REMARKABLE RECOVERIES

Shannon News, 27 July 1926, Page 4

REMARKABLE RECOVERIES

AMAZON BASIN EXPLORED. TWO BURIED CITIES FOUND. Dr. W. M, McGovern, the explorer, recently returned to London from an expedition to the Amazon and the Andes. For many months he had been missing, and it was generally thought that he had been killed. He was indeed lost for some time in the jungle, and twice was attacked by hostile Indian tribes, but won his way through after making remarkable discoveries. Exceptional attention was paid to vast unexplored tracts of the Northwest Amazon basin between Rio Negro and Putomayo. Many new geographical and geological discoveries were made, especially regarding the nature and extent of the old Guyana Continent, which existed when the Amazon was only as inland sea. Many new species of birds and animals were collected and unexpected sources of gold, silver, coal and oil were found. Many new tribes were discovered whose members had never seen a -white man. Several were possessed of a very high culture, while others probably were the , most primitive people extant, being wild nomads of the jungle without, any form of dwelling and living on roots jand wild plants.

All of these savages at first wer.e extremely hostile, but eventually Dr. McGovern won them over, and he was eventually initiated into, strange jurupari 'rites —a sort of native freemasonry which no woman may attend under penalty of death.

One of Dr. McGovern’s companions was drowned in a whirlpool, and the explorer himself was at death’s door for some weeks with a strange jungle malady. The party was greatly troubled by vanyrire bats and other poisonous animals and insects. After emerging from the Amazon on the Andean tableland, Dr. McGovern carried out extensive excavations and discovered two ancient cities buried in sand. These showed very high civilisation, long -prior to the famous Inca culture, reaching hack at least 3000 years. They are considered the oldest, known remains in South America. These discoveries are believed to throw new light on man’s history in the New World.