Evening star., 1904-04-30
Burma Principal Source Of
the Worlds Supply.
HELD AS A MONOPOLY
FORESTS ARE RESERVED By THE
GOVERNMENT.
Precautions Taken Against Fire
Work Of Hauling Logs Done by
Elephants Of Rice.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
RANGOON, Burma, March 20, 1904.
Burma is the principal source of the
worlds supply Of teak-that wood which Is
SO light and tough and impervious to water
and the effects Of the sun. It never shrtnks
or warps or sweIls, hence Is in great de-
mand from shipbuilders. By reason Of its
peculiar qualities 1t is especially adapted
for decks. Siam produces a goodAdeal OF
teak, and there are forests in the Malay
peninsula and Tonquin, but Burma has
more than all the other countries combined,
and it Is a source of great wealth.
Teak was formerly monopoly of the
crown. All trees wherever found belonged
to the king during the days of the despot-
ISM The British government inherited
these rights, and since Burma was annexed
to India the forests have been reserved
with wise regulations for protection against
fire and waste. Forest commissioners keep
things In order, and give permits for cut
ting to reputable firms and select the trees
that are to be cut. There are about 25,OOO
square miles Of teak forest under tnspec-
ton and more are planted every year. The
trees grow rapidly, especially when they
are properly cultivated, and under the far
sighted policy of the government the sup
ply is being increased rather than dimin-
ished and provision is being made for the
future. The revenues from the sale OF
timber are about 100000 year. Siam
has adopted similar regulations, and
ploys Englishmen as foresters, SO that its
teak is being protected also.
Maps of the forest area have been made,
and twice each year every acre is inspected;
trees which may be cut without injury are
girdled and left standing until the sap is
entirely out Their location Is marked upon
the map, estimates are made Of the guam
tity of lumber and logs they will yield and
furnished to those who are seeking con-
tracts The business, however, Is limited to
three or four respectable and experienced
hrms the value of teak is pretty well
established and does not vary much from
year to year.
When a contract Is lot the lumbermen
send gangs of coolies into the forests with
herds of elephants to haul out the logs;
the trees that were glrdled six or eight
months before are cut down, sawed into
legs, and hauled by elephants to the banks
or streams, where they allowed to dry
before they are made up into RATS and
hoated Gown to Rangoon. Rafting green
logs is attended by considerable risk, be-
cause their specific gravity is greater than
that Of water and they are likely to sink.
The Elephants at Work.
1t Is a novel and interesting sight to
watch elephants working in the lumber
JeAao, AOi tACy uo IL dill "A buTIIldu Bus
Oh the animals neck with a sharp steel
prod in his hand and directs the beast by
touching him on different spots on his head
and by the use Of quaint expressions which
are understood by the man and the ele-
phant Cnly. Elephants handle all the logs
and the lumber as intelligently and with
much greater ease and rapidity than could
be done by a gang OF men. McGregor & Co.,
one OF the largest numbering firms employ
about 200 elephants in the forests, at their
saw mills and in their lumber yards at
Rangoon. Strangers always go down to see
the elephants at work. 1t is the most inter-
esting sight in Burma
When the cross timbers that hold the RATS
together are cut the elephants go down to
the waterside one by one, separate logs
weighing two tons or more from the rest Of
the raft by the use of their trunks and tusks
and carry or drag them up into the yard
and place them upon piles at the entrance
to the saw mill Sometimes they haul the
logs with chains attached to a harness ad-
Justed to their necks and breasts. Some
times they push them with their trunks and
feet ana the ease with which they handle
the enormous logs is remarkable, and the
Intelligence they show is even more so. The
native sitting on the animals neck has only
to whisper in its ear what is wanted and
the job is done with neatness and dispatch.
Nearly all the elephants used in the lum-
Der business-and they are found in every
camp and in every lumber yard-are natives
OF Burma, and are captured wild in the for
province. No one 10 allowed to shoot them
In fact, no native of Burma has a gun. In
the elephant district there are only twelve
or fifteen guns in population of between
500, coo and 100000, and they belong to gov
ernment officials.
Capture Of Elephants.
The elephant business is under the con-
troll Of a commissioner, Mr.. Dalrymple
Clark who makes it his business to keep
track of all the wild herds and in the fall
of the year, after the calves of that sea-
son are weaned, he sends out men to round
them up by beating the jungles. Tame ele-
plants are used as decoys. They are we'll
trained. and by mixing in the herds Of
wild ones lead them into corals called
"keddahs." made Of heavy posts lashed to-
gether with wire. Usually Mr.. Clark gets
from twenty to sixty wild animals into a
"keddah' each drive. He turns out all Of
the females and drives them back into the
forests, selecting healthy and strong young
males to be kept and trained. They are
starved for several days and then placed
under the charge OF native trainers, who,
with the aid of veteran animals teach the
green ones what is expected of them. When
they behave we'll they fed: when they
are unruly or Indifferent they are COM
PEELED to go hungry, and they soon learn
the truth of the old adage.
The usual crop of young elephants Is
about 300 a year. Last year a contagious
disease called anthrax carried off more than
half of those held in captivity. including
several of the best decoys. Hence prices
are very high. This year Mr.. Clark expects
big drive. Large herds are reported, and
he II watching them carefully. The govern
ment selects as many as it needs from the
annual catch and sells the remainder to
lumbermen. They are seldom shipped out
of the country. A green elephant is worth
from $500 to $1,000. according to age and
size. Those that are well trained and have
ar liable dispositions are worth $500 and
u. ward