Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-01-13
RUBBER IS rrS COLI.
Valley of The Amazon aud It's Vast
Wealth

Courtney dc Kalh. the South Amcri-
cam traveller, tells his experiences in
the valley of the Amazon as follows,
says the New York World
Prom the very day in 1916. when
pmzon who had followed Columbus
in his first daring leap into the I'M
known west entered the Amazon a
gIHmor Of romance began 10 gather
about the mighty forestcoycred valley
Of that river I'm 1910 Francesca de
Orcnana came across the Andes and
sailed down the Amazon 10 the sea,
bringing wondrOus tales of the land
of silver and gold and the Kingdoms
Of warrior women Padre Cristoval de
Acuna, after his journey across the
basin OF the river boldly affirmed, In
1850, that there was siuMcd the fH-
nous III Dorado, that there abode the
AmaZons In the richest splcndol that
The world had known, that the river
Vocautius was afiame with gollcn
sands and precious stones and tlEt
the glory of the Aztccs and the luclS
was as nothing compared with the
land of the Omaguas These ideas,
which we now smile at, powerfully in.
famed the minds of those distant
cpochs
Such were the incentives that car
ricd the first white men into the ANA
zon Valley The hopes Of the fathers
became the food of the sons This I'M
reasoning expectancy this unreal ok
istence, was the inheritance each gen
Grafton left 10 the next The people
of the Amazon slowly became disillu-
stoned, but the spirit Of Incidence. the
life of penury couched in the luxury
of gildod dreams Is still their birthrigbt
from the past New forces are work
ing also. and the Amazoniaus have
found their IN Dorado at last, sur
rounding and ovcrhanging their very
homes I'm that wonderful gum from
their forests Of rubber trees, whose
Uses in the arts Of civilization seem TO
have no end, The steam whistle star
ties the wilderness, the hum Of saw
mills rises from the river banks, cities
are growing in many parts, new faces
crowd among the old and the jingle
of gold sounds i'm unaccustomed cars
"The valley Of the Amazon IS a terra
incognito to the great bulk Of our PEG
pie. In spite Of its wonderful CONNER
cial advantages Yet there have been
many works written by studious and
careful travellers which give the
amplest information about life and
scenery in the remarkable valley
/ Among these travellers may be men
toned A. r Wallace, Professor Agas
/ siz H.. W. Bates, Keller, orion, Gre
yaUX, and chiefly Lieutenant Hcrndon
who was sent under orders by the
state department Of the United States
and who submitted a report which
/ stands today as an Acknowledged elias
1 sic ON the resources of the Amazon.
"The principal city and port Of The
\ Amazon is Para, situated eighty mile.
from the sea on the estuary Of tht
i Tocantius 1T is ~ city Of betweel
I 10000 and 10000 inhabitants and i
/ one Of the most beautiful cities Of On
/ western hemisphere. The climate
one Of the most charming in the worlO
for equality Of temperature. and tn
constant sea breeze and daily thun
/ der showers keep the air sweet an
pure. II was always regarded as a
! exceptionally healthy city until 1856
when yellow fever was imported there
4 This dread disease IS now epideml
in Para, and keeps away thousands .
tourists who would otherwise yisl
there
The exports Of rubber from Par