On the Potaro. 343 



bridges are thrown, and in places where the ground is 

 low and swampy wooden culverts have been put down, 

 the hollow trunks of old mora trees answering the pur- 

 pose admirably and supplying lasting and ready-made 

 material. It is thought that donkey and mule carts will 

 soon be employed in drawing stores to the placers, but it 

 would be far better if the Spanish mode of transport- 

 ing goods either in "Argenes" or " Banusters " were 

 adopted. 



The Potaro is separated from the Konawarook by a 

 fine range of mountains, the highest of which, about one 

 thousand five hundred feet, has been named by the Gold- 

 diggers " Eagle" mountain, from an Indian legend that 

 it was once the home of a great Eagle which preyed upon 

 women and children. 



Most of the placers, or at least the principal ones, are 

 situated on the " Mahdia" Creek and its tributaries. 

 " Mahdia" is an Indian corruption of the English name 

 Mariah, and was so called from the wife of an old Chief 

 who for years resided near by. The gold diggers have 

 further improved upon this word by adding the affix 

 " ana," and named a smaller branch of the Mahdia, 

 •' Mahdiana." 



Very many of the larger placers are now being worked 

 over for the second time, but it is doubtful whether 

 they will be able to hold out much longer. In my opinion 

 Potaro is now seeing its best days, and, should no new 

 paying claims be found, or a mine opened up, I venture 

 to predi6l that in the next five years Potaro will, like 

 the Puruni, be pra6lically abandoned. 



There are at present fully a hundred small companies 

 in the Potaro and they are regarded with suspicion by 



XX 



