June i, 1902.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



279 



THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZONIAN BASIN. 



By H. Guillaume, F. R. G. S. {Southampion.)* 



THE rubber industry of the upper Amazonian basin is 

 centered at Iquitos, a Peruvian port which has risen 

 from the status of a fishing village to a wealthy town 

 of 7000 inhabitants, consisting of natives of Peru, half 

 castes, and Jews who have migrated from Gibraltar, Tangiers, 

 and Morocco. I am indebted to my friend Mr. Melville G. 

 Clayton, an English engineer who in 1899 took out a Chiswick 

 steam launch for service on the upper affluents of the Amazon, 

 (or detailed information from his three years experience in that 

 region. 



In 1897, the United States cruising corvette Wilmington 2lX- 

 rived at Iquitos, her officers receiving a most hospitable wel- 

 come from the merchants, who carry on an extensive and 

 expanding commerce with the States; the opportune visit nat- 

 urally strengthening the commercial relations between the two 

 countries by demonstrating facilities. Rubber has been the 

 stimulating objective, bringing commerce, civilization, and de- 

 velopments, to what was not long ago a veritable terra incog- 

 nita and hunting ground of numerous tribes of savages and 

 cannibals; now gradually becoming, by means of barter and 

 trading, important factors in aiding the white man to collect 

 the vegetable gold of the forest — hitherto quite inaccessible — 

 now one of the most important items of commerce. 



It is the construction of railways and fluvial steam naviga- 

 tion, which are destined to give life and movement to the im- 

 mense wealth lying dormant on the flanks of the Cordilleras 

 and which through their agency will spring up in a magical 

 manner. The new railway just authorized from Oroya to the 

 rich copper deposits of Cerro de Pasco will doubtless prove of 

 enormous service, being near to the navigable waters of the 

 Peren6, Pachitea, Apurimac, and Rio Camba ; thus offering 

 easy access to the Pacific, via Lima and Callao to Liverpool 

 Many obstacles have checked development in the upper Ama- 

 zonian basin, which is still in a state of semicivilization, but by 

 the expanding influence of steam and electricity, combined with 

 the perseverance of bold energetic pioneers, impediments must 

 gradually be removed, and communication with the Pacific and 

 Atlantic facilitated. The Washington government, in order 

 to obtain trustworthy data for its hydrographic department_ 

 despatched the aforenamed steam vessel of 1392 tons displace- 

 ment, with a draught of 10 feet and length of 250 feet, with 

 1600 I H P., to Iquitos ; a port 2000 miles from the ocean. The 

 visit enabled much information to be gathered, the steamer re- 

 turning with many specimens in natural history and botany, 

 and the voyage proving of great valueto the general public. 



The Wilmington having many feet to spare in her anchorage 

 at Iquitos, all doubts as to the navigability of the Upper Am- 

 azon were removed, and at the junction of the Javary, 315 miles 

 east of Iquitos, there were found 18 fathoms, while craft of 800 

 tons can steam to Borgas, 600 miles west of Iquitos. The 



* The author of this paper was for many years the Peruvian consul general at 

 Southampton, England, where he is still engaged in mercantile interests. In The 

 India Rubber World of December 15, 1893, he wrote at length of "The India- 

 Rubber Industry in Amazonian Peru," giving much information of value regard- 

 ing the rubber resources of that region — the development of which has been de 

 layed by the remoteness of the country from commercial centers and the limited 

 transportation facilities. It appears now, however, that conditions are more favor- 

 able for Peruvian enterprises, besides which a higher price level for rubber has 

 been attained. An excellent map showing the location of the rivers referred to in 

 this piper appeared in The India Rubber World of December 15, 1893, and an 

 other map covering the same territory was given in our issue of October 15. 1894. 

 — The Editor. 



impediments to communication imposed by the lofty snowy 

 Andes, the rapid torrents of the slopes, and the hostile native 

 tribes established on the margins of the rivers, will be gradually 

 overcome by civilization, and one of the notable workers to 

 achieve direct communication from the Pacific to the Amazon- 

 is the indefatigable Dr. J. Capelo, an eminent Peruvian engineer, 

 who, despite the difficult task, expensive work, and objections 

 from many compatriots, has succeeded in constructing a ser- 

 viceable road from the Oroya terminus of the Transandine 

 railway, to the navigable river Pichis ; and from this point 

 traffic is conducted with Iquitos, by means of shallow draft 

 steamers fitted with the Thornycroft chambered screw, working 

 in only 2 feet of water. 



This road has rendered the valley of the Ucayali accessible 

 to the rest of Peru and established easy intercourse with Iqui- 

 tos. The postal time from Lima to Iquitos is now reduced to 

 12 days, viz.: Lima to Pichis 7 days, and Pichis to Iquitos 5 

 days, but it takes 13 days to ascend the rivers Ucayali, Pachitea, 

 and Pichis, making 20 days to return to the capital. The 

 river Ucayali and its tributaries foim the chief center of the 

 rubber industry, along the banks of that great fluvial highway, 

 and many trading stations and colonies have been formed on 

 the lower part of the Ucayali, containing 1500 inhabitants, who 

 form the various expeditions sent out to collect rubber in the 

 forests. 



The Pachitea river, a tributary of the Ucayali, is 825 miles 

 from Iquitos, the Pachitea itself being 191 miles and the Prchis 

 79 miles, making a united total of 1095 miles. The time taken 

 to ascend is 13 days, while the descent is practicable in 5 days. 

 The chief port on the Pachitea is called Port Victoria, in honor 

 of the late British queen. It is the residence of Senhor Pedro 

 Oliveiera, a Brazilian who conducts extensive trading in rubber, 

 his chief properties being on the Palcazii. The port is well 

 situated at the confluence of the Pichis and Palcazii. and is 

 destined to become a place of considerable importance. Tele- 

 graph communication is established from this point to Lima. 

 Ovving to the extreme sinuousity of the Pichis and its shallow 

 depth — only admitting steamers of 2 feet draught — it is recom- 

 mended by Mr. Clayton that the road should be extended to 

 Port Victoria, to which point steamers can ascend, drawing 

 3 feet of water always; but if the road were carried direct to 

 the Ucayali, there would be 9 feet of water there at all times. 

 There is still an immense area of virgin forest where rubber 

 abounds, as yet untouched, such as the upper affluents of the 

 Ucayali, the Tambo, Mantaro, Ene, Pangoa, and Apurimac, 

 which have hitherto been unfrequented by the traders on ac- 

 count of the hostility of the Indians. The headwaters of the 

 Madre de Dios and the Puriis are reached by the affluents of 

 the Urubamba and the Mishagua, where only recently trade 

 has been carried, and whence increasing supplies of rubber are 

 coming forward. M. Delfino Fiscarrald, of Iquitos, carries on 

 the bulk of the trade in that region. Tht pampa of Sacramen- 

 to, which is 100 leagues long by 40 wide, also contains unex- 

 plored forests. 



The Indians of the Ucayali are estimated at 40,000 ; the Cam- 

 pas being the chief tribe, growing semicivilized,and helping to 

 collect rubber. They are copper colored, and are thought to 

 be descended from the Incas. They wear a loose gown called 

 cushma, woven from wild cotton. Other tribes such as the 

 Piros, the C6nibos, and the Shipibos, aie expert canoeists. 



