Smyrna times., 1936-01-09
is
BEST IN JUNGLE
Valuable Wood Is Found i'm
Jungles of South
America
PERSUIT IS DANGEROUS

New York.-Adventurou young
men who bemoan the fact that ex-
ploring and trail blazing is only a
yard in history books might look
to mahogany harvesting in the jun
gle forests of South America and
Africa for their elusive adventure.
Many of the locations where ma
hOgany is found have not been
touched by the foot of white man,
and for more than 800 years the
same primitive methods have been
used to locate, fell and market ma
hogany as existed when Cortez and
Raleigh first came upon this wood
in tropical America.
Gold and diamond mining, fur
trapping and other exploits all
have felt the hand of industry and
the efficiency Of machinery upon
their exploits. Not so with mahog-
any harvesting. No other product
sought for in unexplored countries
has resisted commercialization to
the same degree.
Work Demands Initiative.
Whether in Mexico, Honduras,
Nicaragua, South America, or along
the gold and ivory coasts of West
Africa, the work of logging still de-
mands Individual initiative and
hardihood. There is still the diff
cult penetration of the jungle and
navigation of torrential tropical
streams; still the need for adroit
negotiation with local concession
aires and on their part the neces-
sity for shrewd barter with land
owners, government agents and
tribal chiefs. Experienced employ
ment and management of native la
Dor also are essential All these
elements in the exploitation of ma
hogany change but little from gen.
GRAFTON to generation.
In Africa, the natives still haul
the giant logs for miles through the
brush. the prevalence of the tsetse
fly making it impossible to use cat
tie. Attempts have been made to
haul by tractor, but the tangle of
the bush is so thick and and the
terrain so irregular that repair costs
thus far have made the expense
prohibitive, according to the Furni-
ture News bureau.
One of the main reasons why the
color and romance of mahogany log
ging still survive wherever it is un-
dertaken and why the adventure is
still primitive and frequently even
mahogany frontier" has steadily
receded, ever necessitating a deep
er penetration into the bush on the
part of the mahogany hunter.
Hunters Locate Forests.
The contractor usually takes with
him on his prospecting trip three
or four "hunters" whose assist
ance is invaluable to him in locat-
ing mahogany forests. In Central
America the men employed for
hunting are Mosquito Indians, Su-
mas or Spaniards, chosen for their
experience and skill in this work.
From the point where camp is es-
tablished to the end of the drive,
the harvesters are in constant dam
ger. Their work must be rapid so
that all the wood is In the rivers
before the dry season arrives. Much
of the time is spent in working and
little for eating and sleeping while
the water lasts.
Not until after the logs are load
ed on a steamer do the contractor
and his men breathe freely. Be-
hind him, then, are all of the dam
ger of attacks by hostile natives,
death by poisonous insects and rep
tiles and the fever. The mahogany
is on its way to the large furniture
making centers and shipbuilding
yards, and until another forest is
sighted the men take their leisure.