The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-08-15
OUR SOUTH AMERICAN LETTER.
(By C. T. Tooraen, Jr.)

Mr.. Tooraen writes from Ponte Nova
Brazil, under date of June &c, as fol
lows:
Gust a few lines to let you know l
am still on the map, although in far
corner of it.
I'VE haven't started the mill yet but
expect to do so in a few days, as
everything is ready except my outfit,
which hasn't arrived from Rio yet, al
though 1t was shipped from there two
weeks ago. Had l known all this |
could have remained with Prof Kerr
at least month longer
Il have been talking with Mr.. Wool
man about the timber proposition here
in Brazil and neither of us think much
Of it. In the southern and northern
parts there is considerable timber but
it Is almost impossible to realize a
profit on it from exporting, Many
companies have tried it and most have
failed. The railroads charge nearly
half the value for freight, and the gov
eminent dips in for about ten per cent
more. When it gets to the coast there
is heavy export duty levied on it. |
should think, though, that money could
be made by making lumber for the
home market, especially for furniture
making, as furniture sells down here
for about four times as much as it
does in the U. S. The majority of the
timber is very beautiful hardwood,
most of which takes high polish with
out the application of oil.
"The company l am with is CAPT.
talized at 100000, most of the stock
being held by two old Portuguese
brothers, who were the originators
The rest Of the stock is owned by an.
other Portuguese and Mr.. Woolman
Both the old men are doctors One
lives here and the other in Rio. | am
living with the one here and l find
him to be about the finest old fellow
| ever came in contact with.
"Mr. Woolman is certainly a lucky
dog. He came out here to put in a
railroad When packing up to leave
along came the two old men, who pat
ted him on the back and said, Come
with us. We will give you $4,000
worth of stock and make you presi.
dent and general manager OF the con.
Germ He doesn't have to pay them
the money until he realizes it from
the factory He says it all came as a
surprise to him and gives as the rea
son that the two old men wanted tc
retire from active management.
have no doubt it is good proposition
for him but certainly would not care
to locate in a place like this. The
vast majority of the population are
negroes or tainted with negro blood
and the disgusting feature of it is tina
those who do claim to be white recog
nize the negro as their social equal
and the customs and manner of living
are pretty bad.
81 am getting along fairly we'll will
the Portuguese lingo, as l have ;
teacher in the person of the book
keeper. l am teaching him English il
return and find that he has acquired {
reading knowledge of it from CORE
spondence school in the States. He il
a real nice sort of fellow. He took m,
to his home last Sunday where we hat
a pretty good dinner. After dinner w
went out hunting for monkeys an,
birds, with tiny French shotguns
smaller than 20 gauge. We found III
monkeys but flushed UP somt sort 0
birds resembling wild turkeys, A fey
days later, however, as l was walking
along the spillway through the woods
saw several monkeys jumping abou
in the trees like squirrels. One wa
very large, the largest ! have eve
seen.
1.-THE cane here appears to be yer
much better than that of Louisiana.
grows for twelve or eighteen month
and yields an average of about thirt
tons, with scarcely any cultivation
some places yielding fifty tons or more
The sugar content is also very higl
There is very little level land an
most of the cane grows on the moul
tain sides. Small mules are used i
cultivating and large Brahma oxe
bring the cane in two-wheeled carts t
the railroad. There are very We
horses here and in Rio there are nom
all the draft animals being littl
mules"
Between 10000 and 100000 Anne