THE INSTITUTION OF CIVJL ENGINEERS: 



SECT. IL OTHER SELECTED PAPERS. 

 (Paper No. 3302.} 



" The Constructional Woods of British Guiana." 

 By LUKE MULLOCK HILL, B.E , M. Inst. C.E. 



THE Colony of British Guiana, although comparatively little known 

 to the British public specifically, has been long celebrated for its 

 sugars, known in the trade as " Demerara crystals " (taking their 

 name from the central county of the Colony, flanked on either side 

 by the counties of Essequebo and Berbice, which formerly were 

 separate colonies), and hardly less so for its hard woods, especially 

 greenheart, which has been extensively employed in the construc- 

 tion of docks, wharves, and lock-gates both in Europe and in 

 America. 



Within the last 16 years gold has been discovered in large 

 quantities in the hinterland, and has been worked successfully 

 along the banks of the numerous rivers and creeks abounding in 

 the interior; but the' further development of the industry awaits 

 the introduction of foreign capital and the opening up of the 

 country by roads and railways. Diamonds in considerable numbers 

 have also been discovered quite recently, and give promise of 

 profitable working. Such opening up of lines of communication 

 would also tend to the development of the timber trade of the 

 colony, as vast forests of greenheart and other hard woods, bordering 

 all the great rivers above their falls and navigable lower portions, 

 are left practically untouched on account of the difficulties of 

 transport. At the present time the Colony has only three short lines 

 of railway, aggregating about 110 miles. Two of these run along 

 the coast east and west of the Demerara River, where are situated 

 most of the sugar plantations and other cultivated lands, cattle 

 farms, etc. The other runs between the upper reaches of the 

 Demerara and Essequebo Rivers, connecting the navigable portion 

 of the Demerara River with the portion of the Essequebo River 

 above the dangerous falls, which practically bar all further navi- 

 gation in this river. This railway, although only a few years old, 

 has already opened up large forests of fine old greenheart, mora, 

 and wallaba timber lying in the space between the two rivers, and 

 which were previously iE-acc 



