OVER JUNGLE

Shannon News, 6 November 1928, Page 4

OVER JUNGLE

10,000 MILES BY 'PLANE.

Ten thousand fIrfJSS travelled by 'piano over some of the wildest country in the world, 600 miles by canoe and 400 miles on foot, practically every section of New Guinea, from the coast to the remote interior being visited.

The discovery of 14 lakes never visited by white men before. Sugar-cane, studies of immense importance to the industry. These weTesomeof the features of the work of an expedition under Dr. E. W. Brandes, which returned from Port Moresby to Sydney recently. The expedition, which was sponsored, by the United States Department of Agriculture add several private Concerns, including the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., of Sydney, arrived in Papua early in June to collect varieties of sugar cane cultivated by the natives or growing, wild, that might be resistant to mosaic and other diseases of cane, and to gather evidence on the origin of the principal species of com- -- mercially cultivated cane.' Mosaic is the disease which . has caused a serious decline in yields' of cane in many countries of the world. With Dr. Brandes, who is principal pathologist 6f the U.S. Department of Agriculture, were Dr Jacob Jeswiet, .Dutc,h agricultural explorer and renowned authority 1 on sugarcane, Mr C. W. Pemberton, entomologist, and Mr Richard, Peck, who piloted the Fairchild cabin seaplane. Pigmies and Head-Hunters. . An auxiliary ketch was chartered f an June to establish a base 254 miles up the, Strickland River, in Western Papua. The ketch tooS tnree weeks to make the trip, and the scientific party, in the 'plane, reached the base in-five and a-half hours. In three weeks the party had visited the middle and upper Ply River, with its tributaries, the Alice and Palmer rivers, Lake Murray, and finally the Victor Emanuel range, 600 miles inland. Head-hunt-ing cannibals were often met, and once the 'plane landed among a race of pigmies, dwelling .in tree houses. Apart from inviting the explorers to enter the Dubu houses, for certain rites, the usual method of enticing strangers to their destruction, said Dr Brandes, the natives were never actually hostile* They were too terrified by the sudden descent of the 'plane from the skies. On August 24 Dr Brandes and Mr Peck flew directly/across the island, titude of 14,000 ft v over the cloudmantled mountains/ This was the flying blind most of the time at an almost hazardous flight of the expedition. ' "Lake Herbert Hoover." In the ensuing weeks exploratory flights were made. along the coast*and up the Sepik a-nd Markham Rivers. Many strange native tribes were visited and valuable sugarcane varieties were collected. The longest flight.of 1000 miles, was made oq; September 3, from the Sepik River en route to Port Moresby. The 14 lakes were discovered in the vast lake plain of the middle Fly, one being named Lake Herbert Hoover. One hundred and seventy-one vari- " eties of sugar cane were collected. They will be studied in Sydney and in Washington. ' Dr Brades, paid a high tribute to the skilful;piloting of Mr Peek. The latter was equally proud of the performance- of his 'plane which, under . particularly trying conditions, had never once faltered. Only once, when ice had formed on the wingsy were the explorers in danger of a forced landing.

The 'plane is now in good order, although it has been out in all weathers since April 11. Not once since then has it been under shelter.