Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-09-17
Beats Niagara.
WATER FALL IN GUIANA FIVE THOUSAND
FEET HIGH.

A WATER FALL IN GUIANA FIVE THOUSAND
FEET HIGH.
Burlington Brown, during his memoir
able survey of Guiana, reached the foot
of Roralmn, and ascended its sloping por
ton to height of 800 feet above the
level of the sea. Between the highest
point he reached and the foot of the great
perpendicular portion which lowered
above is band of thick forest. Looking
mp at the great wall of rock 1000 feet in
height, he could see that forest covered
its top, and that in places on its sides
where small trees or shrubs could gain a
hold, there they cling. The gigantic cliff
itselfis composed of beds of white, pink
and red sandstone, iuterbedded with lay
ers of red shale, the whole resting on a
great bed of red diorite The length Of
Roralma is about eight or ten miles
Kukenam is perhaps larger and the area
of Illepabeur is certainly more extensive.
1t is impossible to view this wonderful
group of mountains without realizing
that far back in the youth of the world
they formed part of an archipelago in
tropical sens. That they are well wooded
and watered is made certain by visible
| trees and the enormous waterfall which
| ,------.. -. I-~-. f~a,,, p~.o'--.-
A grand view of this cataract was OBJ
by Darlington Brown from the mouth Of
cave, inhabited by guacharo birds,
and situated 1882 feet above the level of
the sea. Though the clear atmosphere
was distinctly visible at a distance of 80
miles the white thread of the waterfall
The Indians said it was the head of
branch of the Cotinga river, but it is
more probable the head of the Caroni, a
branch of the Ormoko. This tropical
Staubbach is proably the highest fall i'll
the world, and is at the same time of
considerable bulk. The cliff of Rorslma
is 2000 feet in height, over the upper half
of which it fell like aplumb-line and then
descended with slight slope outward.
| The remaining 5000 feet il the valley be-
low slopes at an angle of 45 degrees and,
being tree-covered, the rest of the fall Is
hidden by foliage The invisible attraction
of the curious savanna range of island
mountains to naturalists arises from the
inaccessibility This should not be under
stood rs the mere desire to excel others in
feat of climbing, but rs the hope that
some relics of the mammalian life of the
so-called ''miocene" period may have sur
yived on these insulated attitudes, cut off
from all communication with the living,
moving world. Ii any of the .'miocene"
mammals lived upon them when the sea
washed over their bases, the defendants
of those animals may exist there still, as
the lemurs exist i'll Madagascar, and
whole family Of masupials, such as the
kangaroo, in Australia.
Perhaps balloon may one day solve
the mystery which lends charm to these
island mountains, and the happy natura-
| list who lands-as one will of course, and
in time, on the summit of Roralama, may
find himself among the descendants of
| the races long since blotted from the low
er world in which the evidence of their
existence is recorded in the great stone
books alone. Amid the forest depths, on
which rests n large cloud, he may find not
the gigantic saurians of the youthful
world. grim monsters Of the tish-lizard
| form, but the great progenitors of exis-
ting mammalia. Leaving the tapir, one
of the most ancient of extant creatures, Mt
the bottom of the Roralma cascade-he
may find at its top its gigantic cogeners
huge herbivorous animals 10 and Is
feet in length the dinotherium, tapir-
ike creature, larger tlAn the elephant;
tors of the horse. the hog, and the great
cats which i'll the known parts of the con-
tinent are represented by the jagunr, the
puma and the occlot. The prospect OF
| the dinotherium alone would be sufficient
to compensate m enthusiastic naturalist
for the labor Of years 1t ID the largest
of the terrestrial mammalia which have
inhabited our globe, and deservedly stand
Al h, al
as the megatherium or gigantic sloth at
that of the tardigrades. Probably the
dinotherium would be found, If found ut
all. pursuing life like that Of the hippo
potumus Its great head and tusks are
fitted for grubbing up aquatic plants,
and, like those of the wulrus, for helping
the animal out of the water. But the
dinotherium is but one Of the startling
forms which might be looked for on Ror-
alma, if its cliffs he really rs difficult as
painted Lizards in the semi-ophidian
/ stage which might be encountered, and
other animals which, rs the little boy
said who had been taken into Il lecture OF
Prof Owens, ''had not quito made up
their minds what they were going to be.
The question is, is Roralma ms inacces-
! sible as it looks? From recent evidence
there is break in the waterfall at n
point 900 feet below the fiat, cliff i-like
summit. Now 900 feet do not cover n
very great height, and there is no good
evidence us to the inacessibility Of the
mountain Travellers have looked from
afar, and Indians have talked, and moth
ing has been done among them. Has any
white man tried the ascent and failed? Is
the scientific world of to-day going to
give up Ms impossible what has never
been seriously attempted?
--
Henry c. jarrett went down to Coney
Island lust week. and ON the train lost his
singham umbrella. He returned to town
ON Monday, nnd thinking there might be
IL possibility of getting it back, he asked
the ticket seller if m umbrella had been
found lie described it minutely and to
his astonshmcut, it WIS handed to him
by the obliging clerk. Mr.. jarrett think
ing it quite safe to do So, as the young
man looked sober and temperate) invited
him to take glnss of champagne. The
champagne cost him $3.50; the umbrella
10 cents. .- Dramatic NCWS.
'Ul,n h.thius suits worn by the bow