88 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1912. 



RECEPTION TO THE BRAZILIAN AMBASSADOR. 



The greatest number of people gathered at any time during 

 the E.xposition attended on the afternoon of September 28, on 

 the occasion of a reception tendered to the Brazilian Ambassa- 



Reception to the Brazilian Ambassador. 



dor to Washington, Dr. Domicio da Gama. The reception 

 committee consisted of Count Candido Mendes de Almeida, 

 Admiral Jose Carlos de Carvalho and Dr. Eugenio Dahne. The 

 reception proper was held on the spacious landing at the head 

 of the grand marble staircase at the east end of the main floor 

 as shown in the accompanying illustration. Immediately after 

 tlie formal reception the entire company repaired to the balcony 

 floor to visit the wonderful Brazilian exhibit, which, notwith- 

 standing the large space devoted to it, was crowded in every 

 nook and corner. After every one had had an opportunity to 

 look at the samples of crude rubber displayed by the different 

 organizations of Brazil, refreshments were served to tlie ac- 

 companiment of most excellent music. Brazil Day was a con- 

 spicuously successful feature of the Exhibition. 



THE POPULAR MOVING PICTURE SHOWS. 



One was always sure of finding a good crowd in the mov- 

 ing picture room, which was located on the main floor, in the 

 southeast corner, and had seating accommodations for about 

 250 people, besides standing room, which was quite frequenil.v 

 utilized. These shows were given at two and four o'clock in 

 the afternoon, and at 8 o'clock in the evening; and as new 

 scries of pictures w-ere being constantly put on, one could 

 attend a number of these picture displays without seeing 

 any repetition. The pictures for the most part showed 

 scenes along the Amazon, in the rubber exporting cities anil 

 in the rubber producing jun.glcs. This feature was a valuable 

 addition to the general exhibition. 



One exceedingly interesting series of films showed the 

 Madeira-Mamore Railroad, which has recently been opened, 

 after years of labor and millions of expense. One immediately 

 sees as he travels over this road in these of moving pictures, 

 why it should have taken so long to build and cost so much. 

 The road is only 180 miles long, but it is a succession of bridges 

 made of steel and cement, over streams and ravines, followed 

 by deep cuts through solid stone — the whole road going througli 

 the densest imaginable jungle. As the road was built entirely 

 by American engineers it reflects extreme credit upon our na- 

 tional engineering skill. This road starts at Porto Velho. 

 Though this port is 1.800 miles up the river from the mouth 

 of the Amazon, the largest steamers in the world can dock 

 comfortably at its wharves. 



ALGOT LANGE'S INTERESTING LECTURES. 



Occasionally in place of the moving picture films Algol 

 Lange, the well-known Amazon explorer, delivered a lecture, 

 accompanied by stereopticon slides, on his twelve months' 

 experience during 1910-1911 in the Amazon forests. It will 

 be remembered that last spring his publishers issued his 

 hook, entitled "In the .Amazon Jungle," an exceedingly in- 

 teresting narrative, full of adventure and moving incidents. 

 .\Ir. I-ange's lectures traversed practically the same ground 

 that was covered in his book, but to hear a story from an 

 explorer's own lips is always more interesting than to read 

 it m cold type, consequently his lectures always crowded the 

 auditorium. He described the extraordinary features of the 

 .Amazon, which, he says, counting all its tributaries, has 

 100,000 miles of navigable waters. The river, hundreds of 

 miles from its mouth, widens out in several places into a 

 ijreat inland lake, sometimes 24 or 25 miles in width. 



He showed several pictures of a forlorn little hamlet, 

 perched up on the banks of the river, called Remate de 

 Alales — being in English "The Culmination of Evils." This 

 is at the point where the Javary River flows into the 

 Amazon, a thousand miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The 

 lecturer liad spent several months in this forsaken spot, and 

 he gave a graphic account of the place and its peculiar life. 

 This is tiie resort of rubber gatherers during the rainy 

 season, when their work is interrupted. 



He also recounted his experiences up the Itecoahy River, 

 where, among other interesting encounters, he fell in with 

 a boa-constrictor, 54 feet and 8 inches long, which with the help 

 of six trusted assistants was dispatched and duly skinned. 

 Some American pessimists have doubted that 54 feet 8 inches 

 — at least the 8 inches. But it seems that quite recently an 

 English explorer alleged that he had an encounter with a 

 boa-constrictor 65 feet long, which would appear to be ample 

 endorsement of the accuracy of Mr. Lange's measurements. 

 The lecturer's pictures of the animal life in the jungle proved 

 of absorbing interest to his audiences. 



Mr. Lange expects, in a few weeks, to start on another 

 exploring expedition in the Amazon country, to cover the 

 next three years, taken under the auspices of the University 

 of Pennsylvania. He states that notwithstanding the fact 

 that during his twelve months' residence in that country he 

 had 17 distinct attacks of fever, with practically no respite 

 between, lie feels the most profound affection for the Amazon and 

 cannot get away from the fascinating spell that it seems to 

 cast over the natural explorer. 



The liringins 



BRITISH MALAYA. 

 under British protection 



of the various 



The Dritiah Malayan Display. 



native States in the Malayan Peninsula was the first step to the 

 consolidation of their business interests. This combination has 



