INTO THE UNKNOWN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 24 December 1910, Page 18

INTO THE UNKNOWN.

BRITISH EXPLORERS IN MEW GUINEA. A TALE OF ADVENTURE. Reuter's Agency has received intelligence of the progress of the British scientific expedition in Dutch New Guinea, the last new; of which was published by the Agency in August. The most recent letters have taken about threo months to reach England from a remote and unexplored region, where the explorers, notwithstanding tho overwhelming difficulties of transport and climate, wero still endeavouring to cut their way into the far interior of Dutch New Guinea, in order to reach the Charles Louis Mountains, the great range running east and west of New Guinea.

Tho previous letters were a record of almost heartbreaking attempts on the part of- this band of six Britishers to overcome tho difficulties that confronted them, and these last communications •show that these have scarcely abated, and that, while valuable ■ geographical results have been achieved as the result of some side journeys, no- material, progress. has. been made in the. exploration of the Snow Range, which, according to tho latest letter, . has . been completely hidden by mist and rain. AVith tho exception of the leader, Mr. Goodfellow, who-had suffered from fever, tho whito members of the expedition had enjoyed, good• health, but there had been much sickness' among tho coolies, several of whom had.been lost. Tho almost incessant rains and tho flooded country and rivers had. occasioned, suffering and heavy loss to tho expedition, the camps being submerged and valuable stores and equipment ruined or lost. The most hopeful featur.o was the arrival of a new motor, launch, which has been acquired in the Aru Island, and by means of which it was hoped to explore the rivers and find a more suitable stream leading to tho - : mountains; but here again the explorers wero handicapped, owing to the insufficiency, of petrol. Some new rivers have been discovered, but, owing to their swollen state; navigation' was attended by great danger ana progress painfully slow.. -Nothing more had been seen of the pigmies .who..were met earlier, in the year by Captain Ttawling, but the latter was hoping to mako another, expedition ill search of them.

A' Fine Performance, One letter, dated June 19, from the British camp at Tipuo, on the Mimika River, announces the arrival of Mr. Goodfellow and Captain C. G. Itawling with the motor boat. The south-west monsoon was blowing, and immense breakers rolled over tho bar, but at high tide the little launch safely entered the river without one wave coming aboard. "We found," writes one of the explorers, "that more men had gone sick, and that a great flood had swept over the country, completely covering the land. The water rushed through our camp and liuts, and•. for seventy-two hours there was no spot less than, two feet under water. Large quantities of precious stores, which cannot be replaced, were utterly ruined, and, to make matters worse, sickncss has still further increased. As soon as the river subsided a start was made- up-stream with laden canoes towed by tho motor launch, and although the river was rushing down at a terrific rate, the gallant little boat ploughed her Way on, never faltering, and in a few hours a distance was covered that would have needed three or four days' paddling. At this period Dr. Eric Marshall, accompanied by three Gurkhas, had gone on an expedition' to find the Wania River, and fresh exploration with tho motorboat had been stopped owing to the shortness of petrol. A week later one of the explorers writes:—"lt is still raining; rain day and night without ceasing. Our huts are leaking; the ground is sodden and boggy; and the food is ruined. You can picture it all—the steady downpour, the brown swirl of the. river, the constant fnlling-in' of ' the banks, the continual snuisli, squish of mud—and no prospect of improvement. Our dried (!!) fish aiid meat smelt enough to blow the roof off."

Faithless Natives, On July 14 Dr. Marshall returned after an eventful journey of eighteen days, but he was in a sad plight, for on -reaching a" spot in the hills fivo marches from camp, he was deserted by his natives. He and his three Gurkhas had been compelled to carry everything themselves, and it was only with, tho greatest difficulty that they eventually safely returned to camp. . Towards tho end of July Captain Rawling and Dr.. Marshall, with the only coolies who were well enough to travel, again started off into the interior, partly to recover the stores, which Dr. Marshall had been compelled to hide on his retreat to camp, and also for tho purpose of pushing further towards the mountains and getting in touch with the pigmies; but after three days' absence tremendous difficulties necessitated return. At times they wero immersed to their armpits. Writing on July 19, the explorers say they are completely stuck, and that to got near or evep obtain a glimpse of the .Snow Range seemed at tho time impossible. "It is still raining," adds the letter, "all and every day and night without cessation. All the rivers aro in flood. Coolies with fresh supplies: cannot reach us yet awhile, and we can do nothing." ,

i.:-.. " EXCITING' ADVENTURES. • The Press Association has received particulars in letters from New Guinea, dated July 25. Leaving'the junction of the Pouria and Kamura Rivers, Dr. Marshall turned eastward,, and after wading knee-deep for two miles, struck tho. Wataikwa, the largest river he had then seen. Shortly afterwards he came-upon mountains which rose, sheer from tho river for some bun-, dreds of .feet, and made progress with loads almost impossible. Leaving two'of his threo Gurkhas in. camp, Dr. Marshall then- started' with one Gurkha and fivo natives, and attempted to .advance over a hill 1500 feet high, covered with dense jungle .and dead and fallen trees. ■ When six miles'up the mountains and seven days from camp ho was deserted. "Here I am," writes Dr. Marshall, "absolutely alone, the. first white, man to penetrate this district. My natives have deserted, -and I have sent-my one Gurkha back to tho. last camp, while I.remain on guard. . All the available food i§ four pounds of rice and two teaspoonfuls. of tea, and I have given the Gurkha my. gun, retaining only my pistol.'" On the following day Dr. Marshall, finding that iho natives, in order to cut off his retreat, had taken away his canoe,, arranged to build a raft in which to negotiate the narrow rapids, but meanwhile the river was rising at tho rate of eighteen inches an hour, and the-torrent was rushing down within a foot of the banks. -

Finding it impossible to proceed by means of. a -raft, Dr. Marshall hid his stoves fin the jungle, and with a load, weighing'so to 60 pounds, started to return' to camp, his Gurkhas each carrying about-the same weight. The two days' march was a terrible one; every inch of the. road had to be cut through the jungle'. On June 27. some of tho deserters returned with'ths-missing-canoe, and Dr. Marshall resumed his return,, and finally returned to Tipui, where ha found Captain Rawling.. : : [Note.— Despito'. the- difficulties referred to above, it is hoped, that tho explorers will''be. able to. remain long enough in New. Guinea to accomplish their main object. A- new member has been dispatched to tako tho. place of Mr. Stalker, who was'drowneil, and since , the . above letters were written further funds have been dis-' patched to Mr. Goodfellow.]