
before he spoke. In its timber-fenced area,
the products and probabilities OF that land
which Columbus saw in 1893 when he entered
the Gulf of Para, are placed in such shape
that an hour gives one an intimate knowledge
Of the interesting country. One OF the
products is Adolphus Daniel, the Indian pilot
OF the gold rivers, Essequibo. Mazarum and
Guyuwini. With an active brain, an intell
gent comprehension Of what visitor wants
to know and a thorough knowledge Of his
subject. the little riverman, true to his call
ing, pilots his guests all over British Guiana
through sugar plantations and gold fields
tangled jungles and grand forests, giving an
object lesson at every step.
Triumphs of the taxidermist's art are the
stuffed fauna of British Guiana, which are
mounted under the roof Of the Agriculture
Building. The most conspicuous group is a
tapir with iaguar's claws and teeth in its
thick skin. Three varieties Of ant-eaters are
shown. One, tree-climber, is no larger
than foxtail squirrel, another is about the
size of a dog and the ant bear. or great ant
eater, twice as large, with bushy tail, coarse
long hair and long snout. Then there are
Ocelots. wicked-looking wildcats, graceful,
slim-limbed wood deer. cougars huge tor
toise and snakes as natural as life placed IN
attitudes Of arrested motion which tell OF
the jungles and trackless forests that extend
back from the towns and clearings near the
coast.
They are interesting, but apparently do
not attract as much attention as the nine
gilded pyramids which represent the output
of gold since 1854. People gaze upon the
pyramids with renewed interest when they
learn that even Sir Walter Raleigh believed
the reports q the Spaniards sailed up the
OrinocO i.t=r in 1895. and the next year
sent Captain Keymis to hunt for the rich
est country in the world" 1t was not until
1880, however. that placer washing really
amounted to anything in British Guiana Ii
began in the Puruni River, a branch OF the
Masaruni. Four years later the Government
took official cognizance of the gold washing
and imposed a royalty on the gold obtained,
which amounted in that year to $50 ounces.
This is represented by the smallest pyramid.
The next year gave $3.50 ounces In 1886 the
OUTPUT Jumped up to 6518 ounces. and every
wear thereafter the gold product almost
doubled, until in 1892 it amounted to 1873.
els ounces. Nuggets and dust are exhibited
from the Puruni washings, GrOote Greek.
the districts of Demerara, Essequebo and
other gold bearers SO rapidly is the gold
industry developing that railroad connect
ing the Essequebo and Demerara Rivers is to
be built for Transporting the product.
British Guiana has but one railroad.
short coast line connecting Georgetown, the
metropolis of the country. with Mahaica,
twenty miles distant Lines OF steamers,
however. use the rivers, and ferry steamers
are numerous Logs and large timoers are
transported in a manner peculiar 10 the
country. Instead OF being RATED down the
rivers the hogs are slung in the water on
either side of punt much after the manner
of loa ling pack mule A model Of one OF
these lOg-laden punts is one of the promi-
nent exhibits. The punt IS shaped some
what like an Ohio River coal barge, only
narrower. It is a house boat in which ham
mocks are slung, for whole Indian families
often live on these punts. The craft IS steered
by long sweep and carries a surprising
amount of timber. The logs lie on Outrig-
gers of wood, which extend on either side
twice the width of the punt.
British Guiana is rich in woods. The fact
is proved beyond peradventure by the variety
of forest products which are shown. Huge
timbers form a gigantic fence around thesec
ton, and hundreds Of polished squares are
arranged in a separate exhibit. Pilot Daniels
tapped the round trunk Of the eta palm al
most with affection, as he rected the virtues
OF the "best of all trees. The etapalm gave
food shelter. clothing and drink 10 the M
tive Indians. and the arts of civilization made
it a great commercial product Its nuts are
edible, and the tender shoots or palmettos
which grow from the crown are esteemed as
delicacies and preserved in sirup and as
pickles. Its fiber, originally woven into
ropes and cloth, makes mats ana hamnOcis,
its oil is used for medicine and cooking AMI
its sap or milk. which flows readily when he
tree is gashed. is caught in caabushes, and,
after fermentation. drunk as a wine.
The woods exhibited embrace some OF the
hardest and heaviest in the world. They
vary in color from nearly black through the
browns 10 almost pure white Peraaps tbe
most singular is the notified letter wood.
which resembles closely the snakewOoi Of
East India Its DARK markings across the
gram lDOh llkt utcllN lOiu4Iu ActbbAo. II
is the heart Of tree. rarely exceeding SIX
inches in diameter although the tree is some
times two feet across. Taxing a very high
polish. it is largely used for walking canes
and for inaid work The greenheart from
which the quinine Of British Guiana is taken.
is a dense. heavy timber OF a greenish yellow
color, almost entirely free from knots and
even grained. 1t ranks with oak and teak
for ship building. and is used all throughthe
country for building the homes of the peo-
pie. Mora is a reddish-brown wood, not so
heavy as greenheart. but like greenheart is
procurable in logs OF sixtyto eighty feet long
and up to two feet in diameter. Walla5a is
dark crimson in color. and makes the shin
giles of the country. 1t is easily split, and is
also used for paliny and vat slaves. As stor-
ing rain-water is a necessity iii British
Guiana, the wallaba is Indispensable. Its
fame as water-carrier extends TO the West
Indies, for in 1891 nearly $500, 600 walia5a
shingles were shipped TO the islands
To the Indians the cassava dominates all
trees and shrubs From its poisonous root
the bread OF the family is prepared. The root
is grated and the pulp. having been
squeezed dry in what is called the 'matta-
pee, IS is placed on the 'barbacue, or shelf,
over the fireplace. until all the poisonous
Juice is evaporated. II is then baked in
fiat iron dish 10 form a kind of pancake or
hap-jack The cassava bread is kept from
enyiOus hands in a showcase in the exhibit,
with several cases of cassava starch. Cassava
Juice is prepared in another way. Tho
poison having first been expelled by evapo-
ration. the juice is turned into Il DARK brown
molasses like extract called "cassareep.
which. with fresh peppers, forms the basis Of
a most delicious soup. The cassava is cult
waited by the Indians with little trouble. Ii
is raised in fields and grows about ten feet
high. After the roots are cut out the stalk is
cut into pieces from twelve 10 eighteen
inches long and stuck into the freshly poWed
land. In three or four days the cuttings
sprout and in seven or nine months are ready
to be rooted out again. The eassaya field is
generally some distance from the "renab,"
or leaf-covered hut Of the native, in a clear
ing OF the forest.
Naturally sugar, which is the principal ex-
port Of the colony, forms an important factor
in the exhibits. In 1891 over 10000 tons
were shipped out OF the country. more than
half coming 70 this country. With its by
products-nolasses and run-the value OF
the products OF the sugar plantations
amounted to over $1,000 900 in 1891 The
plantations always front the seashore or
bank OF river, and are cut up by numerous
canals an protected from higa water AMI