The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-23
DEATH OF AN AUSTRALIAN Elk.
PLORER,


Captoip sttsrt and His Adventures,
Chpt. Charies Sturt, one of the earliest
explorefs ofthe Australian Continent. and
su~bsequently COLOSSAL Secretary for the
province Of South Australia, died at Chell
ftenham, England, on the 18th Of June.
Capt Sturt made his first journey into the
interior Of Australia in 1926, then discov-
ering the River Darling, 500 miles from
syaheyol In 1880, he descended The Nor
r~umbidgee TO tho point where its waters
merged in larger stream, the Murray.
Pursuing its course he came to the conflu-
ence Of the Darling with il, and finally TO
its Owl discharge into a great lake which
received the namo of Alexandrinn, qnzinp
from its southern shore upon the ocean at
Encounter Bay. In 1Sil-45, under the
auspices of the government, an attempt
was made % raise the vail from the mvEto-
rious central region Of Austmlia. Captain
Sturt was appointed to the command of n
party Of seventeen nssistants and follow
ers. Starting from Adelaide, his object
was TO strike through the country from
south TO north, and though he did. not nc
complish half the distance, during nm alb
senee Of eighteen months, the journey
threw great light upon the condition of the
interior, and is one Of the most remarka-
BILE on record.
Sturt advanced to within two dearees Of
the Tropic Of Capricorn, but no rain falling
from July IL TO September 3, with another
summer setting in, be deemed Il necessary
to return, and entered Adelaide January 10,
1916. Sturt suffered severely in his expo
ditions, so muchfso that whenhe published
his book in 1888 he was almost blind, but
the passion Of exploring does not
easily leave o man VINO has once
felt its influence. After being om-
.ployed for some years as q colonial
surveyor for South Australia (says n Lon
don paper), he maturod another plan.
for an inland journey-this time towards
the very centre of the -continent-and set
forth IN the September Of 1874. Their has
seldom been a more unfortunate eNpedi-
ton. The plan was good; his followers
no less n man than Mcdonald Stuart among
them-were eminently fit for the work.
and yet IL resulted in misery and failure. j.
IA IL happened, the party hit upon tho
worst part of the whole land Often a few
miles ont Of their course might have led
them into more fertile country; but, tho
they spared no toll and feared no danger,
some inexplicable fatality seemed to mock
their hopes. .I ..r.f.f.. y.t4 laval
Men have since followed much the same
plan, and IL has led them safe and sound to-
the Gulf of CarpentAria; but il was Sturt's
destiny 10 lie q pathfinder only, and not 10
journey over the ground when Il was safe
aud easy of access. Yet oven rs il was, his
discovery of Cooper's~ Grcek-since various
N known ns Victoria River. and rs the
Barcoo-begau a new era Of Australian ex
ploration, too late for Sturt TO follow up his
own discoveries. The hardships encoun.
tered were horrible. The land burnt up
around the travellers. the scrub aud brush
wood on the hills took fire, and the acrid
smoke rolled towards them, through the
sullry atmosphere, over the arid
land. They came upon the Stony Desert
au ocean of stone, with huge boulders
for its waves, and, far in the horizon, red
snndhills looming like n range Of clils
Ascending one after another Of these, hop
ing the scene would change, they saw again
the dark purple of the desert. the mennc-
ing red of the dunes. Their cattle. before
thoy died Of thirst, shifted their feet about
rs though seeking for n cool place on the
burning mari. When the explorers, in
camp, tried TO write, the ink dried in The
pen. They tried 10 paint: the t1lors
caked and cracked. They had to dig
huge chamber underground 10 save their
lives. Even then the second In command,
Mr.. Poole, sank rapidly, and died of n
black scurvy.
Almost TO tho last, Stuart, whose activity
was indofatigable, hoped on but OF length
il Is told ofhim that, with on almost broken
heart, che sat more than an hour on the
top of the sand hill, with his face buried in
his hands, evidently quite crushed by his
final disappointment And yet be tried
again. II was after this that he
found Cooper's Creek. But ut last,
for bare life he must needs turn
back. lie found one Of his depots only TO
find it deserted. He was not sur
prised-only sick, only sorry, only stunned
and beaten. "a sickening feeling came
over mo- he says, 'iwhen I found they
were really gone" Not on my W ac-
count; for, with the bitter feelings Of dis
appointment with which l was returning
home, ] could have calmly laid my head
upon the desert, never TO raise it again"
Gods great mercy. his friends bore him
home. Ho reached Adelaide in safety
But he was blind.
Not to the end of his life did he ever
quite recover his eyeRight; and this may
have helped TO intensity his naturally
modest and retiring disposition. He had
far outlived his fame that, outside his
own little circle, most men fancied him
lead. The time has come at last for his
departure. He died comparatively poor,
yet rich in the most precious part ofwealth
in the retrospect of o long life
most purely and nobly spent. The
that might have gladdened
his ears had he lived, must be
above his tomb. Yet there is no
ofloss, defeat or failure in 30 simply
and serenely beautiful n career. His work
lives after him, as M who revealed TO man
fresh tracts Of his domain. On the steps OF
The lonely explorer, the emigrant wagon and
railway have followed. The wilderness
which he pushed his solitary way is
white with Sheep His name will live with
The purest in our story, standing not I'M
gorthily beside those Of Cook, Perry, and
nrnnklin-mnn 90 nnnIln % No.. -.