Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-11
Swompy Jungle Rests
On Mountain Tops
Fontostie Reptiles Live
In Venezuela Sanctuary
BY THOMAS r. HENRY

In Venezuela Sanctuary
BY THOMAS r. HENRY
HENRI PITTIER NATIONAL PARK.
Venezuela.-Here is one Of the earth's
wonder spotS-a swampy jungle on
mountain tops, shrouded almost con-
stantly in heavy mist, where dwell some
Of the most fantastic living animals.
It is a cloud forest, covering about
100 square miles, part Of which has
been set aside as a rigidly restricted
sanctuary for the strange birds, rep
tiles, insects and worms that live in
its dark depths. 1t stands on top OF
a tropical thorn forest.
This shrouded jungle is the Henri
Pittier National Park, or the "eStacion
biolojica de Rancho Grande" in north
central Venezuela. 1t is named for
former distinguished biologist of the
United States Agriculture Department.
the last years of whose life were spent
in the service of the South American
republic. DR.. Pittier long recognized
that the area contained a unique as
semblage of animals in a unique en-
anu 1Ol yC0io AA"A IA SSSA
that it be set aside and rigidly pro-
tected in the interests of science.
It is "Sub-tropical jungle" as de-
scribed by DR.. William H. Phelps, Ven
ezuelas foremost ornithologist and one
of her foremost financiers, who has
taken notable part in developing the
reserve for scientists. They have come
from all over the world, but only one
or two at time. Other visitors are
rare. Perhaps it would be more accu-
rate to say that it is a three storied
Observation-Disclosures on top of semi
tropical on top of tropical. 1t is sub
tropical-more so, for example, than
any part of Florida-because of its
altitude. although it is only few hun
dred miles north of the equator. It
is mountain swamp because Of
weird meteorological phenomenon
which probably is seen nowhere else
in the world in quite the same form.
This is the "shroud." or neblina.
Shroud Of Gray Fog
1t is low, grey-white fog which
in late afternoon and the first half
of the night envelops the densely
forested hills and mountains. A
mountain range faces the sea. The
warm, humid air over the Caribbean
condenses against the cool, high
northern face of these mountains to
produce the shroud. Starting about
noon, it swirls and pillows from the
north over the tree-covered submits
and falls lower and lower down the
slopes as the afternoon progresses.
Thus for a large part Of each day
the place is wrapped in white, ecto-
plasmic blanket
This phenomenon occurs every day
of the year and. while actual rain is
rare, the humidity is seldom below
&c. Thus the mountain becomes es-
sentially swamp, with slopes we'll
adapted to jungle swamp forms Of
vegetation
Center of this eerie corner of the
world, just across the seward facing
slopes and six miles from the Carib-
bean, is the haunted castle. It
would be a perfect setting for the
most -tingling tales of the
supernatural. For q years Juan
Vicente Gomez was Venezuela's die
tator. From all the stories one>hears
about him, especially from children
and grandchildren of his political OPP
ponents, his dictatorship was one to
climax all relationships His capital
was the army town of Maracay, about
20 miles from the present Rancho
Grande. on star-shaped Lake VAL
encia.
Towards the end of his life the old
man began the construction of
"super-hotel" in the middle of a
broad pass through the eastern spur
on the Andes from the sea to the
lake. The work was done by politi-
cal prisoners. They were balled-and-
chained. or wore leg irons. Overseers
with whips stood over them.
"Hotel' Building Abandoned
Shortly before Christmas in 1885 word
came from Maracay that the old dicta-
tor had died in the night. The labor
ers cheered and wept with joy. They
threw down their picks and hammers.
The overseers, the source of their au-
thority gone and fearing perilous fu-
ture, made no move to stop them. The
hotel" was left half finished and aban-
doned for a decade to black bats and
scarlet snakes.
Gomez reasons for building Rancho
Grande are debatable. Some say he
was a man ahead of his time and in
tended it as purely business enter
prise. the first of the extremely luxuri-
GUS winter hostelries for rich Americans
which now dot the Caribbean area.
Others say he had in mind a monar-
chial court, social center for his
regime. Still others maintain that he
intended it as an impregnable fort In
event of successful revolution Of
which he was in constant dread.
The architecture is that of mediae-
val Spanish stronghold and the place,
as designed. probably could have with
stood an attacking force for q long
time. 1t still is in about the state in
which it was left, largely roofiess. Three
or four rooms have been fitted up as a
museum and there is small apartment
for the director. The commander of
the military forces at Maracay also
has small apartment which he some-
times occupies over week ends.
It is highly doubtful that Rancho
Grande ever will be finished. It is good
-.