The Colorado statesman., 1915-03-06

L HAS rarely Deen my privilege to
penetrate into more primitive re-
gions than the headwaters of the
Orinoco, or into land of greater
promise than is found along the
upper reaches of the Gy Parana, bet
ter known as the Rio Machado, writes
Leo r. Miller in an interesting article
on the rubber regions of South Amer
lea, in the India Rubber World. The
Gy Parana, it might be well to state,
is one of the largest afluents of the
Madeira. For many years its lower
course has been known to adventur-
Gus seekers of orchids, rubber, and
other natural products, all of which
have been yielded in abundance; but
it is only within the last few years
that the course of the upper river has
been thrown open to navigation OF
any kind. Even now only an occa-
sional dugout ventures beyond the
zone of pestilence and rapids into the
land of hostile Indian tribes; but the
way has nevertheless been opened,
and within comparatively short time
this region will be giving up its fair
quota of the natural riches that lie
hidden in the vast, untrodden wilder
ness.
The Orinoco is, no doubt, better
known by name than the Machada,
and at present it must suffice to give
merely a vague idea of the remoteness
of it's hinterlands by citing that it re-
quires approximately three months of
travel from Ciudad Bolivar, 240 miles
from the mouth of the mighty river,
to reach the rapids of Guajaribo, far
above the mouth of the Cassiquaire;
beyond that point the river is wholly
unknown.
At Senior Paraquete's Barraca.
On February 2S, 1913, stopped at
the barraca of one Senior Paraquete,
far up on the Orinoco beyond the
mouth of the Ventuari. The main
building stood on high bank 80 feet
above the river, and was occupied by
Senior Paraquete and his assistants.
Several large rooms were used as
venta or store and fair stock OF
provisions and merchandise was car
ried. On one side was the camp of
the full-hlooded Indian employees,
Maquiritares from the regions of the
Cunacunuma, who lived in small palm
leaf huts with their families On the
other side stood long, thatched build
ings, open all around, with scores OF
hammocks strung from the posts and
beams; these were the quarters of the
ves-Venezuelans and Zambos. In
the rear, and some distance away,
stood the smokehouses, completely IN
closed with palm leaves except for one
small door opening Trails led into
the forest from number of points,
and numerous dugouts tied to the
landing indicated that work was also
prosecuted on the other side OF the
river. Often, especially in the case
of the Indians, man and wife worked
together.
Old-fashioned methods are employed
entirely The trees are girded Win
strips of palm pitch at the base whlch
intercept the latex and defect 1t INTO
a folded leaf placed underneath. rms
system is rather wasteful and in1u-
rious to the trees. There is no hXed
rule or custom for tapping the trees
the men hacking into the bark at ran
dom. but occasionally the herringbone
pattern OF cut is uSeu- iSoNii 'ii'' ~
two routes. and endeavors to have
from 300 to 500 trees on each, SELDOM
more. often less, according to the
abundance of the rubber trees in the
locality. He takes one trail one day.
and the other the next, thus permit
ting the trees to rest on alternate
DAYS. If 1t rains, the days eaten is
spoiled, as latex mixed with water is
worthless.
The milk was weighed as brought
in by each man at midday and cred
tied to his account; in the afternoon
the whole force repaired to the smoke
house to work up the days eaten. A
kind of wood called Mazarandul is
used exclusively for the smudge; 1t Is
of a deep reddish color and grows
plentifully along the river
Transportation Is Costly.
The cost of transportation between
the Upper Orinoco and Ciudad Bolivar
is enormous In the first place, the
distance is very great and the river Is
full of rapids, necessitating long over
land portages; all provisions have to
be brought up, and the crude product
has to be taken back down; there is
ALWAYS a great loss both ways from
theft and wreckage, and as there is
no regular system of navigation be-
yond the mouth of the Apure, the difh-
culties encountered in securing boats
and crsVs ere tremendous.