The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-26
LAND OF THE HUMBING BIRD.
Surprising Phenomenon Follows
Digging i'm Asphalt Lake.

Di8 In abUHhAN
From the New York Evening Post.
Few people who travel over the as
phalted streets of New York are aware
of the origin of the black, pitchy mass
that goes 40 make up the basis Of the
smooth roadway under their feet Eight
cen hundred miles almost due south from
New York lies the little tropical island
of Trinidad-a British possession off the
coast of Northern South America At the
southwestern extremity of this colony
the famous Pitch lake is located on the
summit of a small hill, less than 200 feet
above the level of the sea- In appear
aDce, there is nothing phenomenal about
this wonder of the tropics; but a visit to
the lake, as IL Is Familiarity called reveals
one Of the most unaccountable oddities of
nature in the annals of travel
The tourist may take passage to the
land of the humming- bird''-as Trinidad
PEOPLE like their country to be called-and
after securing accommodation as the
only decent hotel in the colony, proceed
to the lake by one of the small govern
ment steamers, plying coastwise three
times weekly, disembark az the Brighton
pier, and proceed to the scene of dig
ging.", Of all The crude, rough and ready
means Oh extracting wealth. from fnOLler
earth, the Trinidad lake asphalt opera
lions are the most striking. The visitor
arrives on a fairly level plateau, spotted
here and there with tiny pools of water,
beneath which the soft shiny substance
known asphalt glitters in the rehec-
lions of fierce tropical sun. Scattered
over the surface of the lake dozens of
swarthy negroes are plying pick and hoe,
extracting the tar-coaly- looking stuff
C.s ~ Il.
OF a nearby shrub or under the protect
ing shelter of an umbrella, and watch
the negroes pile heap after heap Of the
asphalt into the endless chain Of tubs
that hurry along 90 the pier, from which
one has but recently landed until q
yawning excavation of twenty or more feet
suggests TO the supervising darby that
the time has come to move a bit further
on. In the course of few hours the ex-
cavation resulting from the mornings
diggings begins to look less deep, and by
eventide the spot from which more than
five or ten tons have been dug As again
level with the surrounding earth and
ready to be dug over by the gang of
noisy blacks. From the point of digging
to the pier is but mile or less Of end
less chain descent and sometimes steam
discharge the pitch at the rate of two or
three hundred tons per day.
On the voyage to Trinidad, West In
dies, and during the travellers stay there
many other objects of interest may be
taken in" Within a few miles Of the
city Of Port of Spain is the blue Bas-
in" a lofty waterfall. eliminating in a
valley OF gorgeous tropical verdure; eight
miles in an opposite direction are the
Maracas falls, of equal beauty and nov
city; while all around the city and suburbs
are villages Of Indians, in their primitive
gatherings OF tribes and castles, but quite
alert in their readiness 10 make money by
the sale of queer relics OF their craft.
There is but one direct line Of steamers
10 Trinidad and one to the neighboring
islands of the Antilles; the rates OF pas
sage are reasonable enough, although the
accommodation leaves something TO be
desired; the voyage requires anywhere
from nine TO twelve days, according TO
the point of disembarking; and the cost
of a round trip of five or six weeks may
be covered by the prudent tourist for an
expenditure of about $500