Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-04

A story of romantic ana startling adven-
lures, closely resembling Stanley's expert
ences in the heart of Africa, is told by a
Young man named Frank MCGOWAN. He
has Just returned to New York from South
America, whittier he was sent by Edison,
the inventor, to procure certain kind of
bamboo. MCGOWAN was gone year and a
half and travelled thousands of miles
through the widest portions of the Amazon
region. His description of the country and
the people is remarkably graphic and inter-
esting.
NEW YORK, May 9.-Mr. Frank Nc
Gowan, one of the bright young men assO-
ciated with Mr.. Edison in his laboratory
work at Orange, has just returned from
South America after an absence of year
and half His mission was to procure for
Mr. Edison certain kind of bamboo, which
has proved to be one of the very best ma
terials the wizard has as yet discovered for
the transmission of electricity. Although
the voyage was extremely hazardous and
beset with many dangers Mr.. MCGOWAN
was determined to make it, even if it cost
him his life. He accomplished his end, but
at the expense OF his health and perhaps
future happiness, for he has returned with
his constitution greatly shattered.
His travels carried him through the un-
broken forests of South America, where he
encountered not only wild beasts, snakes,
reptiles, crocodiles and predatory bands of
Indians, but exposed himself to the vast
ing ravages of low fevers. He forded
rivers, waded swamps, penetrated unknown
mountain fastnesses and scaled the lofty
CordiIleras He .ascended the Amazon
1900 miles and traversed the continent from
ocean to ocean.
MONTHS WITHOUT MEAT,
He was obliged to go 9S days without re-
moving his clothes, and 116 days without
eating meat, and during all this time he
was dependent upon the services of friendly
ssvages, with whom he could not converse
or even make his wants known except by
the sign language.
Mr.. Edison is exceedingly pleased with
the result of the trip. MCGOWAN proved
himself to be an intrepid traveller, and has
returned with large and varied stock of
fbrUus material, which has been laid aside
for experimental work. In fact, so very
much pleased was the Wizard that he or
dered MCGOWAN to recreate at Delmonico's
till he had fully recovered from the trying
strain put upon him BY the trip. Nc
Gowan, however. thought that the quiet of
Greenwich, Conn.,, would suit him better,
and has gone to that place. To an EUeninq
Sun reporter, who asked about his trip, be
said:
"Well, it was long one, and l fear it
would sound too much like half dime
nov'i 70 enlist your sympathy. You know
/ have been goGe a year and half from
home, and during that time have not been
idle. Let me see-it was September 10,
.. 1883, when l left New York. Any destina..
tion was Para, at the month OF The amazon
When arrived there felt lost, as every
one spoke Portuguese except me. How did
get along? Well, learned Portuguese,
too. There was nothing else to do.
ALMOST KILLED BY A VAMPIRE.
upon arriving at Para 1 lost no time in
setting out for the interior, and immediate
ly engaged passage on steamship running
up the Amazon. The steamships run as far
as Iquitos, distance of 2, 200 miles. These
Amazt nian steamships are queer rugged
affairs. The decks are all open, and the
passengers sleep out in the open air at night
in hsmmocks, with hardly anything for a
Governing except a mosquito net, which is
very essential.
At Santarem, a small village 45O miles
above Para, visited an American family
named Pitt, whom l found in great. agita-
ton. Their only daughter. beautiful girl
about 20 years old, was believed to be on the
~ Che L.
plump and well-rounded figure, but had re-
Gently wasted away till there was hardly
anything save shadow of her left. Appar-
emily she was without disease and the family
were greatly distressed to know what was
the matter. 1t was decided to set q watch
upon her, and what did they discover one
night but a huge vampire bat engaged in
slowly sucking her life blood while she in
nocently lay sleeping. The fellow had first
operated between her toes, leaving such a
small puncture as to escape notice, but had
afterward changed the base of his operations
to her knee, where be was at work when dis
covered. You can safely wager that no time
was lost in sending the bastard to the happy
hunting ground. The girl speedily recoT-
cred her health.
SHOOTING ALLIGAToRs FOR FUN.
"Going up the Amazon YOU meet with
nothing but yellow water and dense forests.
Fish abound in the river and are remarkable
principally for their variety. They are
caught in large numbers and furnish a
staple in the food supply. The banks of
the river are lined with alligators, and the |
passengers on board our steamship amused |
themselves during the day with their Win |
chesters in picking the Shiny denizens of |
the Amazon off while they were enjoying a |
Mornings summing. Fifty-two alligators |
yere shot one morning from the steamships |
deck. The poor things would jump fifteen |
feet into the air when struck, and would |
then founder about in the water, lashing it |
it into foam for radius of many feet. 1t |
was cruel sport, but it varied the monotony. |
and helped pass away many weary hours.
1t is an old saying among the inhabitants |
of Brazil that when the rainy season begins |
the boa constructors and smaller serpents, to- |
gether with the lions and tigers and all the |
other animals desert the islands in the river |
aud swim to the mainland, where they take |
refuge in the depths of the forests. No man |
can penetrate the Brazilian forests alone. A |
foreigner could not go FIVE miles without |
being devoured by wild beasts or poisoned |
by serpents, and even the natives do not |
venture any distance unless it is in parties. |
SHOWERS OF SHARP ARROWS.
"Brazilians in years past, in going up the /
river were accustomed 10 give vent to their |
deviltry by firing grape shot into the Indians,
who were usually assembled on the banks
in large numbers Now, matters are very
much reversed, and the Indians having been
taught to retaliate, amuse themselves by
making a target of the Brazilian gunboats
and literally deluging them with showers of
arrows.
'aThe Indians shoot these arrows with such
terrific force as to send them through the
steamships hull. shall never forget nv
own experience. 1t was like peril dropping
cut Of q clear sky We were all lazily
engaged one sunny afternoon in dragging
ont an existence on the steamships deck in
smoking and in otherwise diverting our
selves when suddenly from out of the forests
came roIley of arrows They raIned upon
the deck by the hundreds, but fortunately
not soul was injured. We all managed to |