The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-16
IN suRINAM.
The Gold Mines of Dutch Guiana,-Negro
l. experimentation, Copal Gums and
Diamonds.-The Trials of Hunting [or-
chids in the Tropics.
Especial Correspondence

the gold fields of Surinam. MY belief is
that the gold industry is to-day keeping
Surinam alive; but it is only being
worked in a primitive way. The mug
gets found vary from ounce to SO lbs.
The latter nugget was found last Decem-
Der only two days from town and found in
small gulch. There are placer mines
being worked in the colony with not
over 400 men at an expense of 70 cents
per man per day; and the amount of
gold produced in one year by these four
mines is $500 pounds. 7 have known of
instances where one ''long Tom" would
wash up four and five pounds Of gold at
night working with only four men. The
formation oflthe creeks and gulches are
most favorable for gold deposits, the
valhesof which has been proved by &C.
tual returns from properties that have
been worked. The fact has been already
established that the auriferous belt of
country runs through the three Guianas
from Cayenne to Venezula in an easterly
and westerly direction. The present
method of working is very primitive and
the means of communication slow. The
mountains in this country vary from
800 feet to 5000 feet and are covered with
heavy growth of timber. The'surface of
most of these mountains are covered with
quartz and woods. The doubler dirt in
these creeks varies from one to ten feet
deep, then comes the pay dirt varying
from inches to seven feet and in most
of the creeks for bed rock we find pipe
clay stained in places yellow and red and
a decomposed sand stone the former
changing in depth to slate.
The gold mining is conducted in this
manner. You lease land from the gov
eminent. You then prospect it, locate
your ground you intend to work, return
to town and then you wish rs men or
laborers. You walk the streets and pick
them up, and then take them before the
police and contract them for three
months at so much day. After they
have signed the contract you then give
each man $40 in advance and the next
day you load your boats with provisions
rice, beef, pork, fish, molasses and to-
bacco. Then you are ready to start up
the river to return in three months time.
After CARRYING at the work place, the
next day we are at work washing gravel
and getting product. The instruments
we use we wash up every night.
The evenings are devoted by the labor
ers to dancing, singing and cooking their
food for the following day.. They are a
happy set when in the bush. They are
good men to work. If your creek is
paying well they are as happy as you are,
buff not they seem to lose the interest
in their work. When they commence on
a new creek they must christen it by TAX
ing pail,of water with rum and mo-
lasses. They then all take drink, and
then use the rest by throwing it il the
creek and on the instruments. i They are
so superstitious they will not put pick
in the ground until they have done this.
hope to see the day when this country
will be more developed as it is compare
lively unknown.
Orchid Hunting.
If orchid growing has its excitement,
much more has orchid hunting. These
flowers have to be sought through as
many adventures and in woods as
haunted by snakes and savages with
poisoned arrows as ever was the fleece
of gold. They are found in lands where
of old men went wandering in quest Of
the city of the Sun of Eldorado or of the
Fountain of Youth. First long voyage
has to be undertaken; then you must
work up the rivers as far as you can go,
by 'dugouts,' then cut your trail. For
ests have to be penetrated, creeks and
small rivers have to be swum, cactus
,iora fc -kos
scaled; and after that there remains
weeks of journey among hills over which
the condor flies, and through woods
where the Indian poisons his arrow
heads. Hundreds of trees have then to
be cut down for the sake of the Cattleya
lMendelE that festoons them. Next the
bulbs have to be packed and carried
by men back to the sea coast and there
remain, running the danger of tropical
heat, for bulbs die off like negroes ia the
Middle Passage. So laborious is it to
bring orchids from beneath the volcanic
home of the sacred emerald that at last
they may trail their purple or golden
flowers tfrom little square baskets in
some dollhouse! have found some very
rare specimens, but there is little or no
value placed on the orchid in that coun-
try.
huDDer OF BalaLa Gum
is found in Surinam. For the past ten
years it has been quite extensively
worked by two houses; one an English
and the other a German firm, they own
ing all the best concessions. The re-
manning concessions are of little value, as
the trees are SO scattered that it makes it
impossible.to collect the product in pay
ing quantities. Others have tried, and
are still trying, but cannot make sue
cess of it.
Diamonds and other precious :stones
are found in Surinam, but most Of
them are small and of little value. The
reason Of this is that there is no one
there who understands working for
them. Most that have been found have
been picked out of the pan while washing
for gold and in washing up our instru-
ments at night.
OF opal gum we have abundance, but it
is not worked. The bush negroes would
bring it to town, but when they got it
there there would be no one to buy it of
them. The Indians and bush negroes
use it for night light. They place a
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