The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-03-12

4 HAS rarely been my privilege t
penetrate Into more primitive re
=; glons ths the headwaters of tn
r Orinoco. or into land of create
prorffse than is found along tn,
upper reaches of the Gy Parana, bet
ter known as the Rio Machado, writes
Leo E. 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 aff1uents of the
Madeira. For many years it's 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
1t 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 or hostile Indian tribes; but the
way has nevertheless been opened,
and within a 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 1t must suffice to give
merely vague idea of the remoteness
Of ito 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 %, 1918, 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 a
vepta or store and a fair stock of
p4 isions and merchandise was car
RI IN one side was the camp of
TT 'blooded Indian employees,
u Tres from the regions of the
Il ma, who lived in small palm !
with their families. On the
stood long, matched build
en- all around, with scores of |
scks strung from the posts and
ms; these were the quarters of the
ves-Venezuelans and Zambos. In
the rear, and some distance away,
stood the smokehouses, completely IN
siosed with palm leaves except for one
small door opening. Trails led into
The forest from number of points,
and numerous dugouts tied to the
anding indicated that work was also }
prosecuted on the other side of the /
liver Often, especially in the case
If the Indians, man and wife worked
ogether.
Old-fashioned methods are employed L
The trees are girded with c
trips of palm pitch at the base which 4
the latex and defect it into {
folded leaf placed underneath. This N
ystem is rather wasteful and inju- II
ious to the trees There is no fixed o
ule or custom for tapping the trees, u
he men hacking into the bark at ram o
ON, but occasionally the herringbone
attern of cut is used. Each man has
wo routes, and endeavors to have e.
rom 300 to 500 trees on each, seldom "
lore, often less, according to the 81
bundance of the rubber trees in the p
,cality. He takes one trail one day, u
nd the other the next, thus permit III
ng the trees to rest on alternate N
avs. If it rains, the days catch is
ooiled, as latex mixed with water is
orthless.
The milk was weighed as brought "a
i by each man at midday and cred d.
ed to his account; in the afternoon al
e whole force repaired to the smoke ma
,use to work up the days catch. A tn
nd Of wood called Mazarandul is ex
led exclusively for the smudge; it is or
deep reddish color and grows le:
entifully along the river. m,
Transportation Is Costly. tic
The cost of transportation between ca
e Upper Orinoco and Ciudad Bolivar gil
enormous. In the first place, the IN
stance Is very great and the river is 70
Il Of rapids, necessitating long over
i'd portages; all provisions have to
brought up, and the crude product
3 to be taken back down; there is by
ways a great loss both ways from col
1T and wreckage, and as there is ne
regular system Of navigation be- ng1
I'D the mouth OF the Apure. the dim the
ties encountered In securing hosts ca,
crsws azv tremendous. ma