Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-03-26

FLOATING RUe6ER RAT
+ HAS rarely been my privilege to
penetrate into more primitive re
giOns than the headwaters Of the
Orinoco, or into a land Of greater
promise than is found along the
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 affluents 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
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 dueout ventures beyond the
zone Of pestilence and rapids into the
land Of hostile Indian tribes: but the
way has nevertheless been opened.
and within q 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 IL, no doubt. better
known by name than the Machada.
and at present 1t must suflce to give
merely a vague idea of the remoteness
Of its hinterlands by citing that 1t 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 IL wholly
unknown.
At Senior Paraquets's earraea.
On February %. 1918, l 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 30 feet
above the river, and was occupied BY
Senior Paraquete and his assistants.
Several large rooms were used - .
venta or store and Q fair stock Of
provisions and merchandise was chr.
ried. On one side was the camp Of
the full-blooded 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, matched build
ings. open all around. with scores Of
strung from the posts and
beams; these were the quarters Of the
natives-Venexuelans and Zafhbos. In
the rear, and some distance away.
stood the gmokehouses. 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
on the other side Of the
river. Often. especially in the case
Of the Indians, man and wife worked
together. Il
Old-fashioned methods are employed
entirely. The trees are girded with
strips of palm pitch at the base which
intercept the latex and defect It into
= folded leaf placed underneath This
system II rather wasteful and inju-
rious to the trees. There 10 no fixed
rule or custom for tapping the trees.
the men hacking into the bark 1t ran
dom, but occasionally the herringbone
pattern of cut 10 used. Each man has
two routes, and endeavors to have
lrom 500 to 500 trees on each, reldom
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
ling the trees to rest on alternate
days. II It rains, the days catch II
spoiled, 40 latex mixed With water h
worthless.
The milk was weighed - brought
IN by each man ut midday and cred
ted to his account; IN the afternoon
he whole force repaired to the smoke
house to work up the days catch. A
kind of wood called Mazarandul ID
lsed exclusively for the smudge.
The cost of transportation between
he Upper Orinoco and Ciudad Bolivar