The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-02-15

IN rubber forest under the lash OF
hrutes desperately eager to gather a
fortune. determined to go back to civil,
ilzatson rich. Disease win be every.
WheTe. Life can be bought for a pound
OF crads rubber. Money. money
money ct any sacrifice, that is the
coes N the forests about Iquitos.
| Would Brook No Delay.
So quickly did she act, this daugh-
ter OF banker many times million
afre, that she had her trunks packed
aud her passage to New York engaged
before she received letter from her
husband. telling the details Of this ex-
petition into the heart OF the rubber
forests Of Peru.
Comforts, luxurias. entertainments.
without regret she turned from them
to go to fight side By side with her
husband who had been chosen by the
Peruvian government to bring health
into the most disease-ridden city In
the world
AS for his going aIone-that was I'm
possible. In the drst place, Mrs. Con-
verse wouldn't have consented to a
separation for two years In the Sec
ond, his duties II Deaths favorite rec
reation ground were such that he
would need the aid OF his wife.
Before accepting the Peruvian mis-
sion. DR.. Converse talked the matter
over with his brother officers in the
service. They told him that his only
chance to live to clean up a tropical
pesthols that Is menacing heath at
the Panama canal would be to SET MP
Il Iauitos q nersaaa sstab lIshnelat,
governed By the stris1esI rules 81 ny
giene.
He mast tive In q rat-proo1 and IN.
sect-proof house, which must be kept
steTi1ized from top to bottom to kill
the death floating In the miasmic air
OF the Jungle Utensils must be scaId-
ed always before use. all food must
be cooked. except fruit. which must
be scalded; cooked food II touched
by fly or other insect. must be
thrown away; clothing must be care
fully sterilized. and only certain fab
RIGS must be worn; the house. OF
course. must be kept scrupulonsly
clean.
Love Called for Sacrifice.
Money could not buy the sort OF
household service the preservation OF
DR.. Converse's health and life would
demand: only love could be relied up
on TO give such service. never TO slip
In its adherence to the scientific rules
OF hygiene. So he must take his
young wife with him to the plague
stricken city. Her work in maintain
ing sanitary household in lqnltos
would be fully as important part OF
the government mission as her hus-
oand's-and fully as dangerous.
LII. Converse didn't need the 81, 1000
month the Peruvian government
contracted to pay him for two years
service. The Converse family is well
known In California and has lands
and wealth in abundance, and young
George Converse went into the public
health and marine hospital service be-
cause he wanted to amount TO some
thing. because life OF use}essness
hello NO charms for him.
Suburb of Hets.s
Men who have come out OF iauitos
alive call 1t "a suburb OF hell" There
are no "oId Inhabitants In Iquitos.
They talk Of events OF q year ago and
believe they are discussing history.
Men visit Iquioos as river visits q
sunken treasure ship. they enter the
city as q fireman enters burning
building. ready to fee as soon as they
End that which they seek.
The rubber trade must bear the
blame for this. When Charles Good
year discovered the process for turn
ing crude rubber into an article of
commerce there was Wild rrssf, OF
into the forest regions Of
South America Here gold grew in
trees. Rubber gathering is slow work. |
lmpatienee brought out the brute in
these men. They made Slaves OF the
Indians who lived IN the montana, as |
The forest region is called
Whispered tales began to come cut
II the Amazon rubber district. espe-
tally from the Putumayo district at
he northern end OF It blood curdling
ales of baTbarous erueItses and tor
Ares--old women locked Into cribs
Ind starved to death because they
sess too feeble to gather the quota I
i rsbber their drivers demanded OF /
hem babies cut In two with one
sroke Of the maehetf when their
Mothers protested thar they must