Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-07

"One hundred coolies can lift any,
thing in the world is the opinion
which has been gained by observa-
ton by Robert G. Stubs of this city,
who is now located at AKIN, in the
Gold Coast colony, British West
Africa. Mr.. Stubs is with the
Mengel Co, a big mahogany firm,
and has been recently promoted from
a forester to assistant manager of
the company's African branch.
Mr.. Stubs, who is a brother of DR..
r. H. Stubs of this city and who
was employed at the State House for
some time, went to Africa a year ago
this month and he writes home folks
that he expects to return for fur
Tough anytime in the next three
months. The weather in that part
Of the world is so unbearable at
times that white men cannot stand
more than IS months of it at time,
without visit to a cooler cline.
His largest command, he writes,
was at one time, when he had 600
men under his command and the
crew was at work cutting down the
huge mahogany trees to be shipped.
The office of the company in this
country is located at Louisville, Ky.
The method in which the huge logs
are taken from their native home is
most interestingly described by him.
After the consent of cutting down
the trees has been obtained from the
tribal chieftains, survey is made
and troughs are cut out of the I'M
dergroWth The trees are cut, leav-
ing very high stumps. Every bit of
work is done'by the coolies The
trees are hauled through the troughs
and to the creeks where they are
fioated down to the river and then
to several miles up from the mouth
of the river. The logs are then
beached until such time as they are
to be put on the steamers. The salt
water has decorating effect upon
the mahogany and thus contact is
avoided.
The work of loading the logs onto
the steamers is most hazardous and
lily SoOiItS tdht tllGlT lives III Inplr
hands. The cargoes easily assume
nigh value. A record made by the
company reveals that two or three
months work includes the loading of
$4,000 logs. weighing $4,000 tons and
the freight bill of which is $3S,250
to the Kentucky plant.
DR.. and Mrs. Stubs have recent
ly received an ashanti stool, hewn
a oh nf
and which it is safe to say, is the
only one of it's kind in this country.
The work was done by native
chieftain and the design reveals that
the stool is supported by an ele-
plant image.
The business OF obtaining per-
mission to cut the mahogany en-
tails diplomacy that would shame a
crowned head. The woods. owned
by the chieftains. contain fortunes
in this very valuable wood. The
trees must first be spotted, then the
consent of the owner gained and the
negotiations put into working.
When a white man travels in the
JunSles he does not do much walk
ing, but is carried a great deal of the
way in a hammock swung from the
shiny, SNOWY shoulders of two
coolies. When the party camps at
night, just as the sun goes down a
guard places himself on his PRAYER
rug for an all night watch. He
watches for the travelling ant, which
eats everything in it's path. When
the ant is observed coming, along
with a million of it's aunts and
cousins and such. it's path is diverted
from the camp site or the campers
break camp quickly and get out of
the way. 1t all depends upon the
viewpoint of the travelling ant.
There are very few white people
in that part of Africa where Mr..
Stubs is located.