The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-22

2Eb~ OF the @SHAB-N A~AEo AhE
tator. Lives in an Earthquake
Proof ROoR,-!Iis Narrow Escape.
Fred Richards. a gTobe-trotter, who IS
just finishing a second trip around the
world passed through Washington yes
terday, Ell route home During his So
jOurn abroad he spent six months in Ven
czueIa- He gives an Interesting account
of the ashphalt discoveries and Of Castro,
the dictator
Caracas. tho Venezuelan capital" said
Mr.. Richards is the gayest city in our
sister Republics and is called the Paris of
the south Its population numbers about
S0,0pG, it supports eight newspapers. sew
eraf good hotels. and three cIubs-the Club
Union, the Club Venezuela, and the Ger
man Club.
Castro, the Dictator. abandoned the
Yellow House, the executive mansion.
corresponding to our White House, last
October, after the calamitous earthquake.
He took IN his residence in the palace of
ex-President Crespo, called Mira Flores
In this house is az acknowledgment
room, built of steel. and in this strong
box, as it We're, Castro and his wife spend
most of their time They come naturally
by their great fear of s,Ibsurface uphea-
walls, for in the earthquake at Cucuta.
twenty-five years ago. Sonora Castro was
the only member of an entire family who
escaped the devastation At the moment
of that earthquake Castro himself stood
on hill just outside the town. and hap
pened to be looking at his own house when
the sudden catastrophe came upon it and
it cTUmbled into ruins. buryiHg all within
In the earthquake Of October ". 1900, Cas-
tro WAS thrown out Of bed and then
jumped out of the window to paved
court. breaking his leg
The Venezuelan asphalt enterprise
which has attracted SO much public atten-
ton. said Mr. Richards, has been a work
OF great sacrifice. a company has per
severed III spending money and backing
IN the enterprise, and in doing this 1t
perscvered in fighting physical and politi-
cal difficulties. The men engaged in this
ashpalt war have passed through the
greatest trials and hardships in the jun
gle Businesses in order to establish the as
phait plant al the lake. The cutting of a
trail through the dense swamp in order
to reach the asphalt lake was only the
commencement of the many difficulties
which they had to overcome. In order TO
really appreciate the work the railroad
built through this tropical swamp must
ne seen Many months were spent in cut
ting down the jungle. and the giant tim
hers of the forests
Indians were used in cutting away the
brush and scrub and the Venezuelan ne
Sroes feiled the trees Numerous trips
were made to Trinidad for negroes and
supplies. When the roadway WIS cleared
the most difficult task of all came-the
building of solid roadbed over an al
most bottomIess swamp for q distance of
]
HVe years Of the pioneer life spent by the
men who were pushing the project were
fun of thrilling incidents Tigers and
otfler beasts of the jungle dbOuuded. and
now and then would nav nocturnal visits
10 the stockyard and helm th.<lseiyes 10
chickens and occasionally To Young pigs
ne deVelopne1s Of the pitch lake and
the placing Of the asphalt or the market
has been work requiring the greatest
possible physical endurance and CfeteTr7i-
nation In all the twelve or thirteen Years
spent in this work less than Il hundred
persons have set foot on the lake This
IS principally owing to the isloated !Oea-
ton Of the nud. for IL IS far from the
beaten track of the traveller OF the few
white people who have seen the lake
nearly all were officials of the company
Whlch Owls II or We're connected with IL
IN some capacity Until within the past
Few years A. Howard Garner manager
and director Of the company. and his wife
We're the only white persons living within
hundred miles of the asphalt lake.
Mrs. Garner may be called the rank
ing American heroine in Venezuela for
from the moment Mr. Garner Iirst sailed
up an unknown river TO break into an I'M
known land Mrs Garner has never in
sickness or in health in peace or in trori-
bic, left her husbands side Mr. Garner
and his wife are now in this country
The pitch lake in question is in the
northern part Of the State Of Bermu1ez
400 miles from Caracas The lake covers
about 200 acres, and IS surrounded on all
sides by a dense Jungle The asphalt lake
itself looks like a sea Of black putty II
IS one Of the great natural curiosities of
the world. The asphalt IL dug with
broad biaded mattocks. and the exCava-
tons MI I'D as fast as the labOrers leave
them II IS the opinion Of scientists that
the supply is ineXhsustibIe. new re-
nnery. built OF steel, has just been com
pleted IT stands on the edge Of the lake
ana here the asphalt viii be in future re-
fined and shipped north ready for paving
Strict discipline. tempered with kind
ness IS necessary TO preserve d spirit Of
contentment among these men, shut of
as they are. from cOmmuuiCa ton with
the outside world, and hemmed in by the
vast silence of the jungle All kinds of
evening and Sunday amuseueuts are
therefore. invented Tor the diversion Of
the wOrkmen- Comfortable houses are
provided Tor all. They have their Sun
days and holidays for recreation the
same as their fellow worImen in the Uni
ted States The ma ioTiUv of the men
come from Trinidad. and that q report OF
kindly treatment comes from those en-
plcyed al the pitch lake il shown by the
tact that q petition was recently sent TO
the Governor Of Trinidad asking chat the
Law prohibiting the dcportiug of labor be
set aside in the case Of the Hernudez
people The Governor granted the exCep-
ton and ever since. when 1t Is known in
Trinidad that more men are needed In
BermudeZ, ten times the needed number
Of men have applied. This shows that
despite their life in the lonely forest. the