The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-04
Hsx Tie Trees Ire Tapled AM
TIE SaplrePAred for nArket
- 10 0apse d Rubber
Which Cost 100
Smoking Rubber.

Copyrighted. -. by Frank @. Carpenter.
->.AHA, Brasil. May a--Para 10 the
chief rubber port Of the world.
~ The Amazon valley produces
Tx more and better rubber than any
III other region on earth. and the
greater part Of it, product
Goes through Para More than .
hundred thousand pounds are ship
ped from here every day, and the
amount exported last year was 20
great that II It were all loaded on wagons
Il would take $500 horses TO haul 1t over
anacadamfsed roads. From every part Of
fhis great Amazon valley. from the foot
hills Of the Andes. from the wtids Of Boz
1tv1s, from the aavaGe regions OF Ecuador.
from the banks Of the Orinoco. the Ma-
detra the Zingu and the thousand minor
streams. loads Of rubber are fioated down
the Amazon 70 the city 1t Its mouth.
The Ialia Rsbhef Age.
This II the India rubber age. and Para
q tn usainsprtng. Prom here goes out the
elastic material which moves the world.
Every man, woman and child who VIII
read this letter n using Para rubber in
one form or another. Some OF you have II
under your feet. Millions Of pounds 20
into rubber shoes. There n one factory
In New England that makes 5000 pairs Of
yubbew In : day. and In one month In Bos-
ton 100000 pairs Of rubhers were recent
ey sold ct auction. Some Of you have II
on the ends Of your pencils. and others
uso II ia the shape Of rubber bands. II
u estimated that the school children OF
every one Of our towns OF 1900 inhabff-
ants use more than s.0o0 rubber bands
year. and the total weight OF the bands
used In tho United States In enormous.
lxa uuNo
rubber uphcide the pan<aloons OF millions.
II upholds the stockings Of other millions
Of the fAirer sex. and both men and wo-
men are coasting over the roads upon It's
bicycle tires. II takes two pounds OF Para
rubber 70 make n set IT tires. and 1t Ii es-
fimatad that there are In the neighborhood
OF 100000 bicycles now in use In the Unit
ed States and Great Britain. It takes
more 10 cushion the wheels OF cabs and
carriages, ard tho vehicles being made In
this way are now numbered BY the tens
Of Thousands
Rubbsr II used In countless other ways.
The rubber ink erasers Of the public
schools q New York and Brooklyn amount
20 i've tons a year; tors of 1t ara used by
surgeons for rubber sheets. syringes and
not water bags. A large quantity forms
tho bases OF false teeth. and great
amount In swallowed up In machinery anu
IN the Industrial arts
In the Rubber Metropolis.
II Il rubber that has built up the city Of
pxra, and II is rubber which supports u
today. For every pound which - sent
asvay tho exporter has 10 pay - cents 10
the state government. and the result Is
that Para IL a rich state and its officials
Wa Eat
The city OF Para has about 100. 600 people.
II il alive and enterprising. II has im-
rnsuse stores filled with all kinds Of goods
for the rubber camps. II has great ware.
houses where the rubber IL packed up for :
shipment abroad. and through its streets
you SEQ carts filleA with crude rubber 60
ln9 70 and from tho stores and the ware.
houses Much Of the rubber II taken In
trade for goods. great deal OF II 10
brought direct TO the warehouses. and you
zee It In all sorts Of shapes.
The rubber exporting parts OF the city
suae4l like smoke house. The rubber Is
brought In Jumps which look for all the
world like four.pound hams. They smell
Tho smoked hams. and you would not
know the difference unless you saw them
fall on tho street. At such times thew
bounce UP and down and roll about like
things alive. as pork hams could not pos
sihly do.
The Rubber Territory Of the Amason
near Para. shall describe my visit 10
one Of them further on in this letter But
first let me tell You something about the
rubber territory OF this great valley The
Amaxon valley is. you know. Of vast ex-
tent. II In 10 miles wide and more than
2esD miles long. and vast part OF II COM
tains rubber trees.
Thelrees grow over a territory one.third
- large as the whole United States They
thrive best on ground that Is flooded a part
OF the year. A great part OF the valley In
OF the trees. They remain about them for
months. and then sabssde. until the floods
come again
The valley IL cut M by rivers and
streams. II Is almost altogether covered
With woods. and the only way Of reaching
different parts Of II is by IN. streams.
Almost all the land along the streams IL
owned by some enc or other. II II is not
owned II is claimed. and this IL especially
duce good rubber
Seine Of II is owned by large cemnantes
The rubber trust controls much OF Il. The
Amaxonas Rubber Estate Cornnanv ~
Lossaon. has 5000 acres on a tributary Of
Shc Amazon. more than l. 500 miles ahoye
Para. II has n capita, OF 81 s<p ~ ana
runr steam tug between It's estate and
s's stt' 81 MANAGES. which Is i0n miles I'D
che river, There is another English ru,,-
Ter contrary. which has been recently
fofnaed. With a capital OF tf.soan. which
owns about IA. 40 rubber trees, scattered
over lss.a" acres THIS company has gro.
daeod as much ax 3e tens OF rubber a
year, and II viii. IL claims soon produce
6ae tons annually.
Nearly every business man ~ p-nu,,.
nence 81 Para Owns more or less r,,hhar
lard. Many 81 tina big business houses
nsee Hens on the owners NJ ruhaer earapS
Tor the goods they supply 10 them. ana
X may ac sail that the rubber lanas OF
THE Amazon are practically nsorsxax-s 20
pars. and its connections.
TITS - especially 30 ef the rubber conn
try south Of the Rio Negro on that
river. not far fress It's raesish Is the town
az NAnaos. which has saSa ,soo,,ae This
Is also rsihseer city and iss people are
largely interested in the rubber forests
further frs asf5a4s{au 10 e.