A Liberian Journey

Creator

Date

Coverage

Transcription

 Tues July 20^th

Right after Breakfast we examined our palm sections which to our satisfaction showed the small eel-like worms in quantity – and that will be the first report of them from africa (so we think). Then Mr. Ross, Mr. & Mrs Hines arrived and we drove off for the plantation Mt. Barclay where we all descended. The plantation is really quite impressive – Tall, slender, clean trees each well laid out in rows, each with a little cup under a spigot into which the thick white latex runs. It is about the color of liquid porcelain and is very very thick viscous. Some of the trees must be over 400 ft tall and one was at least 6’11 ft around the butte. And on the ground below them is a carpet of dead leaves – no under brush or other grown to mar the cleanliness of the place. I took some pictures of the trees and a movie of one of the boys climbing.

We then visited the smoke house and the drying plant where the rubber is first coagulated into white mats – pressed and stamped  and then is smoked for 10 days until it becomes somewhat transparent and a brownish color. It is then shipped away. Some of the latex is coagulated and smoked without pressing – looking like slabs of bacon when thru.

After lunch Bequaert, Allen, Linder & I went out to take pictures for about two hours. We took the Ford and drove out the Duport road. Hal in the meantime repacked books, while Shattuck spent the whole afternoon shopping – visiting missions in which to put the billhartzia patient, and finding lost boxes in the customs. The Chief & Theiller worked over their microscopes.

In the evening I again set to work in my improvised dark room and cleaned up some more movies and straight film. I must admit it that developing till 1200 makes a long day.

Type

Identifier

Citation